sparkly bits....

Hey readers!

Here are a few bits and pieces to think about over the holidays....

• The above is holiday artwork courtesy of my nephew, who is pretty sure that the reindeer chuck presents with parachutes off Santa's sled, so they land in your chimney. Not a bad idea for efficient delivery, don't you think? This was drawn on the outside of a Christmas package that arrived today. The Canada Post person loved it! I love it too. 

• Style at Home magazine says the hottest color trends for 2013 are: stony taupe (really...shades of grey), electric blue, powder pink, and grey-blue. In my humble opinion, these are MUCH better than the pantone "color of the year" as mentioned in my previous blog posting.

• I'm thinking about re-doing my bathroom in early 2013. Seriously thinking about pink and grey. Not little girl pink...but a more adult, deep, rich pink. Still girlie? Indeed. More grown-up?I think so. These are things I will ponder over the holidays...

• I knew "rouge" was a super fantastic name for a company such as mine...apparently I'm not the only one, as evidenced by the new Air Canada discount carrier called "rouge" that was launched yesterday. Looks like I may have to change my little company's name....so sad about that. I was here first!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season full of love, laughter, goodies and surprises! 

See you in 2013!

xx rouge.

rouge news

Ever wish you could have just a little more of just a little rouge?

Well now you can!


rouge has a new facebook page.


Join us at www.facebook.com/rougesuzanne for links to weekly blog posts and design ideas, tips, random thoughts and photos.


AND, if you join the page in the next 3 weeks, you will be automatically be entered into a draw to win an original lamp upcycled by rouge!

Watch the page for photos of the prize...and much more.

See you there!

 
For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

home sweeter home?

How would a $100,000 home renovation change your life?

That’s the question asked in the Ramar Home Sweeter Home contest. (homesweeterhome.ca)

To me, that’s like asking what would you do if you won the lottery.

Although I’ve only ever entered one contest in my whole life, I decided to enter this one.

So I came up with a crazy idea and submitted it…

www.facebook.com/RamarHomes?sk=app_206242786138231


My entry is on page 5 and is called “change my career, change my life”. Check it out and vote (you have to be logged in to Facebook).

All entries (and there are a lot of them!) are judged on impact, originality & uniqueness, feasibility and the number of votes you get.

You could help take rouge from an awesome small side business to an awesome small business!


Hugs and kisses,
rouge.




For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

rouge 101

rouge is celebrating a milestone – this is officially the 101st posting for the just a little rouge blog!

Who knew I’d have so much to talk about? Who knew anyone would be interested in reading it?

Certainly not me…in the beginning, at least!

Sending my gratitude to all just a little rouge readers – whether you are one of our many faithful readers or brand new – and no matter how you found rouge…through my personal facebook page, rouge website (www.littlered.ca), or via haligonia.ca or halifax.infomonkey.net. I’m very happy you are here!

As always, we love to hear from you…so please send your feedback, suggest topics you’d like to hear more about, or just drop us a line.

Here’s to the next 101 posts that will try to add just a little rouge to your life!

xx rouge.



For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

whimsical wishes

This week is just a note to wish all my faithful just a little rouge readers happy holidays!

We’re taking a little time off to enjoy the holiday season with our friends and families, and sincerely wish you are doing the same.

Don’t worry though, we’ll be back in January brimming with lots of tips, great design ideas and other random things to share! 2011 is looking like it's going to be a good year...

Merry ho-ho to all,

xx rouge.

For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

h1n1, las vegas style

This is where I’m supposed to share fabulous and outrageous design and decor from my visit to The Strip. Well, if you’ll indulge me a just a little...it’s a blog of a different sort.

I got on the plane and starting feeling bad somewhere between Toronto and Las Vegas. Really bad. Then, really, really bad. If I could have gotten off the plane, I would have. Thumbs up and special thanks to the lovely flight attendant who let me sit in the jump seat near the bathroom for most of the flight, handed me a refreshed & cold facecloth and small doses of ginger ale.

By the time I landed in Las Vegas, I was somewhat delirious with fever, was probably swaying on my feet and was soaked with the cold sweats. Thumbs down to the hotel shuttle driver who wouldn’t take me to my hotel because “it was too close to the MGM and it’s fight night. Too busy”. Thankfully, the cabbie next your shuttle service was more than happy to take me...and the giant tip.

So, rouge readers, that’s the beginning of the sad tale that was my trip to Las Vegas. Sparing you all the gory details, I will say that I had a raging fever for 4+ days, every part of my body ached, I had/ have a terrible cough, and was barely able to leave the hotel room. It was a pig.

