whale cottage PEI blog

ellsworth kelly

2013-03-09T19:15:17Z

So, speaking of knock-offs (which I was in my previous post), here's the story of the "artwork" in our PEI cottage. I call it an "homage" but essentially it is a work of an ilk that actually irks me -- DIY knock-off abstracts. So here I am, the pot who calls the kettle black. I'm fessing up (but don't worry, I'm not opening an Etsy store anytime soon.)

Here was the situation. Our little cottage already had a wall full of coastal-referencing bits and bobs -- ships, water, birds, shells. As seen here:

Whatever was going above the sofa needed to be different. A bit of relief. I wanted to hang a mirror. It's true what we say in the decorating mags - mirrors are quite amazing at expanding tiny spaces and this space is super teeny. I held a mirror in place and only then noticed that once hung it would reflect the kitchen -specifically the side view of open shelves and the side the the fridge. UGH. Never hang a mirror if it isn't going to reflect something pretty. And hence Plan B came into effect. I taped off the trapezoid shape on a piece of bristol board and painted it using leftover paint from the entryway. Boom. Done. It's shameful, I know. But grant me this: I chose this particular form because it's inspired by an Ellsworth Kelly piece called "For Leo". My Dad's name is Leo. He is was born and raised on Prince Edward Island. I call mine "For Dad".

Here's some real deal Ellsworth Kelly:

This one is called "Purple", a limited edition lithograph that sold at auction in Dec. 2012 for $4,688.

This one is called Colored Paper Image XIV (Yellow Curve), 1976. It's available at the Susan Sheehan Gallery in NYC for $30,000. I spied it on 1stdibs this morning.

I am moved by this stuff. I can't explain it. Art is like that I guess.

Here he is in his Spencertown, NY studio. Photo by Annie Leibovitz (!) for this piece in Vanity Fair. Would that we could all be so cool at 89. PS. I'd give my eye teeth for that paint-splattered chair in the foreground!

Paulistano and Locksta

2013-03-09T04:12:25Z

Meet the Paulistano chair. It was born in 1957 in Brazil, but only made available in North America in 2006. I spotted it on the Interwebs a while back and marvelled at it's simplicity. I love simple design. Just enough. Not too much. Design that looks like utility. And then, just a few weeks ago I spied it on the floor at the Design Within Reach showroom just a few doors down from the office. I dared to sit in it. Oh my. It is so unbelieveable comfortable. It is also astronomically expensive. What you see above is a 17ft long piece of steel bent into shape and welded in one spot. The sling style seat is made of canvas. The price as shown:

US $1,062.50

OK, take a breath. Now, I've been at this game a while. I've learned what goes into great design and quality materials and construction. I've seen cheap knock-offs and the real deal up close and personal. I get that not everyone can afford originals (I am mostly one of those people). But I gotta say, I just do not get the price of this thing. It's a chunk of canvas and a metal bar. I recognize it as an architectural wonder, but still isn't the cost associated with that mostly tied to prototyping. I mean, once you've figured out the angles (which they did in 1957!), how complicated can it be to make? More. Than. A. Grand???

And just FYI, it comes in two different metal finishes - black or white, and in several different fabrics: 10 different colour/finish combos for an outdoors version, 4 combos of the indoor version and 4 versions in leather (the leather ones ring in at $1,317+).

Safe to say I will never own a Paulistano.

Meet the Locksta easy chair. It is a newborn, just in at your local IKEA (of course). It has a steel frame, which comes in several pieces and requires assembly using screws. The fabric is polyester. It comes in these other two colours:

Locksta price as shown:

$39

So, I'm thinking it's time for an IKEA hack: spray paint the steel frame white, have a new white fabric seat made (frig, I could even make it myself using the provided one as the pattern). Conservatively that hack would bring the investment to $80.

I see new chairs for the PEI cottage in my future because (confession) the white faux bamboo ones we have are murderously uncomfortable and must go.

Flights are booked for the long weekend in May - YTZ to Halifax and then road trippin' it to the Island. So 'cited.

here and away, a short film

2012-10-10T04:49:49Z

This is an extraordinary film in which my beloved Prince Edward Island plays a starring role. I hope you will watch and enjoy and share.

Here and Away from Hemmings House on Vimeo.

before photos...and...

2012-09-18T02:12:08Z

Well, my lovelies, this has been a long time coming. I mentioned in an earlier post the fact that I was not yet able to share images of our finished Whale Cottage on Prince Edward Island. You see, a magazine held the rights to the images taken last summer by the super talented Michael Graydon. It was my understanding that the magazine story would be published some time this summer. In good faith I did not reveal the finished space, expecting to see it in print. Mr. A was interviewed. Sources were submitted. Follow up questions were answered. But the feature did not run. Summer is drawing to a close. But I, for one, have not stopped thinking about peaceful sandy beaches, seafood feasts, bike rides and bonfires..and our little getaway on the East Coast. So...(gee, wish I knew how to find and upload a drumroll gif. I don't, so ellipses will have to do)....here, my friends, are the before photos, followed by a link to the Big Reveal.

