Country Decor Blog

This is not meant to be a morbid post. Nor is it meant to be melancholy. Think of this as a sentimental post! I’ve been thinking of the pet cemetery I came across more than a month ago in Ireland. I did write about it briefly, but I wanted to share a bit more detail because I did find it to be very special because it demonstrates the connection that people can have with their pets. For all of us pet owners, the thought of losing a beloved dog, cat or even gerbil, can be devastating. I admit that I’m a complete basket-case whenever I think of one of my many four-legged friends leaving me (so much so that I keep acquiring new pets in the hopes that they will precipitously fill any upcoming void!). That being said, all of us who love pets know that the time will someday come that our animals will leave us. That is why I was so completely moved by the pet cemetery tucked away at the Powerscourt Estate in Co. Wicklow, Ireland.  

When you first arrive at Powerscourt, you are greeted by an overwhelming sense of formality and structure. The garden is elegant and designed in keeping with the feel of an Italian formal garden. As striking as it is, it doesn’t have a personal feel to it.

the exceedingly sculpted formal Italian gardens at Powerscourt

After a walk through the park, there are signposts pointing towards “the pet cemetery.” Odd, it seemed, to have a “pet cemetery” in a formal garden, no?  But when I finally came across it, I was overwhelmed by the emotions I felt as I walked through it. Formal headstones mark the last resting place of the pets - from ponies to dogs – that belonged to the Slazenger and Wingfield families who once lived in Powerscourt. Many of the headstones date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Knowing that a pet was so beloved that its resting spot is still admired more than 100 years later is remarkable. 

I took photos of each and every one of the tombstones, not out of morbid curiosity, but rather because I was charmed by the visual images that each of the inscriptions on the stones implied. For example, Eugenie the Jersey Cow “died in 1967, aged 15 years, She had 17 calves and produces over 100,000 gallons of milk.” Or Kilfane the Irish Wolfhound who was universally beloved. The inscriptions are all personal and simply beautiful. And the fact that the public are able to wander through these tombstones and imagine the lives of the pets that once ran joyously through the grounds of Powerscourt. It has to be said, that my favourite is the one listed below. Talk about anthropomorphosizing your family bet. I whole-heartedly agree that it is the right thing to do!

Apologies for my lack of blogging - the internet connections (and possibly my laptop) have been causing me a significant amount of grief… But here I am, writing away at the Westville Hotel in Enniskillen, and I can’t wait to talk about my day at Mount Stewart, a national trust property in Northern Ireland. I promise to catch up on yesterday’s events a little later today! (hint: it includes barbecue sauce!!)

When I imagine life in Ireland, I usually think nostalgia. I’m not sure why, after all Ireland is a modern, bustling economic force, but I still can’t help but think of visions of  the 1920s… Maybe it’s my penchant for Merchant Ivory films, but whenever I’ve come across a National Trust property, I’m smitten. Mount Stewart is simply one of the best properties that I’ve ever been to. Perhaps it is because a family member is still present there. (Lady Mairi Bury is in her late eighties and resides in the magnificent house). Or maybe it’s because of the fabulous George Stubbs painting that hangs in the hall. Or the multitudes of family portraits that hang throughout the rooms, given you a glimpse into a kinder, gentler life. But in reality, I think it is because of the gardens. They are truly sublime. 

Designed in the 1920s by Lady Mairi’s mother, Lady Londonberry, the gardens are elegant testaments to her original vision. Lovingly cared for by the head gardener Owen (who I was lucky enough to meet) the gardens exude style, energy and grace. We got there at midday (not exactly the best time to shoot a garden), but we were lucky to have beautiful light, thanks to those endless Irish clouds. 

I’m thankful we had an opportunity to visit Mount Stewart, and I implore anyone who dreams of visiting Ireland to make sure that a visit - preferably a whole day there - is on their schedule. There is even a lovely spot to have lunch or tea (and they make a yummy carrot cake too!)

I haven’t been able to download my personal shots of Mount Stewart, but here is a glimpse courtesy of the Irish Tourist board.

Imagine being able to live here?