When I did muster up the strength, it was disastrous...think throwing up in the Grand Canyon and then again on the sidewalk in front of Target when out trying to buy another pair of pjs!

And how was dinner at TAO -- the hottest place on the Strip frequented by the superstar elite? I don't know, couldn't join my party there on Monday night even though it tooks months to get the reservation.

How was Switch? The crazy/ famous new steakhouse that literally switches it's decor every hour via electronice panels, ceiling...etc? I don't know, couldn't go there either.

Jubiee!? Sorry, showgirls, I didn't see you and what I can only imagine were your fantastically elaborate costumes. I had a ticket, but it went to waste because I was too sick to get there on show night.

You get the point.

I suffered through it as best as I could and went to my scheduled conference sessions later in the week (the real reason I was in Las Vegas) and then straight back to bed. Overall the trip was a bust. Not at all how I hoped to spend my week, that’s for sure!

The pics you see here are random shots that I was able take in my limited time out of the hotel room. Check out the beautiful chandeliers in the Paris Hotel lobby – they were massive and there were LOTS of them, the ceiling at the Bellagio Hotel – all hand blown glass. Incredible. And the standard “Strip at Night” photo.

Sorry to disappoint my readers this week. Trust me, I’m disappointed too.

great big job (tale #1)

Here is the first update on the “great big job, great client” (see blog from October 8th)…

rouge went to visit the building site over the weekend and is excited to report that the land has been cleared and the foundation has been poured! It’s a wonderful piece of land that still has lots of trees surrounding what will be the new house. Feels like being in the woods – very calm and quiet (if you ignore the blasting music from the workmen next door!)

Breathe deep….ahhhhhhh. I love the smell of the trees.

And check out the lake view. Not too bad, huh?

rouge also took the opportunity to nose around the model home in the neighbourhood that just happened to be having an open house. I’m not going to give you too many details, for fear of calling a specific designer/stager to the mat. And, I have no idea who that might be. But, I’ve just got to say that I was less than impressed.

The model home is quite nice from the outside, but the inside was very disappointing. It felt like all the $$ went into the structure, and that they had to cheap-out on the inside because of it. It wasn’t staged...just an empty new house. And sometimes that’s ok.

The problems were many -- the layout of the home was strange and choppy, so the main living space felt much smaller than it is, and the fixtures and finishes were nothing to get excited about.

In fact, there were some really strange choices. Didn’t seem to be that much thought put into it. The color selections were also questionable. (this is me, trying to be nice)

Overall, it left me feeling that it was not worth the asking price because the perceived value was just not there. Not even close. Certainly no warm and fuzzy there for me.

It’s too bad, really. A little bit of thought in advance when choosing the best selections from the available options could have made a huge difference. But, it did reinforce for me how different and frankly, how much better our client’s house is going to look.

Maybe we could make a pitch to make the home we're working on the new “model” home when it’s done! Not to get ahead of ourselves or anything...

Stay tuned for more tales!

great big job, great client

rouge is working on a great big, new job with a great client!

We’re helping a client who is in the process of building a new house built. It’s going up fast and it’s a turn-key, large home on a beautiful lot. This means that the home is built in a very streamlined manner. The builder and their suppliers are like a well-oiled machine. There are many “standard” features and sometimes there is a limited selection of choices on certain things. But, there are many, many decisions to make and lots of deadlines to juggle.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Just because it’s a “turn-key” home built by the builder who is building all of the homes in that area, doesn’t mean it can’t be unique and interesting. rouge’s client is indeed an individual with very clear and specific tastes. It’s important for him to carefully consider all the options available now, so he ends up with a wonderful home that reflects his lifestyle, his tastes and his style – not the builder’s tastes.

rouge was hired to help with this big challenge. Where to choose from the packaged options and where to splurge? When choosing from the packaged options, how to make the best choice that will fit with the overall design of the house we’re trying to achieve? When splurging, what are the requirments that effect the build?What and where is the best use of what’s available? Can we use some of the kitchen cabinet allowance to make a really cool vanity for one of the bathrooms? Where do we incur extra costs to include some strategically placed directional pot lights to highlight the incredible artwork that will be in the home?

And on and on it goes...

From flooring to fixtures to lighting to choosing wall colors…it’s all got to be done at the same time. Which is right now. And it’s all got to be done in an efficient manner so that when the builder gets rolling, everyone is on the EXACT same page. Did I mention that’s for the foyer, kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry room, mud room, hallway, three bedrooms and three bathrooms?

