Suzanne Dimma

I’m not exaggerating, or making it up, when I say that my favourite chore is to get my house organized. Instead of tackling it all at once from top to bottom, I find it more effective and rewarding to pick a spot and purge. For me, it tends to happen unintentionally. I start by rearranging a few spice jars, and next thing you know the entire pantry has been cleaned and organized. It feels fresh and new and makes working in the kitchen much more enjoyable. Our hot-off-the-press March 2010 issue is full of great ideas (pick up a copy to check out some of my favourite organizing products and ideas) — here are a few more I think are worth pointing out.

This built-in bookshelf in Max and Lubov Azria’s Los Angeles home is a smart mix of open shelving for display and closed lower cupboards to hide clutter. I love traditional library ladders, more for the look than their function. Even if you never use it, it’s nice to know it’s there. Painted out white, this one feels fresh and modern, especially with the contrasting green trim on the adjacent wall.

This is a great way to get the effect of a vertical storage cabinet: using open shelves that are already there. It’s slightly impractical, unless you are super organized and don’t mind opening and closing all of those boxes over and over again (it would drive me crazy!). The bill quickly adds up when you have to buy multiple storage items, too. But there is something so appealing about a series of boxes lined up in neat rows. It’s the same reason we love the look of open shelves in a kitchen.

Because mornings tend to be frenzied, I prefer closed storage in the bathroom so I can hide everything out of sight in a flash. My biggest bathroom pet peeve is only having drawers to keep all of your bottles and products in — they never fit neatly. Inevitably, there are a few must-have products that are too tall. This is my bathroom in my first house and I loved having a vertical storage cabinet that kept everything hidden. I could see everything at a glance and get to it easily.

Agape’s new Cartesio 981 tub at Toronto’s Scavolini showroom Dekla, has storage smartly built right into it. It’s not cheap ($21,600) but at least it is multi-tasking! And stunning to look at if you keep the shelves tidy and uncluttered.

Stylist Sabrina Linn’s closet is a pass-through from the bedroom to the bathroom so it has to be organized. Her wardrobe includes so many amazing colours and patterns that her closet winds up feeling just as dynamic as the décor in the rest of her condo. Sabrina strategically placed Ikea shelving units high up on the wall to leave room for tall boot storage underneath. I highly recommend getting boot shapers to keep them upright. It’s better for your closet visually and for your boots.

Designer Michelle Lloyd of Lloyd Ralphs Design used storage to create a focal point in her own kitchen. The highlight is the weathered wood antique doors that line up with her table — its narrow shelves make it perfect for glassware. Adding to its impact and letting it breathe are the side cabinets with white painted caning. What a gorgeous detail — along with the chunky, brass hardware and exposed hinges.

Here is a great example of controlled chaos, again from Sabrina Linn. This is her bedside table — unique because it is so large and wide, allowing her to store and display a ton of items. This is the vignette you see as you walk into the bedroom. She definitely has a knack for styling her stuff so that it looks special.

This living room vignette shows a built-in that mixes open and closed storage — I love the subtle detailing that makes it special. Simply allowing the bottom cabinet to extend out from the wall makes that wood section feel like a floating credenza. Paired with the wide spacing on the white shelves above, it makes an elegant living room storage solution.

What is your best organizing or storage trick? Let me know at letters@hhmedia.com.

For more storage ideas, view our Storage & Cabinets photo gallery.

Photo credits:
1. From Harper’s Bazaar, photography by Douglas Friedman
2. From Living Etc.
3. Photography by Per Kristiansen
4. Agape
5. From House & Home August 2009 issue, photography by Michael Graydon
6. Lloyd Ralphs Design
7. From House & Home August 2009 issue, photography by Michael Graydon
8. Unknown source: Help! Does anyone know where this shot comes from?

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It’s that time of year, all the white sales are on and everyone seems to be thinking of creating a fresh home sanctuary, which usually involves the bathroom. There is a lot to be said for a clean, white, Carrara marble-clad spa escape (I have one myself!) but lately I’m inspired by a cosier, more homey look that seduces you into spending more time there. Here are a few of my favourite examples:

I’ve mentioned the impossibly stylish Jenna Lyons (creative director of J. Crew) before but I will again because who doesn’t love this chic black bathroom? I’m a big fan of the exposed tarnished brass plumbing — she weathered it herself by soaking it in salt water to remove the brassiness (keep an eye out for a patina story coming up in our April issue) — and the black walls and tub. Black bathrooms are a hot, hot trend right now and end up being far cosier than the predictable spa look. Check out the new flagship J. Crew store she designed that has a similar feel, featured in issue two of online magazine Lonny.

