FAVOURITE BOOKS: The deVOL Kitchen English country kitchens like Devol Kitchens and Plain English were inspiraiton for me back in 2012 when I designed my own kitchen in our 1850’s East Coast home. Clients are also often forwarding me their pins and screen grabs of deVol Kitchens as style references for their kitchen renos too, and not just in heritage or century homes. The deVOL Kitchen company recently releaed a book documenting the philosophy of the founders and the evolution of their now iconic line of kitchen cabinetry and fittings. I was gifted the book for Christmas and have spend many h ..read more

simple & timeless spring style: my favourite online finds This week brings the arrival of spring and I for one am so ready for some green! Our transition to green on the East Coast is much slower than the rest of the country so while I’m eagerly looking forward to a change of season its my the least favourite weather-wise. My mind is craving GREEN and spring blooms but it requires a lot of patience here on the coast while we first endure the dreariest weather.. At this time of year a natural urge to refresh and revitalize our surroundings can take hold of us. Spring isn't just a change of ..read more

first impressions Stepping in the front door of a house you instantly get an impression of the home’s style and character along with a sense of what the rest of the spaces may look like and an indication of the owner’s personal taste. The goal with our Modern Aerie reno project is to update the interiors of the 35 year old home to align with its contemporary architecture and the owners evolved taste for modern design and contemporary art. From the front door through the entire interior. The home is a contemporary architect-designed bungalow with elevated and sweeping ocean views, nestled ..read more

Cabot Trail Espresso MartinI If I’m hosting a gathering I always love to make a special cocktail for the occasion, usually served when guests arrive. Since one of my favourite liqueurs to have on hand for the holiday’s is Cabot Trail maple cream (on my list of Holiday Essentials in our Holiday Issue!), I created this recipe just out of the blue last year when family were staying with us over Christmas and New Years. As we’d had our espresso maker cranking out double shots and lattes every morning, in a spontaneous moment one afternoon I decided I wanted to make some espresso martinis for happy ..read more

The holiday issue is OUT I know this is very last minute for Holiday decor inspiration or gift ideas, but also that’s kinda the theme of my holiday style, so in my world this is right on time! For subscribers only - but its free and easy to subscribe in the sidebar. Stay tuned for more Holiday updates this week including a recipe for a decadently delicious cocktail. Until next post you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest ..read more

A Three-toned Kitchen Concept & Progress The kitchen in the Copper Barn residence is in an open concept space that includes a living area with fireplace and a large dining area.  Located on the second level of the barn building, there’s also a walk-out to an elevated deck and two dormer window nooks where we incorporated built-in bench seats.  The ‘before’ plan was a blank slate for the most part, there were electrical and plumbing rough-ins already in place but there was flexibility in being able to move those to suit the proposed kitchen design. Here’s a look at the final floor ..read more

on-ste at the copper barn proect: Ensuite progress For this Ensuite we were given a blank slate, a room with generous square footage, and a storage loft full of family antiques to shop from. There were existing rough-ins to work with and an overall objective to source products that were from local suppliers with exception of some lighting and towel hooks. You can read the intro to this project and the Ensuite’s design concept in this recent post. I was back in PEI a few weeks ago to check in on the progress and coordinate some of the furniture items, here’s a peak into the ensuite. The protec ..read more

TOP 100 CANADIAN DESIGNERS 2023 WOW it was such a wonderful surprise and honour to be included in House & Home Magazine’s inaugural list of top 100 Canadian Designers. Very special thanks to Stacy Begg and Lynda Reeves at House & Home Magazine for showcasing and supporting Canadian design from coast to coast. I don’t think I’ve missed an issue in 25 years. In fact when we moved to the East Coast over 11 years ago one of our big moving expenses was the 20+ boxes of design magazines I’d amassed over decades and couldn’t part with. I still have hundreds of tear sheets from H&H issues ..read more

principal ensuite design CONCEPT It was one year ago when we starting design work on the PEI Copper Barn Project. Its a new build barn on a family homestead and the upper level of it is being built-out to be used as a full-time residence with lots of space for family to visit for extended stays. Located near Summerside, its a short drive to beaches and other family members on the island. The barn has a beautiful copper roof, and the basic floor plan for the second floor residence was completed and already framed in when I came on board last August - but beyond that the interior shell was a bla ..read more

A late 19th century workshop I’ve shared random images of our guest barn interior on Instagram and within other blog posts over the past few years but I haven’t featured them here in one blog post yet so here goes. The barn is situated fairly close to the house, we’ve learned it was built in the late 1800’s or at the turn of the century, and approximately 25 years after the house was built. Located on the shores of what was and still is a fishing community it was built by the owner who was a carpenter by trade. Although we’ve always referred to it as a barn it was actually built for his worksh ..read more