I'm not the type of person who goes to the cottage to sit by the lake for eight hours,” says Heidi Smith. “I'm always doing something.” She's not kidding. One morning Smith's husband, Joe Barazin, left their Laurentians cottage for a few hours. When he returned the kitchen was red.
A red kitchen. Sounds daring, but it perfectly encapsulates Smith's approach to cottage decor. “I wanted it to be young, fun and filled with kids,” says the Montreal-based decorator who specializes in cottages and chalets. In addition to Joe and Heidi's three-year-old son, Luke, and Joe's three teenagers, the always-open-door policy brings in a constant stream of family and friends. “At our place everything is a bit crooked,” says Smith. “A little abuse doesn't show.”
In less masterful hands that decor philosophy could produce chaos. But in Smith's world, it's picture-perfect cottage charm. Classic country textiles - quilts, gingham and florals - layer colour and pattern onto a time-honoured red-and-white palette. “In a country house, you can really have fun with colour,” says Smith. Her huge collection of vintage jadeite introduces red's complement, green, into the scheme for added vibrancy, and showcases Heidi's love of vintage style.
Not surprisingly, much of Smith's wood furniture came locally from the Lachute Flea Market - including a dozen folding rockers that store easily when not needed. Vintage fabrics and eBay bargains mingle with white-painted panelling and bare wood floors (with an occasional rug to cut the winter chill) for an airy country look. It isn't just an easy-care interior, it's also easy to achieve and easy on the budget, says Smith, who created this haven for next to nothing.
Besides thrifty flea markets finds, Smith searches out discount fabric, bargains from big-box stores like Loblaws and Wal-Mart, and does almost everything herself. “I have a full set of tools,” she says. But her biggest secret weapon? Paint.
When the family acquired the 75-year-old cottage about two years ago, the panelling was a “horrible puce colour,” but Smith transformed it with white latex. “I used half water, half paint, then dry brushed it on for an aged look where you can see the grain and brush strokes,” she says. The same treatment was given to the kitchen cabinets. It's a speedy way to facelift cabinets, says Smith. An opaque finish may have taken five coats - too time consuming and too expensive!
Economics aside, Smith's joie de vivre approach to cottage decor is one of abundance. Nothing makes her happier than seeing kids dance on the coffee table and friends and family gather for an ultra-casual raclette dinner. “I have the place where everyone gets together,” she says. “That's priceless.”
PHOTO ABOVE: “I mix and match all kinds of fabrics, especially in the country,” says Heidi Smith, who has a closet full of material just waiting for the right decorating project. Cushions sewn from vintage textiles bought at Vie de Campagne mix with bargains from Winners and Ikea, adding colour and coziness to Smith's decor. Milk glass makes a white-on-white tableau above the flea market find dresser.
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