I have to find out where my friend Sarah Dinnick got this gorgeous tub. It is matte-coated so that it has a concrete-like finish, which coordinates with the heated concrete floors and galvanized metal window frame. Artwork and a kilim rug warm it up and give it another layer of style. I also love her extra-long, single towel bar that runs the width of the room.

The bathroom in the New York loft of Christiane Lemieux and Joshua Young, the dynamic duo behind Dwell Studio textiles, is all about the entrance. Raising it a couple of steps and adding double pocket doors makes it seem more spacious and grand. Again, a rug, a large ottoman and artwork on the ledge of the tub add character.

Continuing with the theme of furniture in the bathroom is this tailored, French hotel look that belongs to ex Domino magazine contributing editor Allison Sarofim. If you have a bathroom covered with '80s-style mirrored walls, adding wood framing is a great trick for making it feel current again. And cutting down on so many reflections of yourself!

This overly decorated look isn’t entirely my taste but it's fun and a big trend right now. I love bold colour in a bathroom and the moulding and marble backsplash around the tub are lighthearted and girly — I don’t think you could be cranky for long having a soak in here!

This space takes furniture in the bathroom to a whole new level and its cowboy-inspired, eclectic vibe is refreshingly not serious — definitely not your typical spa effect! An unfitted, country look like this is really easy to work with and change around often.

A cleaner take on cottage charm is designer Darryl Carter’s bathroom in his Virginia farmhouse. I love its rustic tub and sparse, almost monastery, vibe.

This modern bathroom designed by Dana Lyon shows an updated version of the tub and shower being integrated in a glass-enclosed wet zone, Euro style. The wood slatted siding on the tub gives it a sauna feel and warms up the marble tile. I think the real star of this room is the narrow window that maintains privacy but still permits a great view. It reminds me of a funny scene with Colin Firth in the bathroom of the John Lautner house that was featured in Tom Ford’s A Single Man. The art directors have distilled the hottest looks from the era that happen to be on trend today. I highly recommend seeing it for the juicy '60s style inspiration.

P. S. Our February 2010 issue just hit newsstands — pick up a copy for more inspiration and useful info if you’re planning your own bathroom reno. 

Photo credits:
1. Melanie Acevedo
2. James Tse
3. From House & Home August 2009 issue, photography by Angus McRitchie
4. From Domino: The Book of Decorating (2008 Simon & Schuster), photography by Paul Costello
5. Etoile collection from Waterworks
6. From Domino: The Book of Decorating (2008 Simon & Schuster), photography by Eric Cahan
7. From Elle Decor, photography by Simon Upton
8. From Palm Design Group

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Our January trends issue has just hit mailboxes and it’s jam-packed with the latest, greatest and hottest for 2010. One of the items that’s worth mentioning again is the hutch. We featured a glass front one in “Rooms That Work” and a white painted version in our page must-haves. The hutch kind of fell out of favour for a while, appearing a bit old fashioned. So for the last while the most inspiring spaces have included low horizontal credenzas instead. It’s a nice change! That’s not to say you need to get rid of your low, long storage. But there is a wide variety of new versions of these tall cabinets popping up all over the place meaning that a big vertical focal piece in a room is not just for the country house anymore.

I love the modern library feel of Crate & Barrel’s Pacifica Hutch — I actually have one in my living room. It is great for storage and display because of the combo of sliding glass doors on the top and closed cupboards at the bottom. Here, Brad Ford has placed used two on either side of a window. Doing this lends bold presence to what looks like an average space architecturally.

Designer Celerie Kemble’s hutch follows the same idea with open shelves for display plus closed storage to keep less attractive necessities hidden but with a totally different aesthetic. The pagoda-style top and lattice front doors makes it whimsical and feminine, but it’s the blue finish juxtaposed against the deep red wall that makes this vignette come alive.

Jeffrey Bilhuber used this Chinoiserie secretary as a vertical focal point in this living room. In bright red and covered in a pretty toile like pattern, it becomes the big decorating hit in an otherwise light and neutral room. It’s what makes this room work.

