Cottages
November 23, 2020
A Historical Cottage Makes A Peaceful Winter Retreat
Some people buy a cottage to get away from civilization. Not Nancy Lockhart. Her circa-1840 clapboard biscuit box house is right in the heart of Ontario’s Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the close-knit community there was a big part of the attraction. “You never know if someone’s going to pop by to chat, which I love,” she says. “It’s the antithesis of my house in Toronto, which is surrounded by trees and overlooks a ravine. It’s beautiful, but it’s quite isolated during the winter.”
Nancy bought the house in 2016, three years after losing her husband, Murray Frum — a legend in the Toronto art world, a longtime trustee of the Art Gallery of Ontario and a dedicated philanthropist. Nancy goes back and forth from her busy life in Toronto as a corporate director, but finds herself spending more time in Niagara in the winter. “You get that beautiful white blanket of snow that stays white,” she says. “It just feels magical; very Dickensian.”
Nancy celebrates Christmas here, and enjoys dressing her antique-filled home with subtle touches of seasonal color. She favors simple and whimsical decorations like the felt mice ornaments she exchanges with her nieces. Every room in the three-bedroom, 1,320-square-foot cottage is subtly dressed for the season. Come December, the home has a distinctly Victorian vibe, decked as it is with freshly cut boughs festooned in ribbons, swags of vintage Christmas cards and an array of scented candles that layer in the fragrance of firewood.
Scroll down to see more of this charming Christmas getaway!
Nancy decorates the exterior with a mix of fresh evergreen boughs, red ribbons and clear twinkle lights. At night, the effect is magical.
In the front hall, a charming wallpaper from Nina Campbell is repeated as fabric on the vintage bench.
The clean-lined stairway, with its crisp white spindles and contrasting handrails, is decorated with garlands and bows for the season.
A fresh cypress garland is hung from the banister and dressed with Christmas cards.
Nancy’s niece, artist Sharon Okun, painted this portrait as a surprise gift. It features Nancy’s rambunctious Lhatese, Zinnia.
Growing up in Montreal as one of five children, Nancy enjoyed holidays that were full of tradition. “Christmas was about bringing out the ornaments stored in cardboard and cellophane boxes and placing them one by one on a huge tree while a fire blazed in the background and Mantovani played on the turntable,” she says.
A small tree welcomes guests in the dining room. “I try and collect a few ornaments every year and make them part of my ongoing Christmas,” says Nancy.
A gorgeous hutch is home to Nancy’s collection of blue, white and cream dishware.
Every December, Nancy shops for amaryllis, eucalyptus and anything with berries for her winter bouquets. “I don’t like hugely mixed bouquets; I like subtle, soft colors,” she says. In pre-Covid times, Nancy threw large Christmas cocktail parties in the dining room.
Baking shortbread and gingerbread for the neighbors is something Nancy looks forward to every year.
Simple seasonal cuttings are added to the corners of these framed 19th-century French alphabet prints.
The glow from the fireplace has been a constant since the Lockhart family Christmases in Montreal. Subtle greenery and a few ornaments are all it takes to dress up the downstairs sitting room.
Nancy got this gilt-framed mirror from an antiques dealer in Louisiana. The same wallpaper is used in the hallway.
Kelly green velvet accent pillows and buffalo check bedspreads are festive in the upstairs guest bedroom.
The principal bedroom’s angled walls, antique furniture and luxe bed linens have a 19th-century vibe.
Donna Griffith
House & Home November 2020