August, 2016
Cottage Renovation 2016
We were fortunate to have Remodelista feature our cottage renovation back in 2016. As a result, I realized we never posted it here!
In 2009 we did an extensive renovation so you may be wondering why we decided to tackle it again. We came to find that the initial kitchen configuration, that happened to be right at the entrance, wasn’t very conducive to a family of four. We had always dreamed of moving the kitchen to where the dining table was. This was our opportunity to really invest in making the space exactly how we wanted for enjoyment of use and longevity – no more renovations here!
Enjoy!
On the exterior, the biggest things we did were remove the aluminum siding and metal storm windows. We thankfully discovered that the wood was in great shape so we repainted it white, with a new mint green colour for the windows (used to be dark brown), and we got new screens made for the windows.
In the front…or back, depending on who you talk to, we added a bunch of fresh sand and a little garden. The kids love playing back here now, and it’s great when it’s too windy on the water side.
Heading on inside, we used the space now vacated by the kitchen to incorporate some closed storage for linens, necessities and anything else that needs to be hidden away.
The living room is much like it was before, but we changed out the light fixtures on either side of the fire place to be AJ wall lights (repurposed from our bedrooms where their placements didn’t work). We added some Alvar Aalto shelving as well, and another sofa to increase seating.
Another major addition is the white painted bead board that we added throughout the cottage. We simply couldn’t stand the painted dry wall and find that the wood has added a lot of texture and character.
Fireplace is still the same.
New vintage Børge Mogensen bench as a coffee table.
Another new find is this vintage Bruno Mathsson lounge chair and stool.
The whole living room area. There is also an Alvar Aalto kids table and chair set (with Moomin characters) on the left side of the picture. It used to be at our home in Howell’s room but we moved it up for the summer and it never came back.
Looking toward the new kitchen and dining area.
We worked again with Studio Junction on the design of our cottage kitchen. They used reclaimed Carolina Pine on the three furniture like pieces. The unit to the left of the range is comprised of drawers, the unit to the right is one set of drawers and then an open shelf underneath. The third unit is a large soapstone sink with teak drying rack.
Dining table is the Studioilse Extending Together Table and there are two benches, Studioilse 443 bench and Studioilse 446 High Settle Bench.We kept the two blue chairs, and sold the rest of our old set to a couple who have since become our friends! Small world.
There is an additional shelf above using brass components.
We splurged on a small AGA electric stove.
Other splurge was the Smeg fridge.
Studio Junction created this amazing soapstone sink (similar to ours from home) with integrated drying rack. But then they kicked it up a notch by creating the hanging dish storage / drying rack. We are now absolutely spoiled. I think if you are designing a kitchen, an integrated drying rack is a number one must. I find that kitchen design so often concerns itself with mass storage, but we actually make do on comparably less storage. Save money on storage for unnecessary items and put it into something that you use all day long, every day.
Heading into the bedrooms, we were inspired by shaker practicality. We haven’t yet solved the clothing storage problem in our main bedroom because our bed is a queen sized StudioIlse Companions bed that takes up most of the room. In the meantime the shaker peg rail helps keep things off the floor.
In Elodie’s room, we got her an Ikea bed, Ikea gingham drapes, and an Alvar Aalto wall hung drawer as bedside table.
This kid is living large with this coveted MMF Swedish wall hanging.
We also lucked out and found this gorgeous vintage Swedish dresser and vintage Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn brass table mirror.
Howell’s room is still not complete, because he’s still so little and we haven’t been able to find the right pieces to bring his space together.
Thanks for following along!
London, day two: Jasper Morrison Shop
On this beautiful Tuesday morning we wanted to share some photos of the Jasper Morrison Shop which we finally had a chance to visit during our trip to London.
The shop is tucked away in a courtyard behind a big black door that you have to buzz to gain access to. Once you’re in the courtyard you can see a warm wood space frame with an industrial galvanized steel door frame and windows.
A little seating alcove in the courtyard.
An amazing collection of everyday utility design from around the world. I purchased the perfect ice cream scoop.
The studio entrance with buzzer.
The path from the entrance heading towards the studio.
Right after the Jasper Morrison shop visit we walked down the street to visit another iconic London based shop Labour and Wait. A place we have always wanted to visit, and they did not disappoint. The facade is beautiful with its rich glossy green tiles. Inside, it’s what a true neighbourhood home goods store should be. We picked up a nice white oak twine holder to be used in the shop.
A little more from our trip later…