The Art of Remy's Refuge

We're getting lots of questions about the art that adorns the walls of Remy's Refuge. (In fairness, we also get questions like, "Why do you call that the Lego room?" because it's not obvious in the house photos what the subject of the pieces are.

With that said, we've decided to feature the wonderful artists who inspired the decor of Remy's Refuge. Without further ado, the artists (in alphabetical order)...

TIMOTHY ANDERSON

Pretty much the king of pulp posters, this guy turns your favourite movies into Harlequin novel covers that are amazing!

Here are the ones in our Star Wars master bedroom:

You can visit Timothy Anderson's official website here. 

OLIVER GAL ARTIST CO.

The Oliver Gal Artist Co. is a collective of artists that make limited edition collections. One of our favourite collections is a series of blueprints of common objects. 

With Legoland practically in our backyard, these Lego bricks and Lego people really caught our eye. You can find these in the Lego bedroom at Remy's Refuge:

 You can visit the Oliver Gal website here. 

ERIC TAN

If you're on Pinterest or into vintage-looking movie posters at all, you're likely already familiar with some of Eric Tan's work. His vintage style is something that we just love love love!

These Ratatouille posters are done in a similar style to the travel posters of French artist, Cassandre, which is very fitting for Remy's home of Paris, don't you think? You can find these in the kitchen and dining room at Remy's Refuge:

And you can find this Muppets poster in the living room at Remy's Refuge:

Eric Tan's work doesn't end with these. He has done tons of other pop art. You can follow his blog here. 

STEVE THOMAS

Steve Thomas' portfolio includes all sorts of subject matter from Lord of the Rings travel posters to Star Wars propaganda art.

These travel posters are what give the Indiana Jones master bedroom its name:

And this Disney poster welcomes you as you come in the front door of Remy's Refuge:

Visit Steve Thomas' webpage here.

ARIEL TYNDELL

Based out of Nashville, Ariel Tyndell is the creative genius behind 716 Designs. She's a super talented graphic designer and it shows. 

We fell in love with her work and these are the pieces that we put in our Harry Potter room:

 You can browse her portfolio here and visit the 716 Designs etsy shop here.

That's it for the recap of the art in Remy's Refuge. We hope we'll be able to get you all into the house soon to see these awesome designs in real life!

Without Further Ado...Remy's Renovation!

After a long hiatus of not posting to the blog, we are back with what might be our most exciting blog post yet! Today we're bringing you some before and after shots of the different rooms in Remy's Refuge. 

FRONT HALL

Your first impression as you walk in the front door - as the art says, "Your Kingdom Awaits"!

Before:

After:

Jonathan Adler chairs, a desk from West Elm and a piece of Steve Thomas art complete the scene. Someone is watching...our civil war times Boston terrier friend needs a name. Any suggestions?  

DINING ROOM

The place where family dining takes place and where Remy himself resides!

Before:

After:

The table is the same, but gone are the fake flowers and now three Eric Tan posters inspired by the movie "Ratatouille" adorn the walls.

KITCHEN

Anyone can cook!

Before:

After:

Not a whole lot changed in here, but three more Ratatouille-inspired posters replaced the fake plants and the kitchen rug and breakfast bar stools have been replaced. We've also added a new set of knives, a Le Creuset utensil jar and Mickey and Minnie plastic dishes for using pool side - consider the kitchen well-stocked!

LIVING ROOM

Where rainy days and lazy mornings are spent, the living room is open to the kitchen and dining room which makes it a great place to spend time as a family or group.

Before:

After:

The matching denim sofa set has been replaced with a blue leather sectional, complete with recliners on each end and a sofabed in the centre. Pops of yellow and orange really brighten up the room and the television stand, coffee table and lamps have all been upgraded. 

THE STAR WARS MASTER BEDROOM

May the force of a restful night's sleep be with you!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Glamour's the word in this room: a pintuck comforter, upholstered headboard and gold side tables with matching lamps give this room a complete facelift! The colour scheme was inspired by the pulp Star Wars art by the talented Tim Anderson. The bed has been upgraded from queen to king and a circular blind stops that Florida sunshine from waking you up too early!

Before:

After:

In the Star Wars ensuite, the purple and gold theme is continued with a new light fixture, mirror, bathroom accessory set and shower curtain. 

THE INDIANA JONES MASTER BEDROOM

Probably our favourite colour scheme in the house, this room really pops with a yellow backdrop!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Say au revoir to wicker furniture and hello to yellow, navy blue and grey with punches of bright turquoise. Steve Thomas' Indiana Jones travel posters were the jumping off point for this room and we couldn't be more pleased with the results! The queen bed is now a king and this room is fit for one too!