This vignette in Antony Todd’s retail store fills the space above a slightly shorter cabinet with a collection of tortoise shell sculptures to create the effect of greater height and greater drama.

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Tyler Hays’ handcrafted wood furniture available through his company BDDW in New York. His Lake Dresser is really a modern bureau that offers the verticality of a hutch — but lighter and slighter. It is absolutely gorgeous in its elegant simplicity.

This shot is from my first house (it made the cover of H&H back in 2000). It is actually just the top part of an antique hutch. I love its simple lines and distressed finish. It's an interesting play on traditional and modern and is perfectly suited to being wall-mounted since it has no base or kick at the bottom. This is a great trick to create the visual effect of greater floor space. Hanging it this way also allowed me to put it where I wanted it while still keeping the floor vent unobstructed. I’ve since taken it up to my cottage and hung it on a wall there.

The weathered grey wood of Restoration Hardware’s Shutter Tall Cabinet is so popular right now. I love its Belgian farmhouse feel. The slatted doors make this a great cabinet for stereo equipment as it provides venting. If you’re a DIYer, you can use this as inspiration to customize a basic tall cabinet with shutter doors.

This is a good example of a more traditional take on the classic hutch in a dining room. The slim profile makes it work really well in this small condo. Vancouver designers Ian McLeod and Kerry Johnson painted it out the same colour as the walls to create the look of a built-in. You get the effect of a large hutch without the bulkiness. Brilliant!

The black hutch (seen far left) in the open concept kitchen/dining room of Fashion editor Laura Keogh’s condo was a standard new-build hutch that we sprayed in a high gloss black paint. (My husband Arriz and I collaborated on the design of her and her husband Dan’s condo that involved converting two condos into one.) The hutch was key to the predominantly black and white colour scheme that ran throughout the space.

For tips on whether or not to match wooden dining room furniture, read Do Woods Need To Match?

Photo credits:
1. Brad Ford ID
2. Celerie Kemble
3. Jeffrey Bilhuber, Confident Color
4. Antony Todd
5. BDDW
6. Per Kristiansen
7. Restoration Hardware
8. From House & Home Makeovers 2009 issue, photography by Kim Christie
9. From House & Home Condos 2009 issue, photography by Michael Graydon

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Recently, a new book came across my desk: David Hicks: A Life of Design by his son Ashley Hicks.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the most comprehensive look at the influential designer’s life yet: it follows the designer from his childhood through his career and family life until 1998, when he passed. While I’m not a fan of everything David Hicks, there is a lot to be said for his design legacy. His work was done in the ‘50s and ‘60s yet a lot of it looks current and still influences many designers today.

His signature mark of coordinating wallpaper and fabric became a sign of 1960s trad with a twist décor and thanks in part to our belovedly departed Domino magazine, it’s back on trend today.

Hicks was also a master of featuring a dramatic four-poster bed, often paired with a tub in the middle of the room. It’s a glamorous treatment and one that takes a certain confidence, in more ways than one. 

I’m a big fan of Muriel Brandolini and some of David Hicks’ use of deep saturated colour and lots of layers reminds me of her work. This one is David Hicks, more on the formal traditional side.

And this is Muriel Brandolini, more on the exotic side.

A lot of Jonathan Adler’s interiors have a Hicks influence as well but with more a sense of humour. Love this outdoor dining space that Adler did with the architecture framing the view…so 1950s.

Adler uses this Hicks-inspired honeycomb graphic a lot but personally I prefer a softer more livable take like Madeline Weinrib’s fabrics (clockwise from top left: Blue ivy, grey chevron, black isabelle, pink brooke).

And I love Allegra Hicks’ Spheres and Twigs dhurries for their more organic, grid-like use of pattern. It’s interesting to see how all three of his children carried on their design gene with their own unique spin.

Ashley Hicks recently designed a collection of marble and limestone flooring for Studium that reinterprets his father’s iconic style in tile work. It looks stunning in a front hall foyer.

And of course there is also the infamous India Hicks. You can see formal elements in her designs from her British upbringing, paired with the more casual, plantation-style influence from her life in the Bahamas.

