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I“Satchitananda” is a Sanskrit motto for truth, consciousness and bliss. It’s also the name Maureen Williams chose for the cottage she and her husband, Dave, recently renovated in the Grand Bend area.
STORY MARY HATT PHOTOGRAPHY JASON HARTOG
SoulGOOD
FOR THE
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“I felt it was fitting for the vibe we were creating here,” says Maureen, a yoga teacher at Om Yoga Studio in the Bend and a believer in the power of one’s environment to create positive energy. “We wanted a blissful cottage in the woods near the beach.” Williams had “Satchitananda” engraved on a large rock at the foot of the driveway (Custom Rock Creations) to welcome visitors.
The original cottage, designed by noted local architect Wilf Lamb in the 1960s, had been a stylistic departure from other cottages in the area. The Williamses were attracted to its L-shape and clean, mid-century lines. But they could only agree with a friend who accompanied them to their first viewing.
“It’s a gutter,” she announced as they tentatively entered the main living area in the spring of 2011. Still, they all saw the place had potential. Its bones were solid, and attributes like redwood panelling and a pleasing layout far outweighed the drawbacks of recent flood damage and time-worn decorative finishes.
The Williamses, who had only just started cottage hunting, knew they’d have to move fast since places in the area are not often up for grabs. They bought it immediately and got to work in early June. By Labour Day weekend they moved in, with the bulk of the reno and design work completed by Matt Goldsmith of North Centre Contracting and Kent Bunston of Principles Design Studio Inc.
“We wanted a cottage, not a house,” recalls Maureen, who enlisted her team to produce a restful, beachy paradise that would bring out her yogi side, as well as showcase her collection of colourful art and playful collectibles.
ABOVE: The cottage’s surrounding property has retained an unstructured charm enhanced by a striking stone fire pit area and expansive patios. OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT: The outdoor shower, with hardware from Lucan Architectural, offers an authentic cottage experience. BOTTOM RIGHT: Owner Maureen Williams, right, and North Centre Contracting’s Matt Goldsmith relax on the patio off the kitchen/living room.
A custom shade of grey connects the siding to the bark colour of surrounding oaks. A stained glass window, blue exterior doors and all-weather garden art by Lorie Dee (Insideout Art and Marten Arts Gallery, Bayfield) add colourful pops.
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“This is where we eat as well as gather,” Maureen says. She wanted to make sure that 10 diners could be comfortably accommodated at the island, so Manton designed a system involving two steel bars that slide out and a custom butcher block topper that also doubles as a prep station.
With Bunston’s design advice, she continued with blue and green accents on the custom-made bar stools. She then opted for open shelving and asked Manton to create a blue faux finish feature wall above the stretch of quartz counter along the back of the room. (Goldsmith took the original redwood paneling from that wall and integrated it with new pine siding on the exterior of the addition, carefully matching it
to the rest of the cottage.)The original kitchen was much smaller until Goldsmith moved a wall, taking space from a large adjacent utility room to accommodate the built-in double-door fridge (all appliances from London Major Appliances), a microwave station and more cupboards.
The L-shape’s long arm moves from the kitchen down a stretch of hallway brightened by windows on one side. Two bedrooms and a bathroom are off the other side. Engineered wood plank flooring has replaced old linoleum in both rooms, and new but rustic tongue-and-groove pine walls, stained white, add freshness.
“I decorated these bedrooms festively,” explains Maureen. The first is a Mexican room and the second is decorated with a Caribbean theme.
Starting on the short side of the L-shape structure, a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors (all windows and doors by Cameron Window & Door Inc.) now connect the combined kitchen-great room to the property’s spacious outdoor living spaces and stone patios (old stonework restored and new installed by Dan Wrightman of Mullifarry Landscaping). Inside, where a large exterior wall once stood windowless to ensure privacy from the road, Sunrise Stained Glass installed an eye-grabbing three-piece image of Lake Huron at sunset, designed by Margaret Balch (Principles Design Studio Inc.). Maureen then had her team turn a short stretch of recessed wall into a funky bar zone. Grey engineered plank floors, here and elsewhere, added cottage charm (supplied by Sacwal Flooring Centres). A wash of white paint on original redwood walls
and beamed ceilings brightened up the rest of the room (interior and exterior painting by Dave Carvillano The Wooden Ladder Paint Co. Ltd. and Partners Paint & Paper, Exeter).