Before:

After:

Once again, a new light fixture, mirror, bathroom accessory set and shower curtain keep this bathroom feeling fresh! 

THE LEGO BEDROOM

Maybe one of the most dramatic transformations, this room went from drab and cramped to colourful and cozy.

Before:

After:

With a fresh coat of pale grey paint, the yellow, blue and burgundy accents in this room really pop! The television cabinet is no more, as the television has now been wall mounted, clearing up space for the bed to be upgraded from double to queen! Even though it's not a master, we're almost tempted to claim this room as our own during our next stay. 

THE HARRY POTTER BEDROOM

A Harry Potter lover's dream, this room is the perfect place for slumber parties!

Before:

After:

 A light grey-blue on the walls, new comforters and Harry Potter-themed travel posters really give this room an update. Spray-painting master, Trevor, transformed the headboards to create a look that I'm sure you'll agree is an improvement!

THE "NON-SUITE" BATHROOM

Given the name "non-suite" for lack of a better title, this is the shared bathroom located between the two bedrooms that don't have ensuites. Also the bathroom closest to the kitchen and living room, it could not be left out!

Before:

After:

  As with the other two bathrooms, we added a new light fixture, mirror, bathroom accessory set and shower curtain! 

House Tour

We figured you might be curious to take a virtual walk-through of Remy's Refuge before arriving. Here's what the house looks like from the street. 

When you arrive, the key will be in the lock box on the wall to the left of the front door. Use the unique code provided in your arrival instructions to let yourself into the house.

Welcome! Drop your bags and let's go check this place out. After all, this is home for the duration of your stay. The first bedroom you'll see is directly to your left. 

This is the biggest bedroom in the house. It has a queen-size bed, 26" flat panel television and an ensuite bathroom over there to the right.

The ensuite itself has a tub and shower combo. The closet you see to the right has a safe for locking up valuables and is also where we store all of the baby equipment (folding play pen, high chair and two strollers) should you require it. 

Let's head back into the hallway and on to the rest of the tour. You can see the dining room from here. 

What a kitchen! Bright white cabinets, tile floor for easy clean-up of spills, new black granite countertops and, of course, well-stocked with everything you might need during your stay. Fridge, oven, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, kettle, knives, cutting boards, serving utensils, can opener, wine and bottle openers, dishes, mixing bowls, pots and pans and even baking supplies, like cookie sheets and measuring cups. That door you see to your right is a pantry. 

The dining room table seats six. Got eight people in your party? Don't worry, there's seating for two more at the breakfast bar!

From the kitchen, we can see the living room. This makes great together time while someone is preparing the meals! From this vantage point, the second master bedroom is directly to our left and the other two bedrooms are through the hallway to the right, just beyond the counter stools.

Here's where you can relax out of the sun and enjoy some television or movies on the 42" flat panel television. Feel free to bring your own DVDs from home, our player works great! To the right of the television, you can see the patio door that leads to your private pool. 

Did I not mention the pool? Completely screened in from any bugs and heated if you've requested it, this is the ideal spot for pool games, soaking up the sun or enjoying a cold beverage outside.

The lake view from the pool is incredible! Birds chirping, lilies floating on the water...so serene! Sigh...

Sorry to cut this moment short, but there's more of the house to see!

 Back through the patio door, through the living room and turn right. Here's the second master bedroom. A little smaller than the first, but this one has direct pool access there on the right. It also has a queen-size bed, a 26" flat panel television and an ensuite bathroom to the left. 

This ensuite bathroom is a slightly smaller mirror-image of the first. Once again, there's a tub and shower combo and a closet for storage.

Back out in to the main living space and directly across the hall are the other two bedrooms. Before we head that way, if you look to the right of the fridge, you can see the door to the laundry room. Above the washer and dryer, there's a shelf of extra beach towels in case you forgot yours and enough detergent to do one load of laundry. At the back of the laundry room, there is another door that leads to the garage where there's a pool table for playing in your downtime. Now let's head across to the final two bedrooms.

The first thing you'll see is the third and final bathroom. Once again, there's a tub and shower combo. Just to the right of the entrance to this bathroom, you'll find a linen closet with lots of extra towels, tea towels, bed sheets and pillow cases.

From the doorway to the bathroom, if you look to the left, you'll find this bedroom. It contains a double bed, a closet to the right (not shown) where we store spare pillows and blankets and a 26" flat panel television. 

 If you look right, there's another bedroom containing two twin-size beds. There is a closet opposite the beds and a 19" flat panel television mounted above the closet that is just perfect for viewing when lying down!

 Now you've seen the whole house! If you're still confused about the layout, here's a floor plan to help you out. 

That's it for the house tour. I hope you're more excited than ever about your stay at Remy's Refuge!