Following our dreamy time there, we were picked up and taken to the Culloden Hotel and Spa, an exceptionally grand property on the outskirts of Belfast. It was the quintessentially beautiful old-style hotel. We checked in and had a (freshly baked) scone and tea. Yum! The beds were cozy. We were sad to only be able to spend one night there….

* Other than the Mount Stewart property, Lady Londonderry is perhaps best known for her role as ’society’s queen’ - a hostess to the rich and famous. Her close circle of friends included Winston Churchill, Lady Astor, Neville Chamberlain and Harold Macmillan who congregated in her salon, known as ‘The Ark’. Each of the members of ‘The Ark’ had nicknames, and Winston Churchill was known as ‘Winston the warlock’

**if you are interested in visiting Ireland, check out www.discoverireland.com

If you’re a chocolate lover, you’d approve of this message! Okay, so I’m not talking about edible chocolate - rather - I’m referring about using that gorgeous, rich colour on your walls at home. There is a certain sophistication to painting your walls dark brown, and that is because one must have a confidence in their decorating abilities in order to use dark colours on their walls. Why? Using dark colours on walls can create drama, intimacy, and coziness. But it can also plunge a room into dark despair! There are a certain number of rules to use when decorating with dark wall colours (in this instance chocolate brown). Follow these rules, and you’ll have a gorgeous room!

1. Is your room bright or dark? I always tell people that you can get away with painting every room chocolate brown if you have tons of natural light. Otherwise, the room will be plunged into gloominess. If you don’t have lots of natural light, but still want to use chocolate brown, maybe try just colour-blocking out one wall with the rich tone, allowing the space to breathe without being overwhelmed by colour.

2. How high is your ceiling? If you have a high ceiling, by painting it a lighter colour than the chocolate brown (one trick is to add a couple of drops of chocolate paint into your ceiling white to create a consistency in your colour tones), you will still make the room feel airy and open. 

So why chocolate brown? In the same way that we like the look and smell of chocolate, the richness of chocolate brown walls is known to have a calming effect. It’s like being enveloped in a mug of hot chocolate! Just like this room in Hampton Island, Georgia, keep your accessories neutral and allow the wall colour to take centre stage.

Some of my favourite chocolate brown paint colours are: 

Pratt & Lambert’s Stonehenge 2260 - a nice, chalky chocolate brown with a bit of grey in it

Benjamin Moore’s Brown Sugar 2112-20 - a rich warm dark brown

Para Paint’s Truffle Oil P5242-85 - a yummy chocolate brown with a hint of earthy green

There’s nothing more amusing than walking into a powder room that’s decorated in quirky style. Case in point: a friend’s powder room that was wallpapered in vintage covers from The New Yorker, a loo at a stable in Creemore, Ontario that was wallpapered in the back page from the UK’s Horse & Hound magazine (the back page consists of outrageous falls and near-falls from horseback throughout history). The powder room also gives a homeowner an opportunity to pull out all the stops and decorate in a way that they may not in a larger setting. For example, if you love hot pink, it would make more sense to paint a tiny powder room in that brilliant hue (try it in high gloss) than to paint your living room walls that colour! On my Hampton Island visit in Georgia last month, I was delighted to come across a powder room that was having fun with trompe l’oeil. Wallpapered in a stunning fabric printed with reams of porcelain plates “hung” on the wall, the effect was quite intense. The fabric was a rich amber and the plates were black and white chinoiserie. The overall look was quite fun. As intrigued as I was by the initial appeal of the room, imagine my surprise when I realized that they’d actually attached REAL plates to the wall - on top of the fabric pattern! What a fun idea.

At any rate, a great idea for a powder room that I would definitely suggest stealing from the stylish team at Hampton Island!