Photo credits:
1-7. David Hicks: A Life Of Design by Ashley Hicks ( 2009 RIzzoli)
8. Muriel Brandolini
9-10. Jonathan Adler
11. Madeline Weinrib
12-13. Allegra Hicks
14-15. Studium
16. India Hicks for Crabtree & Evelyn Island Living 

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Now that we’ve recovered from the wedding in the fall, I’ve started thinking about our honeymoon — even though it probably won’t happen for a year or so! Arriz and I love to travel and have been dying to visit Morocco. We’re hoping to stay at the exquisite Ksar Char-Bagh relais. Maybe this is the reason Morocco is on my mind, but I do also see it as a trend. I’m not talking about the overly Americanized version that includes bright jewel tones, badly beaded sheers and sparkled appliques. I mean a quieter more authentic version. The relais I’m dreaming of is a good example. I love how they’ve incorporated some traditional elements in a spare way for a more modern interpretation. I have sensitivity to overly lit spaces so I really like the moodiness inherent here.

The boutique hotel, Riad 12, in Marrakech is another good example of Moroccan décor, this time with a more modern sensibility in a crisp white palette and lots of pale wood. A modern four poster bed is very much on trend (as you will see in our upcoming trends issue in January). That simple sheer tossed over the top end makes it though. I love that traditional Moroccan and Mediterranean architecture features a central courtyard often with a pool feature in the middle, and lounging nooks around the perimeter. Unique furniture and simple drum sculptures hung on the wall are a fantastic feature. Low living is the hallmark of Moroccan décor and white cotton fabric gives this traditional feature a update. The beautiful metal screen on the window behind could be replicated with an oversized antique gate.

To me the key of Moroccan design is the idea of living low to the ground through floor cushions instead of sofas and low table. I've heard that sitting lower to the ground is better for your spine. I'm not sure if this is really true but I think there is something to be said for the idea of being more connected to the earth. It reminds me of the Rooms That Work story from our May 2009 issue, (and the cover of our French edition, Maison & Demeure) another upbeat take on Moroccan style. Lots of large floor cushions, several smaller, low tables instead of one giant coffee table and accents with a timeworn look establish the exotic vibe but the acidic colour palette and stylized Marimekko fabric gives it a fresh spin.

One of my favourite designers, Antony Todd, does a great job working in a Moroccan influence while still creating an entirely contemporary look. The rich deep blue wall paired with white arless sofa, the urn displayed on a single corbel and the long ikat cushion make for a sophisticated take on exotic. 

Designer Tom Scheerer also creates an interesting mix that has as subtlel exotic vibe. Just the curves on this daybed are enough to suggest worldly inspiration. He has a knack for including unconventional pieces like this cage-like pouf in a contemporary interior. It's these sorts of touches that can shift a room's look from predictable to unique. 

Of course lanterns are a big part of Moroccan style.  I like these examples from Mexico’s Casamidy for their pared-back, almost industrial vibe. The leather strap on the hanging fixture adds some vibrancy and I just love the way that chunky candle looks like it's trying to bust out of its frame. 

These daybeds would all create a romantic Moroccan look that is current. The Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Clifton lounge in apricot, one of the season’s hottest colours, is great for a tailored urban look. West Elm’s Overlapping Squares daybed features a trellis pattern that is great in a small space because it has an open and airy effect. David Trubridge’s Float Bed for Design Mobel is the ultimate in romantic luxury. It reminds me of The Lady of Shalott, floating down the river. Ochre’s Snooze Day Bed is a cozy new take on a sleigh bed that is like being in a cocoon. Loaded up with solid plush cushions in rich jewel tones keeps it more chic than casbah.

One of the reasons I'm dying to go to Morocco, and a key element of this look, is for the flatweave rugs. I'll be on the lookout for a striped kilim, similar to this one.

Photo credits:
1. Ksar Char-Bagh Relais & Chateaux
2. Riad 12
3. Debi Treloar, from "Bazaar Style" (Ryland Peters & Small, 2008) as seen on the May 2009 cover of Maison & Demeure
4. Antony Todd 
5. Tom Scheerer 
6. Casamidy 
7. Clockwise from top: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Design Mobel, Ochre, West Elm 
8. Michael Graydon 

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Wow, what a weekend is all I can say! Thank you to everyone for your kind messages and best wishes. I couldn’t have asked for anything to go more perfectly than it did. The weather was beautiful ⎯ the last brilliant weekend before fall. It was an unbelievable amount of work, but it was entirely worth it. This is a small sample of the millions of pictures that were taken that weekend. We had several professional photographers as guests, plus a few directors, so we knew there would be a lot of pictures.