Imagine the work site when the contractor, drywaller, electrician, plumber, etc, etc, etc, get their direction. And we’ve asked for small, but important changes in a lot of areas that they are not familiar with because “it’s not the way it’s usually done”. It might be messy.

It’s October and the lot hasn’t been cleared yet. Move in date is at the end of January. Enough said??

It’s definitely going to be wonderful when all is done, though.

Having a good relationship with a client is incredibly important -- especially on a job like this. It’s critical to be able to listen, to clearly communicate with each other, to carefully consider all options, but be decisive on the overall design direction, and to understand each other so you can take a team approach to making the ultimate vision a reality. It’s the only way to be productive on a great, big job like this one.

And you never know, rouge just might be having a whole lot of fun doing it!

Stay tuned for more tales (and pictures) to come…

living the dream

The Sullivans are living their dream.

It’s what happens when an artist, a chef, business owners, and two active toddlers get together to make a decision about where they want to live. Actually, that’s only 4 people – Lisa, Brendan and their two kids, Ava and Fox, recently built their dream home on 10 acres of land just outside Windsor, Nova Scotia.

With a real passion to live a more sustainable lifestyle, which includes the slow-food movement, their new home was built around the kitchen. But I’ll get back to that.

Their build included using reclaimed timbers, sustainable cork floors, and pine plank flooring as integral parts of the design found throughout the entire house.

Their home also features a large cold storage room. Based on “old-fashioned physics”, the air-tight room is equipped with 2 vents – one up and one down. In the Fall, they open the lower vent and close the upper one so that the outside air goes into the cold storage room and sinks. When the air in the storage room reaches the desired temperature, the bottom vent is also closed so it’s trapped in the room. Adjustments are made as the outside temperature changes with the seasons.

Their land is incredibly unique because they are quite literally right next door to the elementary school. It’s about 100 ft. from door-to-door for Ava on school days. And they have a wonderful view of Martock Ski Hill from all the windows on the other side of the house.

But they also have space for 32 chickens and 2 pigs (dubbed Snuffy and Wilber) that will find themselves contributing to their food supply. Did I mention Icecream and Milkshake, the pet goats? What about Banjo the puppy? They all find lots of room to peck, root, nibble, sniff, and roam around the property.

In the spring, they also planted a small orchard of 26 apple trees that will be fruitful for years to come.

There is a 100 x 100 ft. garden that will produce squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, asparagus, strawberries and more.

And of course, all the herbs any chef would want in abundance like basil, parsley, sage, oregano and cilantro are also grown. In fact, the day rouge visited, Brendan turned a garbage bag full of basil into jars and jars of the best pesto I’ve ever tasted. It was hard to find room on the expansive countertops for them because of all the recent pickling and canning Lisa had just finished. A skill she learned from her Grandma.

Now, you can probably understand why the kitchen truly is the heart of this home. It features a beautiful, large custom-made table that can easily seat 10, a kid’s booth for arts and crafts (or extra seating while entertaining a big crowd), and a wall of windows that offer a spectacular view and tons of light.

Rouge is excited to help put the finishing touches on this kitchen – a little added storage, some increased functionality of what’s already there, and a little boost pull together the overall design. We’re inspired by the beautiful design and the commitment to living a more sustainable lifestyle.

rouge is stylin'!

rouge has recently learned that a senior editor styleathome.com is a fan and frequent reader of the just a little rouge blog! We are thrilled, of course, because rouge is a big fan of theirs – the magazine, the website, and the blogs.

Here’s something you may get a kick out of…their latest project is the Style at Home Makeover Contest. The contest invites Canadians to share a photo of a room in their home that’s in desperate need of a makeover. Whether it’s a kitchen that’s buried under a sea of clutter or a bedroom that’s just plain boring, they want to see pictures of rooms that need a decorating overhaul.

There are two grand prizes of $2,000 each in Home Depot gift certificates, plus 20 $50 Home Depot gift cards are up for grabs, just for voting and posting comments. Visit makeover2009.styleathome.com/ for more info (and full contest details).

Prizes aside, it’s incredibly entertaining to browse the entries submitted so far (over 450 entries), as well as reading advice other people have offered in comments.

Be sure you check out my very own entry…. “Airing my dirty laundry”. Vote for it after September 25!!

my favorite chair

This is my favorite chair. It currently sits in my home in a little reading nook on the second floor. I love it for its design and its personality. But I really love it for sentimental reasons…it’s got a great story behind it. That’s why it’s on the front page of my website (http://www.littlered.ca/).

