Before & After

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Tales From The Set

Letter From Debbie

Hello Everybody;

For me, what makes Facelift so exciting is that it's a real life drama. Renovating is always stressful -- it doesn't matter whether you are a novice or an old hand in the business. Although you plan and hope that nothing will go wrong, history tells us that no matter how much organization has gone into it, you can't avoid a few bumps along the way.

Why is this the case? Well, a renovation is a complex dance with different trades vying for position, determined to do their job well. All the jobs link together, and the outcome will only be as strong as the weakest link. It's never a good idea to take a short cut. And if something is late or wrong, force yourself to have the patience to wait or fix it.

Barbara was away for three short days with their new baby, and her husband Jeff was very keen to surprise her with a Facelift. Barbara loved to decorate but couldn't decide on a style. I wanted to create a serene and cohesive look throughout the main floor rooms and chose an Asian theme. Fresh colours were picked and our carpenters built a wine cabinet and console for the dining room and a fabulous low coffee table for the living room.

However, the most important link to the new design flow was the flooring. I had selected a stunning bamboo floor, which had the colours and markings of real bamboo, and was strengthened with acrylic to make it extra durable for this young, active family.

The floor planks was on a plane from California, and landed in the wrong city. We had already ripped up the perfectly good parquet floor.

The hours ticked by. We painted the walls and built the furniture. More hours ticked by. We laid down a plywood floor.

As the deadline approached, panic set in. There was not going to be a new bamboo floor in time for Barbara's homecoming. The living and dining room looked gorgeous if you kept your eyes up. And that's how it was going to be. No sense trying to bluff and use an inferior floor.

The Gamma Bamma Boo bamboo floor did arrive a week later and as Barbara says in her letter it pulls everything together; it's phenomenal. The wait was more than worth it, and the crisis was fun to watch. It happens to everyone. It's real renovating.

Love Debbie

Letter From Barbara

In all the years that I have known my husband, I have pretty much always been able to tell when he was hiding something from me. But I NEVER saw this coming. I was so busy learning what to do as a first time mom I never questioned several out of the ordinary incidences that occurred before my three-day trip.

The day I came home I knew Jeff had done something with the house because the front window covering was different. My parents took the baby and told me to go ahead in the house because Jeff had a surprise. I remember joking with them saying; "This is like a Debbie Travis episode!" - totally not expecting it to be just that!!!

Walking in the front door I looked into the living room and noticed dark green walls (that used to be white) and plywood on the floor. Shocked, I peeked in a little further and saw a huge camera approaching me. My initial thought - "what the heck is going on". Next thing I knew Jeff was introducing me to Debbie Travis. I could not believe the woman I watched while on bed rest during my pregnancy was actually in our home -- and had redecorated it on top of that!

First reaction -- loved the living room but was unsure of the color in the dining room. As the floor had not arrived in time it was hard to picture the final look. However, once the floor was put down I loved both rooms. The floor is phenomenal - it totally pulls everything together.

I am so happy with the new look the Facelift team has created in our home. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all their hard work, and especially my husband Jeff for the incredible surprise.

Barbara