The intimate and low-key tone of the wedding was actually set several months ago with the invitation that was sent out to only 24 of our closest friends and family. Our dear friend Jenny Francis of Backyard Design created the invite incorporating a small sketch that Arriz made of the bunkie nestled in the trees by the water. She layered a soft green wash over the sketch that brought it to life. I loved its message of new life and regeneration.

The end result was lovely but it was absolutely back-breaking work. Everything was rented, from the chairs to the table to the dishes and the linens. There must have been a million candles! Not to mention all the many bottles of wine and food that had to be carried over. We literally did not stop working until the last minute and all of us were operating on sheer adrenaline. I don't know what I would have done without my tireless wedding planner, Tara O'Grady, who achieved the phenomenal task of pulling off such a gorgeous, intimate affair in the woods with only one boat (and many trips!) to transport everything across.

Tara, who arrived in a cube van filled to the rim, assembled a dream team who each went above and beyond the call of duty so we were fortunate to have an amazing group of people that were up for some hard labour. One of those people was our wedding photographer, Andreas Avdoulos, who also acted as a boat loader, music assistant, lighting master, fire stoker and all around helper. And he took most of the gorgeous photos that you see here.

The ceremony took place in the clearing below the cottage, close to the water, exactly where our decrepit old log cabin used to be. I knew that it wasn’t crazy taking it down so close to the wedding, since this is the flattest part of the property ⎯ ideal for a gathering.  I used a lot of the rocks from the cabin foundation to build a small rock wall along the cliff at the water's edge and to build a fire pit so we could have a campfire down there later in the night. I walked down the long path through the woods from the cottage to the clearing (about a 4 min walk), meeting my dad by the bunkie along the way. Our guests sat on Philippe Starck ghost chairs and after the ceremony Tara's team moved them up to the cottage to surround the dinner table. Arriz set up a stereo system hidden in the trees that played the most beautiful music, including Nick Cave's "Into My Arms," which made me cry ⎯ not so great for mascara!

Here's a glimpse of Arriz and I getting ready. Little did I know that my crazy curly hair (I thought curls suited the wild woodland setting better than straight!) would be partly responsible for overloading the power supply. A whole day of vacuums, music, blow dryers, curling irons, extra grills and burners was just too much for the system. Really, we should have plugged all of the appliances directly into the generator from the get go. Instead, we had to re-route the extra burners and the music to the back up generator partway through dinner because we lost all our power. I have to give Tara kudos for this, she kicked into high gear and I think our guests hardly even noticed that anything went awry.

The door to our bedroom had not been installed yet so I hung a few lengths of burlap over the track for privacy while I changed ⎯ yet another great use for burlap beyond the fabulous ideas in our November 2009 decorating feature. There was nowhere else high enough to hang my wedding dress so that’s why it is hanging here. It is by Carolina Herrera from White on Hazelton Lanes in Toronto. Like the curls, I think the dress suited the natural venue perfectly. When I described it to my friends I said "I'm going for a sort of woodland nymph look."

Most of our guests stayed at the neighbouring Domain of Killien, a lovely relais du silence I have talked about in an earlier post. Here are some of my girlfriends arriving on one of the Domain’s boats.

The ceremony began at 5:00 pm, just before the sun began to set and that beautiful dappled light appears. My old high-school friend, Rosie of Quince created my beautiful orchid bouquet to suit my dress as well as the boutonnieres for my father and Arriz.

Here we are saying our vows:

And after:

For the dinner, everything revolved around the 24-foot table that we set up right down the middle of the cottage living and dining room. Arriz and I wanted the night to be about sharing a harvest meal and plenty of wine with our best friends ⎯ rustic but sophisticated. Here is a glimpse of the table on the morning of the wedding, not quite entirely set up. With such a big table, it was perfect that we didn't have any furniture beyond the daybed yet. I love that the table lined up with the window with the view to the rock face that was illuminated at night.

Tara and I chose to keep the wedding décor very simple to reflect our experience of the cottage and the land. The rented tables (those suckers are heavy!) were covered in a burlap-like linen tablecloth. This was the backdrop for a long centerpiece of votive candles and small arrangements of white flowers and simple greenery placed amongst the sweeping curves of a large collection of fallen deer antlers. I kept the flowers to a minimum since there aren't any flowers in the area naturally. Large bouquets would have been completely out of place, plus these small arrangements didn't get in the way of the dinner and conversation. 