When I moved back to Halifax from BC almost 8 years ago, I was more than a little lacking in the furniture department. Sometime around Thanksgiving, I was having a random chat with my folks about the style of furniture I was thinking about buying. To describe the Egg Chair, I said, “…you know…like the ones they used to have in the town library when I was a kid…” That in itself is remarkable, because sometimes I have trouble remembering things that happened two days ago.

Even more remarkable, my Mom tells me that they are STILL in the library. Turns out the small town I grew up in doesn’t boast heavy readers, apparently. The library was built sometime in the mid-60’s and these chairs have been there since it opened.

Thinking nothing more of it, I was incredibly surprised to find this beauty under the Christmas tree with a big red bow on it. Shortly after that discussion with my folks, they happened to be at the library and noticed new chairs. Because it’s a small town, my determined folks tracked down “the old library chairs” before they were thrown out. Climbing through the pile of chairs slated for the dump (yes, there is still a town dump!), my eagle-eyed mom picked out the best one and negotiated a purchase price of $25. She thought that was a bit too much, but knew it would be a great surprise for me, so gave in and my Dad paid.

I was blown away…that they were listening, that they remembered, that they were so thoughtful, and that they put lots of effort into giving me such a fun surprise. That made me love the chair and the story even more. Of course, I already loved my incredible parents.

Through a series of further coincidences, someone who had a chair-obsession was at my place a few months later. Commenting on the chair, she asked if it was an original. “Uh…I don’t know. I doubt it…it came from my hometown library.” She immediately flipped the chair over and after about 3 seconds, pointed out the authenticity label carefully hiding underneath (made in Denmark, 0167, Fritz Hansen).

Holy Cow! (Ok, so maybe those weren’t the exact words.)

“The EGG is a chair designed by Arne Jacobsen, one of Denmark’s most influential 20th century architects and designers, in 1958 for the SAS Ari Terminal and Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Known for combining modernist ideals with a Nordic love of naturalism, the Egg boasts a strikingly organic shaped upholstered seat on a slender metal base.”

My black–leather original is in as close to perfect condition as you can get. It’s estimated worth is somewhere more than $7,000 the last time I checked. (A pretty healthy return on your investment, Mom & Dad.)

To me, it is absolutely priceless. But it’s got nothing to do with the estimated value. It’s what I would grab if the house was on fire.

Is that so wrong?

news at rouge.

There’s been lots of exciting things happening at rouge, so I thought I’d share a few highlights with you…

rouge staged a home that sold in one day – to the first person who saw it. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Next up, was helping the same client move into his new home…a 500 square foot condo with an incredible waterfront view. Downsizing to the ultimate in downtown living, this was a design challenge where every single piece brought into the new space had to be highly functional. Creating a new design in a different space by choosing from the existing pieces in the old space was great fun!

rouge was also hired to refresh an existing living space – a lovely old home built in the late 1800’s located in Lunenburg, NS. From top to bottom, this is home offered lots of living space that was practically bursting with fine, old character features. The homeowner is a collector of many eclectic and wonderful things – artwork, furniture, handicrafts, family heirlooms and more. Unfortunately, these treasures were simply taking over the home and interfering with the ability to actually live comfortably in the space. Lots of elbow grease in sorting was required here…deciding what to keep, what to store, what to give away or sell. And more than a few tough decisions about what would best fit a whole new lifestyle. This home “makeover” was an emotional journey that was well worth the effort. Pictured below are just two of the rooms that saw big transformations – a space room turned guest room/dressing room and the master bedroom.

As a member of Home Stagers Atlantic (HSA), rouge is proud to be the chair of this year’s community project. Each year, the members of HSA choose a deserving organization and redecorates their space. This year, a community resource centre located in a low income housing neighbourhood will get a new look. The folks here do incredible work with very, very few resources and we are thrilled to be able to make their space more welcoming and comfortable. The project planning is moving forward nicely, and we are on track to take over the center during the last week of June. The entire project will be done in one week, so we can give the newly revived centre back to the staff and community. More to come on that one!

Behind the scenes, rouge has been a beehive of internal activity from late winter to early spring, too – everything from getting the website designed and launched, designing and printing business cards and all other marketing materials, to building a portfolio and writing the weekly blog. Not to mention making some great new contacts in the industry and exploring a few intriguing opportunities. Phew…

Thanks to all rouge clients and supporters – you know who you are.

Looking forward to what the spring and summer may hold…bring it on!

xx Suzanne.