Entry vestibule before: red painted wood floors, white trim, tan walls, nasty polyester lace curtains. All ugly but the very existence of this space was a bonus - so great for rain gear, sports equipment and beach stuff.

Living area before: loved the wood floors, tongue and groove wainscotting, beamed ceiling. Disliked the combo of paint colours and the missing door to the utility room, leaving the water heater in full view. Also, the space is teeny so I knew it would be a challenge to furnish.

Kitchen, north wall: loved the sink, faucet and wood counter. Cabinets - a bit makeshift, but I knew a coat of paint would make a world of difference. Also noted: no dishwasher...

...and a gander to the other side of the "kitchen" reveals in fact no appliances at all. Bummer.

The utility area - I won't call it a room since it had no door - featured beige walls and a fetching shade of purple on the trim. That's right, purple trim. Oh yes, and knotty pine floors and no door (did I mention that?) and an exposed water heater. Nice.

The bathroom, wedged under the stairs and off the utility area was just large enough to hold tub, toilet and this sink. No window. Some rust and mildew. A broken sink cabinet. No room to turn around. Eeeww. P.S. there's an eyeful of that purple trim.

At the top of the stairs, the snug: loved the west light flooding this space when we saw it first in late afternoon. Yellow floors, no. Blue-grey wall colour, yes. The twin bed frame and table: scooped from the curb almost as fast as we put them there.

The main bedroom: loved the angled ceiling, the beadboard on the ceiling, the gentle cross breeze between this window and the one in the snug across the way. This double bed frame fit in the Snug so we upsized to a fancy pillow top queen for this room to make it feel like a resort. Carpet: ick, gone. Vanity: to the curb. Space heater: in storage awaiting our first cold-weather visit.

And now, enfin, the finished project (click the image to watch the vid):

red head harbour, prince edward island

2012-08-20T05:36:59Z

I've been back about a week now and it has been day after day of challenges great and small from lawn care to healthcare. What can one do but make a list, trudge forward, pray and hope for the best outcomes. That's the plan. Meanwhile, I was pulling together an edit of favourite photos from our recent escape and I was stuck by the incredible colours and textures in my shots of Red Head Harbour. It's a working fishing harbour at the mouth of St. Peter's Bay and is about a 10 minute bike ride from Whale Cottage. I took all the shots using my iPhone. Recently I'd been considering getting a better camera, but when I really think about it I'm just not that person. Heading out on a bike ride with Mr. A in shorts and a T I can slip my iPhone in my pocket, no probs. A big bulky camera and lenses -- fuggetaboutit. Could not deal. Please enjoy this little tour.

You know I have a thing for weathered cedar buildings. I wanted one of these fishing shacks as a bunkie at our cottage (oh, except they reek of low tide, whatevs).

Those are fins from blue fin tuna adorning this one. Amazing.

A billion barnacle-clad bouys.

Counting the days until our next visit.

lester the blue lobster

2012-07-24T05:39:45Z

***UPDATE: note, I refer to the blue one as "that little guy", however, I do not know the sex. Yes, there are boy lobsters and girl lobsters, and I have it on good authority from my East Coast peeps that when you are buying lobster to cook and eat, you should always request female lobsters. Much more tasty.

Check it! I told you there are blue lobsters in real life - and orange ones and freckled ones, too. But that blue guy - what an amazing colour. Next time I am called upon to name paint colours (it has only happened once but I live in a perpetual state of preparedness for the next time), I will for sure be naming a blue paint colour after that little guy: Lobster Blue, Lester Blue, Blue Lobster, Claw Blue, Crustacean Cerulean...just spitballing a few ideas.

Read more about the phenomenon of coloured lobsters in the HuffPo.

Countdown is on to PEI Road Trip Summer 2012.

sneak peek inside

2012-07-03T05:16:16Z

You may have seen this in a Canadian decorating magazine recently. But you'd be forgiven if you totally missed it. It's the kitchen at our PEI cottage. I can't really share photos of the full interior (it's a loooong, looong story). But I can't resist sharing a little peek. The kitchen is a petite galley. The wood counter, sink and faucet (I sooo love the sink and faucet) are all just as they were found. We got a quote on having the sink re-enamelled, but in the end I have decided to embrace its nicks and wear.

The cabinets were a few shades of blue before. We cleaned them up with lots of white paint -- Beauti-Tone Paperwhite -- a white that is near and dear to my heart (yes, I'm the kind of person who can refer to a paint colour as near and dear to her heart). Our other additions: a cute little holophane pendant from RONA, blinds from Home Depot (these things are my go-to budget window covering - have been using them for years), a backsplash of white ceramic penny rounds that I am proud to say I installed all by myself (first tiling project!), and last but not least, my blue lobster curtains. Blue lobsters are a rare natural phenomenon and are considered good luck. It's a little kitsch, but I couldn't resist using a little bit of this fabric. I got it a Suzanne Brown & Assoc. showroom in Toronto and sewed the curtain myself. Husband likes it that short - I think it looks like floods. Hmmm.

