summer blog crawl: a lake classic

This post is part of the summer blog crawl linkup from Brittany of Gallery no 8.

Where I live summer is all about the cottage.

Each friday the highways are packed with overloaded cars 

driving to the water to grab their slice of canadian heaven...

While modern cottages tend to skew more grand home than cottage,

I like the feel of the old, simplistic, wood-panelled cottages.

A place where sand and water are as welcome as guests.

A place to put your feet up.

One of the best classic modern getaways I've seen is Thom Felicia's lakehouse..

I'm sure you saw it when it was featured in Domino.

It's one of the few interiors where I actually like the antlers :)

Take another look - years later, and it still feel fresh and completely perfect.

That's good design.

The view from the lake... I'm never leaving.

the entry, with it's ubiquitous workbench console/bar.

This was pre-pottery barn knockoff - the inspiration, perhaps?

Thom whitewashed the walls - a transparent finish that still allows a rustic bit of grain to show, 

but softens the palette and keeps all that wood from taking over.

At the time, the grey seemed slightly unusual, but today it's at the forefront of trends.

The main living space - every lake house would do with a stone fireplace like this one.

Love the black accents.

Again, by painting the trim and doors black Thom upped the chic factor 

and kept that wood overload under control.

A chic wee kitchen tucked in under the industrial feeling stairs...

and a dream view for dining.

Look at the flagstone floors!

I like the fishing weights he's used as accents, 

bringing in nautical bits without overloading on shells.

A small den - that daybed would be the perfect spot to curl up during a rain.

Heading upstairs....

more black metal, reclaimed wood.. and antlers :)

How about black + glass doors with burlap privacy panels?

Yes, please.

The boho bedspread is still masculine without being stark.

I like how Thom created a sleeping nook with two closets on either side of the bed - so clever.

The loft is all set up for guests - think he'll mind if we drop by?!!

And this is end of day perfection, a fire, friends and the serenity of the lake.

Ahhh....

can't you just feel your pulse slowing.

(and why did Ikea stop making those chairs? they're pretty sexy!)

I would love to see pictures of this space today - I'll bet not much has changed.

Happy Fourth of July, to all of you south of the border!

And a belated happy Canada Day to all my Canadians girls -

we were out on the boat, at the beach, bbqs and firework celebrations for the past three days.

It was wonderful... now if I can just get my head back into work mode :)

Have a great Monday, everyone - x

Source 1 Domino

Happy Canada Day! Welcome home, Mocha..

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July first, Canada Day.

A national holiday to celebrate the things we love about our country:

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freedom, multiculturalism, poutine :)

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The Great Outdoors, hockey, beer,

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and my favourite, the "niceness" of Canadians...

The fact that Canadians (in general!!) are kind and genuinely compassionate

 makes me very proud of my country, these are values I hold dear.

So in the spirit of all that kindness and compassion,

 D. the kids and I are about to do something crazy:

we are adopting a dog from the shelter.

We have always had dogs, even met while walking our dogs in the park, 101 Dalmation-style..

his dog, Zeus, was only a pup, a chocolate lab, and my dog, Mojo, was a 2 year old husky.

His dog followed us around until we started talking, and the rest is history..

They were the best of buddies, and once they had both passed away,

 we felt a like there was a hole in our family.

 That meant a puppy, and after going just to "look", 

we found ourselves bringing home Hooch from a breeder last spring.

Now, our other dogs were really well-behaved, lovely mutts

 that we could be confident bringing anywhere..

Have you read the book Marley and Me?

Well, Hooch and him would get on perfectly!

He has been a CHALLENGE for the last year, 

and now that we've just arrived

 at a place where we can trust him to do that right thing most of the time, 

we have decided to rescue another...

Her name is Mocha, a nine-month old Chocolate Lab

who she lives in a foster home two hours away.

We haven't met her yet, have talked at length to her foster Mum

 and both agree her personality makes her a perfect fit for our house.

Today we will find out...

Labs are ENERGETIC, and need lots of exercise to be calm in the house.

this is Hooch AFTER threes hours of tobogganing..

It's a shame people don't research the temperment of their chosen breed more before adopting,

so many dogs are given to the pound just for being themselves.

Mocha was a Christmas present that didn't work out.

If you are thinking about adding a new dog to your family, 

please visit perfinder.com for needy dogs in Canada and The States.

There are so many unwanted dogs out there, it's heartbreaking.

So, pink collar in hand, off we go to meet our Mocha!

Cross your fingers for us...

til next time...