email charlottesplace@shaw.ca


                    Charlotte's Place
Landscape & Interior Decor Consultant
"a work in progress" 
 making home your favorite place to be
Phone: 204-227-4324

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What can I do for you ?
Indoors or out, just moved in, selling or need to see something different after all these years, the most important thing to remember is nothing is perfect, anything you do is never going to appeal to "all" people, and there are some things you simply cannot change.  The solution behind most design dilemas is to manipulate the space 
and create illusions to fool the eye.  If the fireplace is so off-center it gives you eye strain looking at it, 
asymetrical furniture placement can make less noticeable.  The multi-family dwelling across the lane that 
hasn't seen a new fence board or paint in 40 years?  The property your home is built on is so tiny fencing it in would make it smaller still but you need privacy?  All problems have asnwers.  Focus the view away from that which you choose to be hidden and your yard will be so well put together, the previously mentioned 'flaws' are 
no longer there and You have conquered your space!  If you can't do it alone, I can help and just a gentle reminder ... the first impression is the OUTSIDE of the house!

Landscape Design
A new season arrives.  You're tired of the yard looking like you just moved in last week or the previous owner 
left half their stuff in it.  Are there the remains of a once-upon-a-time garden and no matter which way you look 
at it, you can't see how to get it back? Change is often less complicated than one thinks and problems just solutions with just a few steps missing. I can walk you through them while helping to create a low maintenance outdoor space in which to increase your enjoyment of our short summers by merely walking outside.  With life 
a runaway treadmill and time such a precious commodity, the week-end at the cottage is becoming 
increasingly stressful and a bigger hassle each year. any  people are opting out.  With time and distance at the heart, they are creating a backyard oasis for their family instead.  With such options as an outdoor room/patio with a paved surface, privacy screening and perhaps seating with a nearby BBQ, and an 'al fresco' eating area, every outdoor space can be the place you get away to without the drive!  Consider including a 'nook' where 
you can tuck yourself away with a good book, in a comfy chair forgetting your hectic life for a few peace filled hours; and it's only Tuesday! A play area and fire pit might be developed for children. Backyard retreats can 
be endlessly entertaining, yet surprisingly easy to maintain if done the right way. 

Yard Staging for Resale
As an experienced home decorator with a wide range of landscape designs for all budgets I can help with a 
plan an outdoor living space to increase curb appeal to help close a sale that will make you and the intended buyer happy people. My sole objective is for you to be successful!
An attractive exterior is what gives a home an edge.  You don’t need to completely re-landscape.  By adding colorful, healthy plant material to an existing bed or potting up a few containers, these simple steps may have 
an instant impact.  The goal of outdoor staging is to make the exterior look inviting and to remove any notion 
the buyer might have of needing to put work into the exterior.  You want them excited to get inside. I can help  create views from both inside and out, showing a welcoming garden retreat.  If your home says "Welcome!" 
from the moment the intended buyer approaches your property, you are more than halfway to selling them 
your house.  Saying " you're home" to the intended buyer inside is vitally important so make the space 
appealing to the masses and depersonalize it so it isn't yours anymore, facilitating a faster sale. Your property 
is one of your largest assets. When you list it, it becomes a product so you want to ensure your product 
appeals to the widest market of buyers available and it needs to stand out from other houses in that same 
market place.  Working within your budget and time frame, I can help you through this process. It's amazing 
what you can do with someone else's mess and it need not cost a fortune.  

Interior Redesign or Redecorating
Do you and your partner speak 'apples and oranges' when it comes to home decorating? Sometimes two heads are not better than one when living under the same roof trying to agree on a certain look regarding your home decorating project. With the best of intentions, couples sometimes need to ‘agree to disagree’ about home renovation or redesign, decorating ideas or something thought incredibly simple such as new paint colors…
just to name a few. The smallest of problems can become 'elephants'. A 3rd party can facilitate your individual home decorating projects into a well executed plan when, at the end, it can be credited to and mutually enjoyed by all concerned.
This is a new era in interior design. Gone are the days when having a decorator was only for the extremely wealthy and the days when, if you used a designer, you felt intimidated or compelled to bow to their decorating style and to buy new, expensive things that you truly didn't need. Now you can utilize much of your own 
furniture and redesign your space and give it a new, fresh look without spending hundreds or thousands of unnecessary dollars. It is my belief that interior decorating can be both creative and practical and everyone 

can have a beautiful home that reflects their own personal taste no matter \what their budget. The world has changed and today quality furnishing and décor are readily available to consumers. But we recognize that the decision making process can be confusing and overwhelming for people. That's why I'm here to help with effective and affordable solutions for your decorating needs. It's exciting to share the many simple ways
available to you that can help make home more comfortable and beautiful by providing an affordable
decorating service and educate, involving a spirited individual to help you to make the right choices for yourself and ultimately feel happier in your own space. ​





Overcoming aspects of your yard, or garden, can seem daunting until you recognize that it is all 'subject to change' so why not at least try.  A garden can exist without a yard at all, as can be seen on this deck of a 
condo.  In the photos below, a backyard with too much shade and unnattractive grass became a combo-
perennial-vegetable garden with interesting and inexpensive pathways throughout.  Lastly, this narrow, dark 
front yard was given a bright "welcome " sign by broadening the sidewalk, and introducing a bench that suggesting a visit would be appreciated.  On a garden tour two relatively new home owners were discussing
 their very wide, open front porch and explained that they wanted to get to know their neighbors as well as eliminate the grass in the front yard so they created a space with a wide walk and seating area on the front 
deck that inferred they were expecting company; it's been working.