As much as I’m a traditionalist when it comes to clawfoot tubs (I have an authentic cast iron one from Kohler at home), I do love the look of some of the minimalist slipper tubs on the market. I’ve been in Ucluelet, BC for the last few days for a shoot at Cougar Annie’s garden (we will publish the story in Canadian Gardening magazine next spring), and after an intense day in the chill of a rainy BC day, I was delighted to come home to a decadent tub experience in my hotel room at Black Rock Resort. The tub is by Blu bathworks, a Canadian company located in BC. The freestanding bath tub TW8002B18 is a work of art.
The tub is deep enough for a terrific bubble bath, and has an aesthetic that is elegant enough to suit any type of bathroom (as long as you have the room of course!). I would highly recommend it…
My other tub experience had to do with the Drift spa at Black Rock Resort. As much as the idea of booking a “tub” experience at a spa seemed a little odd, I changed my mind after 20 minutes in the Eau Kur hydrotherapy tub. Granted, this may not be something you want to install in your own house (it is, after all, a spa tub!), but the combination of air bubbles that rotate throughout the tub. If you have the opportunity to experience an Eau Kur hydrotherapy tub, I would recommend it! As I write this though, I am feeling guilty about cheating on my clawfoot back at home. After all, we’ve had wonderful times together over the years! Classic in design and echoing the tradition look of clawfoot tubs, the Kohler Ironworks Historic bath.I will be home soon! And I’m looking forward to rekindling my relationship with my Kohler clawfoot!

…Maybe I exaggerated a bit about my favourite country bathroom in my last post. At least, I thought it was my favourite - that is until I saw this bathroom the next day. At Hampton Island, a tiny private island on the coast of Southern Georgia, beauty and nostalgic architecture reign supreme. In fact, one of the houses that is available to guests of the Hampton Island club appeared in a famous American decorating magazine (which I won’t mention - after all, they are a competitor!). That being said, the decor at Hampton Island is a nice blend of elegance and glamour infused with laid-back country style. The master bathroom in one of the houses had tons of great ideas to steal. I’ll go through all of my favourites here:

1. Create a trompe l’oeil carpet with mosaic tiles.The use of mosaic tiles in a dark charcoal juxtaposed the sleek white carrera marble tiles gives the illusion of a “carpet” under the top. It works well in this large bathroom to help delineate the space where the tub sits. I also like how they have used carrera marble mosaic tiles on the wall - it bridges the two tile styles on the floor.

2. Install a porthole window in your showerOne of my favourite things in my own shower at home is the tiny window that my contractor installed just above eye-level. It’s too high for peeping Toms in the house next door to look in (unless, I suppose, they get on a ladder), but it lets in a wonderful amount of natural light - sometimes I can even imagine that I’m showering outdoors! I loved how this shower, tiled in tiny perfect Carrera marble mosaic tile, has a porthole window. Very fun!

3. The demi-lune is a hit as a vanityContinuing on the theme of creating furniture-like items in this bathroom (i.e., the mosaic “carpet”), these feminine demi-lune vanities with their gorgeous bianca marble (I think that’s what it is) tops, are just perfect. I’ve always loved the demi-lune shape for a table (I have one in my front hall). It is simple but elegant all at the same time! A true “little black dress” of furniture!

4. Please, no angled glass showers!My dad has a lot of influence over me - still - and though I will deny it if anyone were to tell him, when he tells me something, it usually sticks in my mind like parental glue. In the case of designing a bathroom, he always said that a square shower is the way to go - forget about slicing off the corner to create more space. Angled shower doors are “mincey” in his words. And I have never forgotten it. Every shower I have ever designed looks pretty much like this one. (although I always add a shelf for beauty products!)

5. A room of one’s ownDoesn’t this photo feel like something out of a Merchant Ivory film. The soft light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the muted colour palette, the rich look of the room. This simply perfect country bathroom has a lot of wonderful qualities and ideas to steal for your own bathroom at home. I know I have been inspired! And for sure this bathroom is REALLY my favourite!