The mudroom

This is a detail of the entry mudroom. The shell-encrusted mirror is super big and a beaut. Mr. A found it loooong before we had the place and was saving it for our one-day PEI cottage. It has found its perfect home. It announces coastal style to all who enter and bounces a little light around this dark little room. I painted the walls Trinity Blazer from Beauti-Tone. I call it a marine blue -- gutsy for a white wall lover such as myslef. I DID NOT like it when it was first going on the wall. Mr. A was teasing me by calling it Toronto Maple Leaf blue. Eeeeew. Alas, one must not judge a paint colour until the room is fully realized. I now love it. I painted the space a dark colour so that it would feel instantly cool when you came in from a hot day at the beach. We picked up the old coil of rope at the Moncton flea market on our first road trip to the cottage from Ontario.

This is a little vignette on a table in the mudroom -- all of it Mr. A's doing. As you may know, he has a fantastic eye for fine vintage objects and a knack for tablescapes. The tiny oil painting is incredibly evocative of the area. The swirly glazed 19th c pottery is where we stash our keys. Shells....well, of course. The vintage glass bottle is the prettiest watery hue.

We painted all of the floors in Patina from Beauti-Tone. PEI's red soil meant white floors were utterly out of the question. Pale grey is just right. They're still light but with a slightly Swedish look. The colour looks great on the original wide planks, which were previously blood red. I like how this photo is a bit like a portrait of Mr. A and I: his shoes next to mine. And the shoes say it all: slip-on sneaks, well-worn espadrilles, flipflops. I must extend a hat tip to Michael Graydon for this shot. He didn't take this one, I did, but the idea of this photo was his. Trust me, his version is way way better.

I hope to share more of the cottage makeover process with you. Check back. Meanwhile, I'm counting the days until our next visit.

toes in the atlantic may 19

2012-05-29T05:20:58Z

There's no pretty pedi to speak of, but here's my proof that my bare toes (actualy up to my ankles) walked in the Atlantic Ocean on May 19, 2012. Every cottage needs its rituals: Scrabble tourneys, costume day, mini regattas - that sort of thing. As part of ours I think we'll record the first and latest dips in the Atlantic. It's not for the faint of heart. Even in high summer, the water temp can stay at just 17C, which is brisk. But, as the saying goes in our family: "It's nice once you get in." When I look at my camera roll I realize that I just can't stop taking pictures of the beach. And yet each is the same serene swathes of bright blue sky, dunes, grass, sand, water. Photo after photo basically the same. Not sure if/when I'll stop doing this. When will the beach seem normal and not utterly breathtaking? Part of me hopes that day may never come.

PS. don't you love the little patterns that the swirling water is making as the waves bubble in and wash over my toes and the sand. I'm pretty sure that should be a fabric or wallpaper.

Plans are starting to take shape for a cottage full of family this summer and I couldn't be happier about it.

recent acquisition: village pottery leaf

2012-05-24T04:58:43Z

I'm pleased to introduce you to my new leaf plate. I bought it this weekend at The Village Pottery in New London, PEI, but it now lives in its new home on my coffee table in Toronto. We were lucky enough to spend 5 spectacular days on the Island recently. It was so wonderful. I have much more to tell you about the trip. If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter you already know I microblogged the heck out of the trip. But back to the leaf. This lovely thing is the work of Suzanne Scott, who is better known around the social media world as The Potter's Daughter. It was great to meet Suzanne and to see all of the wonderful handmade pottery in the shop. Despite the fact that I seriously need to be in purge mode rather than acquisition mode -- I could not resist. I suppose my leaf could be for sushi or an appetizer or something. But for me it's that perfect little objet that every stylist needs to put on top of a book. In this case Else de Wolfe: A Decorative Life - such a pretty book, and a very interesting biography of one of my design gurus. But again, I digress. Here are a few more snaps of the Village Pottery.

I chose my piece from the wall of green. I think they should just call this the Wall of Margot.

The yellows -- a close second fave for me. Such a delightful mellow buttery colour. Suzanne makes her lace pieces by pressing a piece of lace that belonged to her grandmother into the wet clay. Sweet.

A two-tone mix that is Suzanne's current favourite.

I believe that coffee and tea taste much better in homemade pottery. These are massive and gorgeous and beautifully displayed in an old post office pigeon hole cabinet.

utter inn sweden

2012-04-12T00:51:20Z

Saw this adorable little houseboat/floating dock while poking around the webs the other day and thought it was cute as pie. But the most fascinating bit about it is what lies beneath:

Inside the hut is a hatch with stairs that go down to...

A teeny tiny two-bed hotel room, 10 feet below the water in a lake about an hour from Stockholm! Can you believe?

Could you sleep a night here? Looks like a luxe Hastens bed - can't go wrong there.

Apparently the toilet and the cooker are in the above-water hut. So cute, so quirky, and perhaps just the tiniest bit creepy...would you?

Find out more about the Utter Inn at the Unusual Hotels of the World site.