Boulevard gardens are popping up everywhere and this too means less 
grass to worry about, particularly during drought conditions such as 
experienced this year.  Following the rules (3' high max.) is always a good
idea but a) I didn't know about the rules when I planted these shrubs and b) 
had littel idea what I was doing so gave no consideration they would thrive in 
a space where they get snow plowed under, have to fight for their lives 
beside a huge and very, very old Siberian Elm tree just feet away and c) we 
get compliments from city councilors frequently so thus far, it's all okay. We 
already have had new sidewalks and sewers put in and there was no 
disruption and THAT appears to be the biggest hindrance which we 
innocently over came. It's a welcome sight to see when arriving at our home 
and it offers privacy from neighboring, tree-free yards.  What's in there?  A European Larch (tree), Mockorange, Dogwood, Curly Willow, 'Grace' 
Smoke Bush, Standard 'Pygmy' Caragana and a Sea Buckthorn (small native tree). It's a lot of plant material but they are co-existing nicely together and make a great 'living wall', an alternative to hedges which tend to do poorly in our harsh weather.If something dies in a hedge, your hedge is a mess.  If 
something dies in your 'living fence' it's replaced and no one is the wiser.

The new living spaces, whether you call it the living room, the family room or the newer 
'great room', it still requires function whether it has walls or is open to the rest of 
the house.  This is a personal 'pet peeve' and one that became more and more apparent
as I attempted to fit in a variety of 'coffee tables' into my miniscule living room before I
realized THERE WAS NO ROOM for one. With that said, I became a fan of what is referred 
to as the occasional table and have spent years  acquiring a variety of tables, stools, ottomans, plant stands, etc., all of which were to provide a perch for a glass and a plate, 
a cup of coffee, or what have you rather than attempting to stretch halfway across a room 
to reach agiant piece of furniture that is decorated and serves no purpose other than to 
take up space, something we are always grumbling about.  Photo left is a wonderful 
example found in a recent copy of Stye at or House and Home magazine whereby there are five tables (or extra seats) that can be used, comfortably, for someone seated to place an
object they no longer wish to hold.  The mix is eclectic but certainly not so much so that
it wouldn't/couldn't possibly work in YOUR space.  It's reasonable, and multi-functional 
which is a direction we need to find ourselves moving towards as many of us down size 
and move into bungalows, condominiums, apartments with sometimes thousands less 
square footage than we were accustomed to.  Even older homes, without losing their character, are being used in a more open manner and rooms previous assigned to formal eating (the dining room) are becoming far less formal, part of the kitchen and therefore 
really informal or used as a space for TV and movies, an office, or some other space that 
we don't have room for and can't squeeze into another corner of the house.  
If you aren't using it, and the space exists, repurpose it, giving it new life and function and
if you have downsized into a more cosy space, consider selling off some of the larger
pieces you don't need (the side table and hutch) or repurpose them so they work for
you as opposed to taking up an enormous amount of space in a room you neither need 
or use.


It takes a little work but the changes can be dramatic; visitors  will love your home before 
they get inside!  This side staircase, where the side door used to be was an obstacle but not 
one I couldn't overcome. Having decided to restucco our home, leaving the silly stairs 
seemed well, silly, so they were jack 
hammered out and the walkway widened by 
10'; it was amazing.  However, do you think 
we could get anyone to remember that there 
were stairs there before?  Mostly not, so when something can't be done, illusion can make it appear as if it was!


BECOME FRIENDLY WITH HARDSCAPING

Far too many gardeners (and husbands) are fixated on their grass which uses a LOT of water and is high maintenance.  With all the additional percipitation, much of that grass is just not looking all that good so a) consider just not having any at all or just in front, and in back, make things easier with hardscapes, slightly 
raised gardens to help with the water tables being INSANELY HIGH, and give your garden that 3rd dimention 
it's been missing, set up a few seating areas throughout and enjoy your outdoor space from all angles.  This, regardless of being grass free, is a beautiful and highly funcitonal garden and much less maintenance than 
you'd think.

A Fabulous Website that will save you a billion dollars you are currently spending on Magazines on decorating.  Try it out; it's addicting!


Have you been to www.Houzz.com
It's an incredible, free design idea on-
line site with 100's of 1000's of photos which can be added to your wish list.
Check it out; it's addicting!