Country Decor Blog

Ah, the Ireland jet-lag (not to mention hangover!) is finally over. Now that I’ve recovered and have finished production on our upcoming fall issue of Canadian Gardening, it’s time for me to muse about all things, well, Irish! It’s amazing how ten days in a country as spectacular as Ireland can really monopolize your mind! In particular, of been thinking about the incredibly dairy products that I consumed regularly on my Irish sojourn. There’s something rich and decadent about Irish cheese, butter and milk. As much as I love cheese, I tend to avoid it (as well as butter) due to its high fat content. But when you’re faced with something as decadent as Irish dairy, it’s hard to say no!

Our first day in Ireland was spent at a farmer’s market. There, we discovered the homemade cheeses by the quirky and talented cheesemaker Silke Croppe. With her flaming red hair and coordinating red and white tent, there was no escaping finding her  at the tiny Dublin market. Little did we know that it would not be our first taste of Silke’s fine cheeses - throughout our journey, her name would reappear as a supplier on menus of such fab restaurants as the Winding Stair in Dublin! Her cheeses, made from raw goat’s milk and cow’s milk, is simply divine.

Silke's homemade cheeses

We purchased a “tasting” box of cheese for our outdoor picnic at the Farmleigh estate in Dublin (of course it poured rain so the picnic was done under cover!) and we all, including Tourism Ireland contest winner Peggy, her sister Jackie as well as photographer Stacey Haines. If you like homemade cheese, as I do (I think it’s even worth the calories!!!), a couple of terrific shops in Canada worth checking out are The Cheese Boutique in Toronto (my boyfriend’s kids are obsessed with it - in particular the ridiculously creamy brie allegedly favoured by Napoleon) as well as David Wood Cheese on Salt Spring Island (you can buy Salt Spring goat cheese all over Canada now - yum!). If you have any other fantastic suggestions of homemade cheeses that you would recommend, please let me know!

As an interesting aside, I am completely obsessed with attending farmer’s markets this summer. More next time on my new favourite: The Stop at the Wychwood Barns in Toronto!

It’s hard to imagine that there once was a time when all outdoor fabric had the thick, scratchy feel of cheap car upholstery. Worse, the only colours it was available in was forest green and the three primary colours. Now, the colour world is your oyster when it comes to finding spectacular outdoor fabrics. As everyone continues to nest at home, they are taking their living rooms and moving them outdoors. I’ve been doing a ton of research into outdoor fabrics for Canadian Gardening magazine’s 2010 season (I also edit Canadian Gardening) and have come up with some fantastic new names in the world of outdoor fabrics. If you’re thinking about doing a little outdoor decorating, there are some great inspirational websites to look at. One of my new favourites is a British designer (who is soon to be repped by Y&Co in Toronto) named Christopher Farr. His outdoor fabrics are elegant with a touch of whimsy. My absolute favourite fabric is called 36 24 36 (guess why?) and shows the silhouettes of curvy stair spindles. Very cool! I love it in orange - very fresh and fun.

36 24 36 in orange from Christopher Farr

Another site that I think is fantastic for graphic patterns for the outdoors is called Hable Constuction - neat products for indoors and out! And they are now retailing their great patterns as outdoor fabrics (also repped by Y & Co). Finally, Sunbrella is doing some really beautiful products in gorgeous shades. There’s even a dark charcoal that is incredibly chic. Sunbrella is a terrific brand, and the fabric feels terrific to the touch.

If you’re looking for inspiration about pulling together a palette, we did a story in Canadian Gardening’s May 2010 issue that was produced by Style at Home design editor Ann Marie Favot. Her focus was on two trendy looks: nautical and tropical. It’s worth taking a look at her story - in fact, here’s a sneak peek!

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 quick update for all of you who have written and asked what the fantastic team from Canadian Home & Country magazine are up to these days. I’m happy to say that everyone from the magazine have moved on to other creative ventures at Transcontinental Media, the parent company that published the print edition of CH&C.
Executive Editor Suzanne Moutis continues to bring her inspired vision and talent to Canadian Gardening magazine.
Art Director Jose Woertman has also joined me at Canadian Gardening and has brought her trademark refined and elegant look (which a touch of whimsy) to Canadian Gardening’s design
Design Editor Ann Marie Favot has moved over to our sister publication Style at Home where she continues to create fantastic style with her immaculate taste.
Assistant Editor Karina Leimanis is now writing up a storm on all things botanical at Canadian Gardening.
Assistant Art Director Florence Kwok (Florence is such an appropriate name for someone who works on a gardening magazine, don’t you think?) is bringing her creative talents to Canadian Gardening magazine as well.
I absolutely encourage all you Home & Country readers to check out the new Canadian Gardening - you will find the same energy, accessible information and style that you found at Canadian Home & Country!
best, Erin
** you may wonder where this post is coming from - we had a “goodbye” lunch for Canadian Home & Country yesterday with Vice President Jacqueline Howe and Publisher Deborah Trepanier and were reminiscing about the 8 years at CH&C. Needless to say, I got a bit nostalgic, and waxed on a bit about memorable CH&C moments. Stay tuned to this blog for my top ten CH&C memories (one of them even includes a brush with the law!) best, Errin

Phew! What a long weekend at the Interior Design show… But what a lot of fun (and inspiration) as well! The show was packed with visitors all weekend long, and I showed up early Saturday morning to photograph our space with phenom photographer Donna Griffith. We arrived at 6 a.m. to an echoing space devoid of visitors. the Interior Design Show usually has packed aisleways so it was a great opportunity to check everything out while no one was there. However, Donna quickly got down to work, unpacking her two cartloads of photography equipment. Though there were tons of great booths at the show (retailer Hollace Cluny’s elegant but diminutive booth being one of my favourite) (p.s. the elegant wooden folding screen featured in our booth is available through Hollace Cluny), the one thing that absolutely differentiated

Our fab booth from the outside!

the Style at Home/Canadian Home and Country/Canadian Gardening booth was our use of vivid colour from Beautitone paints. Our selected colours were chosen to match the equally awesome photographic wallpaper from the innovative Montreal company Wallyouneedislove. The intense aqua used in Style at Home magazine’s area was Beautitone 3Q3-6 while the shamrock green colour that was used in the Canadian Home & Country/Canadian Gardening area was (the perfect kelly green - very Audrey Hepburn!) was Beautitone 3L3-8. We are very thankful to awesome stylist Malcolm Patterson who decorated our innovative space. In the darkness of February, it is great to work with someone who appreciates the beauty of colour! I don’t want to get into too much more detail about this space - Donna Griffith’s beautiful photos will be seen in an upcoming issue of Canadian Home & Country magazine!