A LITTLE
BOTOX
NEVER
HURTS
Steps to a charming village, a local butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, had I hit country cottage gold? But a closer look, and sniff test, revealed mold, dry-rot & Titanic like floors. The structural issues alone screamed ‘walk away’. And so I did.
Destiny pulled me back one year later. Again for sale, the new sellers ‘quick flips’ were a smidge (as in a lot) super underwhelming. This old gal needed some LOVE!
The house essentially had good bones and I saw a great design opportunity. So I bought her. And from start to finish I glam-pussed her into 2025. This is the journey.
BEFORE
GLAM UP 2025
ARCTIC TO DO
The basement was chilly. Concrete slab, gale moaning, rotten window Arctic cold chilly. The wiring dangled. A bulky furnace grumbled. But the unused 1,000 sft beaconed - a blank canvas with great living space potential.
Insulate everything (ceiling/floor/walls)
New Windows & Flooring.
Build integrated and safe staircase
Full bathroom.
Media/Den/4th bed.
Designated laundry area.
Furnace utility room.
Additional storage options.
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Arctic cold temps down below.
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![Rue Cameron. Hudson basement remodel.]()
Renovated basement with designated Furnace room + WFH Office and 4th bedroom.
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4th Bedroom/TV Den
Work From Home Office -
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Furnace Room + additional storage
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Bathroom & shower remodel with Terrazzo floor tiles (c/o La Tuilerie, Montreal)
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![basement bathroom. CaroByDesign. Interior Design]()
Bath & Shower Remodel.
Tiles c/o La Tuillerie -
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Bathroom remodel.
Niche mosaic tiles in cream & navy.
Ink black vertical subway.
La Tuillerie, Montreal. -
![bathroom remodel. Hudson Quebec. Caroline Wrinch Interior designer.]()
Testing textures for new bespoke vanity.
Outside, the original siding was a peeling garish yellow and rear deck was rotting. Time to turn my attention to the exterior. Winter & spring passed in a flurry of demo-reno cycles, but once the May heat arrived, I was test painting the outside in a gorgeous magical colour known as Toucan Black by Benjamin Moore.
DON’T STOP
A TOUCAN
Commissioning Chris, a height defying local painter - while he sprayed precariously, I face-lifted the banged up rear deck in Vanilla Bean, a creamy white deck paint with pale sage undertones. And wow, that ol’ flooring just transformed into sweet lil’ extra place to work, flip a burger or sip that evening vino.
A subtle dark dark indigo blue, with sooty noir undertones, her plumage flirted black in some lights and blue-ish hues in others. A brutal ice storm had left some damage, so new gutters were installed, plus a fancy new heat pump and new fencing around the deck (for us sunbathing junkies). The dangerously wonky front steps were replaced too.