Here is Tara putting the final touches on the table.

And here it is in action:

For the place settings, we combined the placecards and menu on one sheet, which was a good way to avoid too many cards littering the table. The illustration at the top of each card is the same one Arriz sketched for the invitations. 

We used the 25-hour-long candles from Ikea so we wouldn’t have to continually refill them. I prefer unscented candles on a dinner table so the fragrance doesn’t interfere with the food.

Our chef, Rod Bowers, also known as the owner/chef of Toronto's Rosebud and Citizen restaurants, did an amazing job and was phenomenal on so many levels ⎯ more than a fantastic chef and great guy to have around. Arriz and Rod hit it off right away, bonding over their mutual passion for great food and good music. He made sure I ate during the day and kept me smiling when I started to get nervous. He fit in so well with all our friends and family ⎯ important when there are only 24 people and the kitchen is right by the table! Plus he cooked by candlelight so we could maintain the soft ambience and he didn't flinch when the power went out.

With Rod’s help we planned an organic harvest dinner using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. He came up with the idea to give little pots of hot mustard that he made as our wedding favour.

Here is the menu Rod created. He catered the whole weekend and given the limitations of the situation (water access, up a cliff, small kitchen without an oven) he accomplished nothing short of a miracle. Every dish was incredible!

These are just some of the hors d’oeuvres served after the ceremony, before dinner. Tara discovered that an ex-concierge from Toronto’s King Edward Hotel now lives and runs a catering company, Dear Carolyn, in Haliburton and they were phenomenally helpful in the preparation, serving and clean up. They even came the day before the wedding and helped me clean the cottage, which was still covered in construction dust.

It gets pretty chilly at night so I bought a whole bunch of these white Felicia throws from Ikea and put them in a basket by the door to the deck for guests to use when they went outside.

There are many pictures of the party that went well into the night and I think it’s safe to say everyone had a great time! I remember stepping onto the deck and looking over the railing to see this magical site: The path leading from the cottage down to the campfire and the dock lined with hundreds of candles nestled in sand in tall clear glass cylindrical vases. There were twinkling lights everywhere that cast a warm, flickering glow over the trees and water. This picture doesn’t quite capture it, but it was absolutely breathtaking ⎯ almost otherworldly.

The next day everyone came back to the cottage for a brunch on the beach. A few people canoed over, which I loved! Arriz’s mom orchestrated our own modern Mehndi ceremony where she gave me and all the women at the wedding a henna design on our hands. It’s an old Indian wedding tradition and they say the darker the Mehndi goes, the stronger the marriage and more love a groom has for his new bride. I have to say it really helped me relax. It takes about 3 hours to dry so I was forced not to run around cleaning up or anything, which is why it was impossible to do it before the wedding!

Here are some of us having the Mehndi done by the bunkie:

…And here are the famous caesars our friend George Whiteside made. They were definitely in high demand!

George is a brilliant photographer and friend of both Arriz and me and he took this gorgeous portrait of us as our wedding gift.

I'd like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who was there and shared this incredible moment with Arriz and I ⎯ and also to thank the incredible group of people, now friends, that helped to make it happen. It all seems like a beautiful dream now. And really the wedding was a perfect ending to our building experience. It was like all that work was for this one event.

This is not the last you will hear about or see of the cottage. Stay tuned to the magazine: we will be photographing it once it is completely finished, furnished and decorated and running it in our 2011 cottage issue.

I hope you've enjoyed sharing this journey with me as much as I have. And thanks again for all of your well wishes.

Photo credits:
1. Andreas Avdoulos
2. Jackie Goodlin
3-9. Andreas Avdoulos
10. Laurie Jennings
11-25. Andreas Avdoulos
26. Laurie Jennings
27. George Whiteside 
28. Andreas Avdoulos

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Last Saturday was our wedding at the cottage. It was a perfect weekend and probably the most memorable, meaningful event of my life so far. Only our closest family and friends were invited to share in the experience – it was a rustic and simple, intimate dinner party. It ended up being a good thing that I hadn’t really touched the decorating yet because we were able to treat the interior like a big restaurant (we rented everything). Because of the cottage location, it actually took months and months of planning even though it was a modest affair for only 24 people!

