About Tracy

Get to know Tracy Wharton BFA, CRD

Tracy Wharton of Dovecote Design, CalgaryExpertly handling residential and commercial projects, from facelifts to complete re-designs and renovations.

Looking back, Tracy's childhood sketchbooks were full of room layouts (and even budgets!) and she had file folders of tearouts from design magazines tucked away in drawers in her room.  No doubt about it, Tracy is a dyed in the wool "design nerd".  

Tracy has lived in Calgary for the last 21 years after many years of a more nomadic lifestyle that took her to cities throughout western Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Travel and exposure to different ideas and environments has led her to an appreciation and understanding of many styles.

In 1999, she graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design with an honours degree in fine arts. Her education in the fine arts cemented not only a great desire to help people find their own individual styles, but also gave her the formal training in the elements that create various historical and contemporary "looks". It was also there that she gained a great appreciation for craftsmanship, the properties of various materials and how they could be used in a home environment.   

Tracy has always enjoyed creating her own personalized look and was a go-to person among friends for advice on their own homes. In 2004 she made it official, graduating from Mount Royal University's Residential Decorating Program. Since then there has been no looking back.
 

Tracy often appears in The Calgary Herald, The Calgary Sun and other local and national publications as an expert on interior design and living beautifully and responsibly.

Tracy works on projects as small as a few hours to help someone with a modest budget move ahead on their own with a plan and confidence. She is equally experienced with full-scale builds and renovations from the drawing board to placing final accessories after construction is completed. The scope of the project has been less of a concern than working with clients who want to find their own style and live in a healthy, quality-built home that rises above short-term trends.  

As a mother and step-mother, Tracy became increasingly concerned about environmental issues. She began to consciously incorporate the idea of sustainable design almost since her company's inception. Innovative approaches and sustainable solutions became the hallmarks of her work. A holistic view, focus on quality and long-term planning makes her designs lasting, practical, energy-efficient and beautiful.

 

The principles she has developed can be applied whether a room is contemporary, French Provincial or anything in between.  

Interior Design Services

We offer everything from simple plans you can execute yourself to full service design and contractor services.

  • "To The Trade" products and services give you access to the extraordinary
  • Design conceptualization through our unique system to pinpoint your style
  • Space planning and working drawings
  • Colour consultation for paint, lighting, rugs, accessories and artwork.
  • Soft furnishings and window treatment design and supply, by request
  • Contractor referral services
  • Furniture selection and personal shopping

What clients have to say

  • Practical, beautiful and cost effective

    Tracy's recommendations were very practical, beautiful, and cost effective. Our rooms are now far more functional in terms of layout and design, and they are also more warm, relaxing, and inviting. Tracy was very open to working with our existing furniture which really helped us to spend our design dollars in the most efficient way possible. She guided me through the design process so that I had input the whole way, but with the right amount of guidance from her so that I could benefit from her expertise.

    I feel that the rooms we created are ultimately my own and reflect my own sense of personal taste and style while being expertly pulled together. Tracy was also open and upfront about any of my ideas that would not work so well, which prevented me from making costly design mistakes. She was very good at explaining how different concepts would work, so that I felt comfortable taking the plunge to trying something new with beautiful results.

    Tracy was wonderful to work with and I look forward to the next project around the house so that I can work with her again.

    Catherine P.

  • Whole house renovation

    I have worked with Tracy Wharton over the last several months as she is assisting me with a whole house renovation. I find Tracy very easy to work with, she has some good industry contacts and takes the time to understand her client's needs rather than a "cookie cutter" approach to decorating.

    Working with color is probably one of Tracy's strongest attributes and she really studies not only the color in question but also how it will holistically meld with the rest of the environment. This is particularly important to me as I am colour blind! It is easy to have reservations about a particular color selected but once it is combined with the rest of the palette it creates an amazing outcome. I would have no hesitation to recommend Tracy for commercial or residential design projects.

    Jeff M.

  • A fabulous finished product

    My experience working with Tracy on a recent home updating project was excellent throughout the process, and culminated with a fabulous finished product that I was extremely pleased with. In fact, I had numerous compliments from various house guests on the "new house" that was created, and have recommended her services to several friends.

    From the initial consultation forward, Tracy made a real concerted effort to understand my style; desired function; my end objective; and most importantly, the feel that I wanted to create. All of this was achieved, and fell within the budget that I had set out at the beginning. I was so pleased working with Tracy that I have hired her again for another house that I will be moving into shortly. 

    Edi W.

  • New build from drawing stage to completion

    I would like to take this opportunity to relay what a wonderful experience we had working with Tracy at Wharton Interiors. She pulled together a space/home that is most beautiful and true to our taste. She worked with us to find what we desired and ensured that it all came together perfectly. Both her eye and personality made the process fun and stress free. Thank you Tracy for creating such a lovely space for our family to live in!

    L. Hardy

  • Works with smaller budgets

    Not only is Tracy extremely creative and tapped into local and international product sources, she is also able to work within smaller budgets and is always mindful of sustainability and the environment. I highly recommend her work! 

    R.G.

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