Decorating & Design
August 24, 2020
See How A Neglected Seaside Retreat Got The Renovation It Deserved
On Canada’s East Coast, summer is like a fling: hot, totally thrilling, and gone before you know it. So it’s not surprising that, here, the idea of a summer house is more a state of mind — a destination at the end of a long winter or a stressful week of work — than a brick-and-mortar place.
That’s what Halifax designers Colin Blanchard and Kenneth McRobbie craved one Saturday morning in the summer of 2016 while scouring the local real-estate listings. They spotted a circa-1890 house for sale on the shore of East LaHave, Nova Scotia. As life partners and the owners of 31 Westgate, their home store and design firm in downtown Halifax, their dream was “to find a historical home on the water where we could welcome clients, friends and family all summer in a relaxed environment,” says Colin.
When they rushed to see the house the next day, their hearts sank. “It was shocking,” admits Kenneth of the derelict three-bedroom, 2,600-square-foot structure. “It was a house down on its luck, run-down and dirty.” But, they still put in an offer — cobwebs, cracked plaster, leaky ceiling, toxic wallpaper and all. Aided by their trusted team of craftspeople , they rolled up their sleeves and went to work. A year later, the most challenging part of the restoration — the wiring, plumbing and plasterwork — was done with the help of Stellar Restoration of Pasadena. The decorating decisions, they say, were easy. These passionate collectors happily hoard vintage portraits and talk about paint colors and antique china patterns like they’re old friends.
Now, summer days are spent working on the house, with Kenneth focused on carpentry and gardening, and Colin in charge of the cooking. “Being here is a way to disconnect and unwind,” says Colin. “It’s a much slower pace.”
Scroll down to tour this sweet seaside escape!
The house was dubbed “Braebuster” in honor of Kenneth’s Scottish roots. It sits high on a point overlooking the LaHave River.
Colin (left) and Kenneth on their restored front porch. “We fell in love with the bones of the house; it was so romantic,” says Colin of its Italianate architecture and swoon-worthy views. “We’re emotional buyers, and this was a sleeping beauty that needed attention.”
At the entrance to the store and studio area, clients are welcomed by a basket of vintage croquet mallets and an antique wing chair originally designed to curb eavesdropping.
Preferring intimate gatherings, Kenneth and Colin chose a dining table that only seats eight when expanded. An antique butler’s tray (left) works as a serve-yourself bar.
Vintage homespun and needlepoint throw pillows add texture and comfort. “We wanted our summer home to look as though it had been layered over time,” says Kenneth.
An elegant corner of the studio serves as a summer office, complete with a working rotary phone. “There’s a romance to intimate task lighting rather than lots of ambient light,” says Colin.
An old Dijon mustard jar used as a vase adds country charm.
Paperweights touch on maritime motifs.
Kenneth cut a vintage table down to coffee table height for the casual living room at the back of the house. “Round tables add focus and movement to a space,” he says.
A dropped ceiling was replaced with beadboard from an old church in the kitchen. Warm terracotta tiles “that look real and handmade, as though they might have always been here,” says Kenneth, were inspired by the home’s Italianate architecture.
Salvaged cupboards and a counter fashioned from old boards create a vintage vibe.
A hutch stores vintage china, tableware and glassware.
An antique French daybed in an upstairs hallway is used for afternoon naps or as an extra bed for guests. A vintage pickle jar (back left) serves as an informal vase for privet branches from the garden.
A Victorian mahogany armoire provides storage space in the guest bedroom. It’s paired with a classic Orkney chair. “We chose pieces that look like they’ve been passed down or are part of the family,” says Kenneth. “We wanted it to feel like somebody had lived here for many years, and then we just walked in.”
Janet Kimber
House & Home July/August 2020
Colin Blanchard & Kenneth McRobbie, 31 Westgate