RSVPstyle

Kakaako condo shines, thanks to Style Fundamentals

RSVPstyle student Tracy Wong's fabulous condo was featured in a recent Honolulu Advertiser article. When Tracy downsized from a large Nuuanu home to a 2-bedroom, 1160-square-foot space in Kakaako, she took Cathy Lee's style fundamentals and created a tranquil home reflecting her own confident and sophisticated style. Cathy spoke with Tracy about what she learned.

Cathy: Let's start at the beginning and share with everybody how you got involved with RSVPstyle.

Tracy: I attended a workshop and it was very interactive. It let the common person really learn the techniques of inspiration, color and texture. People who were at my table really dived in and they liked that they could touch and feel the samples on the tables: rugs, tiles, floor samples and fabrics. They loved that they could play with textures and put different elements together and get input from people at their table.

Cathy: You know, in teaching design and decorating, I really felt that being able to touch and feel building and design materials and understand about the textures makes all the difference in the world. I'm glad that you liked the interactive aspect of it.

Tracy: But most importantly, Cathy, your personality really makes it fun! You get people energized. Every time I go to a seminar I’m always cracking up and inevitably someone will say, "She's such a kick!" I always tell people you have to see Cathy live to experience this.

Cathy: You're so sweet. I didn't pay you to say that, did I?

Tracy: No, no you didn't!

Cathy: Now you didn't start decorating your space right away, did you?

Tracy: That’s right. I actually lived in the space for a good 3-4 months before even starting. I lived in an empty space. The poster bed was there, and the daybed, but I didn’t have any paint on the walls or any layout plan. And that's kind of my recommendation, because then you're more familiar with where you spend the most time, or what the lighting is like at different times of the day, and what’s the feel of the whole apartment.

Cathy: I’m so glad you said that because I don’t think enough people think of that. They move in and they want to get things done, hurry up, and you can make very costly mistakes that way. But by living in the space, it's not just the lighting you learn about. You may go in thinking you want to do one thing, but after spending a little time in the space you realize you really want or need something else. It's such a huge investment, so to not rush it is very, very good advice.

Now you used what you learned from RSVPstyle to decorate. Your inspiration piece for the day room/guest room was a red pillow, right?

Tracy: Yes, that’s how I got my color palette. I wanted to paint with bold colors and I wanted to have an accent wall. So I looked at the gold and wine-red pillows and that's why I picked the wine red for the wall.

But when the paint dried, the color wasn't exactly how I envisioned it. It came out more maroon. So a good thing to do is literally put the paint on the wall and see if that's what you want. I had to go back to Benjamin Moore and search until I found this deep wine color. Then the other accent wall is a gold mustard color.

Cathy: Did you find that room easy to do? Did thoughts just come once you selected the pillow as your inspiration piece?

Tracy: It was easy.

Cathy: Were there any challenges?

Tracy: Actually the challenge was that the shape of the building is not a complete rectangle. It's diagonal. The corners are angled in this unit. In the dayroom, because the space is an odd shape, I turned the bed around. I turned it to look like a daybed versus a regular sleeping bed.

Cathy: Did you try for continuity in your rooms?

Tracy: I wanted each room to have its own personality, but yet the common theme was a modern contemporary style.

Cathy: And I see you used accent pieces.

Tracy: That's right. Each room has its own accents. In the wine-red day room, in addition to the inspiration pillow, there are three wall hangings and to the left, a Chinese chest that is used almost like a nightstand with a lamp. In the master bedroom the accents would be the valance and the shell lamps and a Chinese vase. In the bathroom I used the floating shelves to create not only storage space, which is key in a condo, but also something fun to look at that creates beauty. The shelves maximize the feeling of space and add a nice visual.

Cathy: Do you feel that your space reflects who you are?

Tracy: Absolutely. People say that, too. People say, "It's so you." They say it’s beautiful, bold-you have to be really confident to want to do a wine-red wall—and they say it's sophisticated.

Cathy: Mission accomplished, then!

Tracy: That's right! The greatest thing about your company is that it really expands the common person's knowledge base so you feel so much more confident. And even if you choose to work with someone, you can guide them about what it is you are trying to achieve versus waiting for them to bring ideas to you.

Cathy: So that it can more reflect your style.

Tracy: Your space will portray your personality versus a designer's.

Cathy: Well, Tracy, you are a sweetheart and an inspiration. You're an amazing business person and for you to have taken the time and energy to put such a beautiful space together is fantastic. I am so proud of you and so proud to call you one of our style student stars. Thank you so much.

Tracy: You're welcome.