When I think about the country bathroom ideal, it ALWAYS has to involve a clawfoot tub. None of those decadent four-person, air bubble tubs for me! But imagine if you could take that bath on a screened-in porch? That’s exactly what I did the other night while exploring Hampton Island, a fascinating private island in Southern Georgia; just half an hour from Savannah. The developers have created an idyllic community that blends the best of nostalgia (carriage rides pulled by 18-hand white Percherons), with nature (kayaking and hiking), with gourmet food (a fabulous biodynamic organic farm). The houses that have been built so far all have that Southern sensibility blended with modern-day panache. I plan on chatting about the decor of a number of my favourite rooms here. But first, the bathroom! Simple, elegant and most importantly, built from reclaimed wood. This bathroom is actually a tiny rustic-looking powder room, while the bath was in a separate screened-in space. I like the idea of using a vintage cast-iron sink, as well as the fun 1950s calendar. I have two more “country baths” to show you in upcoming blogs, but honestly, I think this one, in all its simplicity, is my favourite! Take a look at my shots and let me know what you think!

How I love lilacs (I don’t even need to count the ways!). And this weekend (the true May 24th weekend!) is the perfect time to experience everything gorgeous about lilacs.
I spent the wee hours of yesterday morning photographing the spectacular lilac dell at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. Photographer Andreas Trauttmansdorff and art director Jose Woertman joined me for an early morning surrounded by absolutely gorgeous lilacs. The RBG has close to 800 varieties of lilacs (possibly the biggest collection in the world!).
As I stood overlooking the dell while the sun came up behind me, I was almost overcome with the heady scent of lilacs. Every variety smells slightly different, from potent and intoxicating to the subtlest of fragrances. As I wandered the gardens while Andreas worked his photographic magic (the story will be published in the May 2010 issue of Canadian Gardening magazine), my thoughts turned to a story I had done a few years ago for Canadian Home & Country magazine’s very first Cottage Style issue.
The shoot was done at my stepmother’s place in Prince Edward County, and we shot on the May 24th weekend. If you haven’t been to Prince Edward County but have been thinking of going, nothing is more spectacular than driving through the country roads when the lilacs are in bloom. They are PLENTIFUL. You may not see the multiple varieties like you would at the RBG, but you’ll be thrilled by how prolific and magnificent they are as they grow wild along the winding roads.
At any rate, I got up early in the morning to gather as many varieties of lilacs that I could find to use for my shoot. In fact, I may have even snuck a few clippings from neighbours’ yards while the homeowners were still sleeping peacefully (not to worry, I fessed up later!)
With my armloads of lilacs, I filled every spare vessel I could find. I did small clusters of them in the kitchen, and put a huge branch of them on display in the living room. Just like in the dell at the RBG, the scent of lilacs hung heavy on the air.
If you’re inspired at all by lilacs, I implore you to head to the RBG this weekend where they are in bloom in all their glory (or of, course, take a road trip to Prince Edward County - you won’t be disappointed).
For my next blog, I’m going to list my favourite lilac varieties (hint: one of them was developed by an icon in the style industry).

A lot of people ask where I disappear to on the weekends. Often I’ll be at work events (like the Interior Design Show next weekend!) or I’ll be squirreled up at home, trying to organize my incredibly messy kitchen. But my real escape on the weekends is to my friend’s farm, Irish Creek Stables, in Cambridge Ont. Liz Lewis and I first met a few years ago when we did a photo shoot at her house. Over the years, we’ve used her house and horse farm as a location multiple times. And for those of you who have read my editor’s letters, you ‘ll also know that I have a number of horses - and I am lucky enough to have Liz look after them for me. Winter at the farm is not easy, but Liz and her daughter Petra make it fun. And if you’re cold? All you need to do is to start mucking out stalls or sweeping, you’ll warm up pretty quickly! 

There is something incredibly special to me about horses. I have loved them since I was a little girl (I even uncovered a report card from nursery school that says my face “lit up every time I saw a picture of a horse.” As much as I love working at a magazine (and I do love it - it is the job of a lifetime for me!), a bit of my heart stays behind with the horses at Irish Creek Stables. When my boyfriend and I began dating a few years ago, he knew that the time I needed to spend with my horses was non-negotiable! Of course, when he comes out here and is able to see it through my eyes (which is why I have posted this photo - so you can see the magic of my horsey winter wonderland)

At Canadian Home & Country magazine, my mandate is to create a perfect balance between the sophistication of city living with the relaxed comfort of country living. I’m so happy to say that I have managed to accomplish it in my own life!

If you have thoughts about how to balance the city with the country, please let me know!