Maureen also wanted pops of colour. “I had this thing about blue,” she recalls. “It was my departed sister’s favourite colour and besides, the cottage is close to the water.”
Guildwood Lighting & Fireside installed a gas insert in the living room’s original stone fireplace surround and created an opening on the kitchen side for added enjoyment. The kitchen’s dramatic metal-frame island, by Adrian Manton of 309 Design, provides a visual and functional anchor in the room. Underneath the island is plenty of storage space and the stunning concrete countertop, by Brad Smith of Concrete Distinction Inc., is on-trend and practical.
RIGHT: The Williamses decided to open up the living room’s original stone fireplace to the kitchen since their family uses the cottage year round. BELOW: The bar, its panelled wall a dramatic custom shade (Wooden Ladder Paint Co.), adds function to the living room. The club chair came from the former owner’s law office and was reupholstered to match the new décor. BELOW RIGHT: Once a very dark room, the living room was transformed by white paint, a vibrant Lake Huron sunset window, colourful furnishings and accessories, and art, such as Jerzy Werbel’s Georgian Bay Landscape (Marten Arts Gallery), to the left of the flat screen.
Combining old with new, Maureen decorated ceiling beams with collectibles,
such as two monogrammed swords that belonged to the original owners, and Matt
Goldsmith overhauled a retro fan above the range. “The feature wall’s faux finish (Cook’s Blue by Farrow and
Ball, Red Bird Designs) and the industrial-style island make an energetic contrast to white cabinetry and engineered plank
floors. Light fixtures from Living Lighting in London.
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It is reminiscent of the Barbados cottage where she enjoyed childhood holidays, and of Bermuda, where her father was born. Family paintings depicting these places decorate the walls.
The master bedroom and a new, glass box-style sitting-room addition make up the far end of the L (framed by Doug Stevenson of Trademark Construction Services). Goldsmith removed the wall between two smaller bedrooms to make way for the master en suite and a large closet area. Bunston designed the en suite, and the main bathroom, each were fitted with fixtures from Copps Buildall, glass block shower walls, tile from Centura and custom, pebbly-stone shower floors (Concrete Distinction).
What used to be just an exterior wall in the bedroom was restructured to accommodate two sliding glass pocket-door entryways to the windowed sitting room. The Williamses use the room as a retreat from the rest of the cottage and Maureen practices yoga here daily. Her collection of buddhas sits on a retro, 60s-style table that the previous owners left behind.
The back of the sitting room opens to a hot tub (Discounter’s Pool and Spa Warehouse), outdoor shower and back patio. Windowed walls overlook a gently rolling landscape, by Derek Geddes of Coldstream Land Escape Company Inc., which includes an outdoor fire pit and stone seating (built by Geddes, with stone supplied by Grand River Natural Stone Ltd.). Frank Moore, of Frank Moore Sculpture, made a stone Buddha for Maureen.
With their renovation now said and done, the Williams family gets to escape to the cottage year round. And when it’s time to return to the city, they know “Satchitananda,” its grey siding painted the colour of the oaks that surround it, has rested and recharged them. OH
TOP LEFT: North Centre Contracting created the fireplace slate surround in the sitting room where glossy redwood makes a striking coffee table (Koletic Designs, purchased at Marten Arts Gallery). TOP RIGHT: Glass pocket doors connect the sitting room with the master bedroom, where Buddy takes a little R & R. ABOVE LEFT: The “Barbados Room” features Caribbean art and a colourful vintage sari (Hive of Bayfield) that doubles as a throw. Mounted boat hooks (Forever Furniture, St. Joseph) are perfect for hanging stuff. LEFT: Translucent glass blocks and a white vessel sink blend with rustic and textural elements in the master bathroom.
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