Having the wedding date set really pushed us to complete the cottage construction. It was a ton of work, especially for Arriz and our crew, and all of the unfinished details on the building at the end were so overwhelming it almost threw us over the edge. Like waking up the morning of the wedding and realizing there was no knob on the bathroom door. And then going to the outhouse only to find a deer had butted up against the door with his antlers, so I had to repaint it. Somehow we got everything done and the wedding party was the grand finale of it all. I couldn’t have asked for a better reward.

Stay tuned... I will be posting more details and pictures on Friday, October 9th. I’m just getting back into the work groove after a week off and have yet to sort through all of the wedding photos!

Photo credit:
Andreas Avdoulos

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As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, Arriz and I are having our wedding ceremony here and it is getting right down to the wire to get everything done. The last-minute build-up of things to do is getting crazy, so a group of friends came up with us to help with the huge list of details. Since our large slider door like this one will not be ready in time and the bedroom will be completely in view at the party after the wedding, I need to make it look as good as possible.

I had the 24” square linen pillows sewn by Dan at Mieda Design and brought up my favourite throw from Ochre for the foot of the bed. The chair that I’ve used as a side table was in Arriz’s old loft when we first started dating and I got the zig zag rug at West Elm just before I came up. It was on sale: $200 for an 8' x 10'! ⎯ I had to have it. Later on, I decided to rig up a burlap curtain from the track over the window.

Here is the Ikea Pax wardrobe you saw being installed in the last post. Now that it’s painted and has the horn Ochre handles on it, it looks like a custom piece. I lined up my Bamboula baskets underneath.

Our bathroom vanity is basically a plywood box vanity with a top mount sink. Eventually it will be capped with the same black granite as in the kitchen. I brought up my lovely handmade towels from the city ⎯ I bought them more than 15 years ago in New Mexico. I also had to temporarily take the mirror from our guest bathroom at home.

We constructed the built-in daybed from Douglas fir plywood, it sits under the rock view. I had Dan at Mieda make the mattress, mattress cover and pillows as well. There are side tables that we built into each end that include storage and will hold Arriz’s speakers ⎯ he is a huge audiophile.

You might recognize this hutch ⎯ it’s been with me for years and has taken quite a beating it’s been moved so many times! I mounted it on the wall near the dining area and kitchen for extra storage. The sconces on either side are the ones I found at Rona.

I gave the outhouse a fix up too, since it might come in handy as a back-up washroom for the wedding weekend. I sprayed the outside, painted the door and the floor inside and what a huge difference it made! I added a lantern and a little bucket with extra toilet paper plus an area rug to make it a little more comfortable. Next year I will add a metal roof so it coordinates with the main building and the bunkie.

The last week or so has been rainy and misty. It makes for a breathtaking scene up here but I hope it clears up in time for the wedding! We asked everyone to bring umbrellas in case ⎯ the ceremony will be a go, rain or shine, in the little clearing by the water where the old log cabin used to be. Stay tuned to the next post for a snapshot of the wedding!

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One of the most exciting parts of this process for me was when our new kitchen was installed. Given our professions, between the two of us, Arriz and I have researched countless cabinetry options over the years. Ikea always comes out on top, especially considering the great prices. Their hardware and hinging mechanisms are top-of-the-line. And for the site conditions of our cottage (off-grid, uphill, water access), Ikea’s flat-packing was the ideal solution. The entire kitchen was easily brought up the cliff (maybe not so easily if you ask our installer) in several trips. Definitely less of a headache than if we were bringing up pre-assembled cupboards or building them on site.

Here is a shot of all of the kitchen components loaded up on the barge. Unfortunately, the brilliant pulley system that Mike and the guys rigged up had already been taken down, so all of these boxes had to be hauled by hand. Luckily, we had the most amazing team led by Edwin Gregorio from Ikea's installation services. Here is one of the members of his team taking measurements.

When I work with Ikea products I love to customize them to make them my own. And they have such a wide variety of components that you can be endlessly creative. For the island we chose a butcherblock countertop (being installed here) but joined several counters together to make an extra-wide top and wrapped it down each side to create a waterfall-like top. It was a lot of work but Edwin and his team pulled it off. We paired it with Ikea’s Solär cabinetry underneath. I love the elegant horizontal lines of this cabinet design especially because the handles are discreet and integrated into the design of the doors. They come in white or beech veneer but I had them custom painted in Benjamin Moore's Copley Gray (HC-104) in a matte finish. The white would be terrific in my city home, but with all of that Douglas fir siding and because I wanted to create a truly rustic feel, I felt that a darker, muted finish would be a better fit. It looks amazing so it was worth the extra effort!

On the window side of the kitchen we chose Ikea’s new Rubrik cabinets in stainless steel. You don’t see a lot of Ikea kitchens in stainless steel and the samples are tucked out of the way in the Etobicoke store so you have to look for them, but they were perfect for breaking up all of the wood without creating too much contrast. For handles we chose Ikea’s slim metal Strecket handles because they keep the look clean.

On the return portion of the kitchen we used more of the painted Solär so there’s a bit of a mix going on. It feels unfitted and casual. For the counter we capped the whole side section in a slim 3/4" honed granite. It’s also an option from Ikea that people might not know about. I love the slim profile which minimized the amount of black introduced in the room. If you’re shopping for a kitchen, be sure to ask about all of the selections available and think outside of how you normally see Ikea. We had a lot of fun manipulating all of their possibilities to make it work for our lifestyle.

You can see the cooktop near the back of this shot ⎯ we skipped an oven because it’s not necessary up here. You really can cook almost everything between the cooktop and the BBQ. You can see that the way Arriz designed the kitchen, with the window running the length of the counter, you have a gorgeous view of the tree tops while you cook or wash the dishes. And hallelujah: I finally have an indoor sink with running water!

For more on Ikea kitchens, view our Ikea Kitchen Makeover videos.

Because Ikea is so practical for transporting to the site, we didn’t stop at the kitchen. This is a Pax wardrobe being installed on the wall in the bedroom. I prefer to mount it off the floor ⎯ it leaves room underneath for baskets and visually a room will feel bigger this way because no floor space is eaten up. It also creates a more dramatic customized space. I had the plain Pax doors sprayed in the same Copley Gray (HC-104) and then dressed the whole thing up with small black bone handles from Ochre. A splurge, I know, but they look soooo good!

I also chose the Malm bed in oak ⎯ it’s a designer favourite that will never go out of style and works well here because its low profile doesn’t interrupt the view. It fits perfectly under our bedroom window.

With all of the loading and unloading from the barge, our old dock took quite a beating and I was having nightmares of all of our wedding guests toppling off and into the lake as they arrived. One weekend, Mike and Kenny decided to rebuild the top. Here they are lifting the top off the cribs. Our old cribs are grandfathered and they’re not in the greatest shape, but luckily they are still strong enough that we don’t have to replace the whole system just yet (a hugely time-consuming and expensive project). No more nightmares.

I can also stop worrying about trips and falls of guests getting up the hill since our friend Andy Gearing built a beautiful rock staircase leading up to the cottage. We have amazing (and strong) friends, and so many of them have helped out in some way.

As I mentioned, this cottage is off the grid and most of our power comes from solar panels. Sean Flanagan at Flanagan and Sun supplied, installed and customized the panels and came up with a system that would maximize sunlight and work with the design of our building. Our panels are installed right on the roof and positioned to get the most sunlight possible.

Here is Sean installing the panels. This really efficient system is basically maintenance-free but we have a control box to adjust the settings. The system provides all the energy we need to supply power to our water pump system, fridge, lighting and power outlets. The best part is no hydro bill!

We included a number of electrical outlets throughout the cottage but not a lot of overhead light fixtures ⎯ there will be only one over the kitchen island (still on the hunt for that). The rest of our light, when necessary, will be from table lamps and wall sconces. I still prefer the soft, dim glow of candles and traditional oil lamps.

I found these great, affordable Martes sconces (only $25!) at Rona and have used three of them in the cottage.

Here are some of other wall lights that could have worked:

The Bestlite BL5 wall light. I’ve always loved Bestlite by Gubi and this version slides up and down.

This has a modern, arts and crafts style that would also work well in our cottage. Alison Berger for Holly Hunt Crystal Block Single Sconce, at Primavera.

This is a great look for a cottage. Thomas O’Brien Selecta Sconce, at Elte (by special order).

Photo credits:
1-9. Suzanne Dimma
10. Martes Outdoor Wall-Mounted Lantern from Rona
11. Bestlite BL5 from Bestlite by Gubi
12. Alison Berger for Holly Hunt Crystal Block Single Sconce
13. Thomas O’Brien Selecta Sconce from Elte

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