Staying Home

Staying Home and Finding Simple Joys

Its been about six weeks since we’ve been under Stay at Home orders although personally we’d already been doing it for several weeks before it was mandated - so it seems like so much longer. Since we normally work from home this hasn’t had a huge impact on our day to day lives during the week. Over 15 years ago I structured my business to include remote and long distance services via E-design so on that front it seems we were ahead of the curve as so many designers are having to make that shift now. For local projects we’ve transitioned to working remotely as much as possible and structuring any site visits safely - everyone is just making great efforts to ensure homeowners aren’t stranded indefinitely with half finished construction during this time of sheltering.

Knowing that staying home is the best way to contain the spread we have zero complaints, and honestly as an introvert and home body, i’m quite content. The weekends are when we feel we really need to get out of the house, so to say we feel fortunate to have vast landscape to walk right outside our door is an understatement but it is after all one of the reasons we chose to live in a rural coastal area - the solitude and natural beauty. Its been a huge loss to the community that the local public beaches have been closed all because a few (or hundreds) senseless people gathering in large groups in parks and beaches (in Halifax area) ruined this privilege for everyone - when people need it the most.

We can head out our door and walk along the shoreline at the back of our property, wandering for an hour or two, or just perch on the rocks and watch the waves crash. I’m usually taking pictures and collecting shells or rocks. Everyday, every visit the palette changes with the weather, moody days like this one are the best for taking photos. The pics (above and below) are elevated views, we’re on a plateau above the dunes looking out over the beach to the ocean, but you can’t actually see the beach directly below.

Above is a view across to the long beach, In the next week we’ll shift our focus to our potager garden and spend as much time in it as we can in hopes to get things growing sooner this year, the days of eating from our own garden again can’t come soon enough!

At home we typically cook a lot, practically all our meals are home made every day, so even going out to restaurants or take-out isn’t something that we’ve missed too much but its definitely getting to that point! Just one of us is doing all the shopping (and its not me!) and we’ve reduced the number of trips to the grocery to once every two weeks. We’ve been pretty diligent about just making do with what we have on hand rather than running out to pick-up items that were forgotten or we ran out of. I haven’t been into a store in almost 2 months now., which means I’ve had to up my meal planning and grocery list game. Trying to stay out of the grocery store means we’re making a lot of things we would normally buy and googling a lot of recipe substitutes!

I made flour tortillas for the first time, which only require a few basic ingredients and are simple to make. Not as simple and quick as every recipe would lead you to believe (! plan ahead!), but still pretty easy. Next time I’ll have to master the art of making them round. If you google you’ll find hundreds of recipes which are all pretty similar. There’s so many uses for these its worth the bit of time to make them.

This chicken orzo recipe has been a new favourite and on repeat (by request) since February, in fact I made it again last night. Its a one pot recipe that has all the comforting taste of chicken soup and all the carby satisfaction of pasta. A few basic ingredients and it makes enough for several meals. You don’t even need home-made stock, I use a knorr instant mix which I always keep in the panty. The recipe is from one of my fave online sources The Modern Proper, link here.

We’ve done more than our usual share of baking too. Here’s a new twist on an old recipe that I bake almost every weekend. It started with plans to make banana bread (no bananas) which changed to pumpkin bread which hit a snag half way thru because the frozen pumpkin puree I was about to use looked ‘off’. On a whim I decided to substitute with sweet potato, which when it was steamed and pureed looked just like the pumpkin. Well the results were ah-mazing!! Its now our new preferred version of the recipe and is also on repeat. Here’s a link to the Pumpkin Bread recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction I’ve been using for a few years, use pumpkin or sweet potato - baker’s choice.

One thing that has become a must for me during the cold weather months is house plants. I’ve come to appreciate (be addicted to) how much life and energy plants bring to a space, not to mention they add colour, texture and form and… i’m slightly obsessed with terracotta pots. There are times of the year the inside of our place resembles a green house, which only makes me want to build one! Although I killed a variety of new plants over the winter we thankfully have great success with ferns, and this year for the first time we successfully overwintered several rosemary plants from the garden .

These are the survivors, (several others didn’t make it) I know it doesn’t look like a lot but these make us so happy because its the first time any of the rosemary plants lived through the winter. We didn’t do anything different so we have no idea why they made it this but that’s just the mystery of gardening and plants - we roll with it and keep experimenting.

In addition to the potted plants there’s rarely a time when i don’t have some seasonal flowers or branches in the house. Its such an in-between time of year with not much to forage but I was craving blooms so i brought in some quince branches to force. I’d never tried forcing these before but it couldn’t have been easier.

Here’s some of the cut branches at day 2 of being inside.

These branches (above and below) were at day 9 of being inside.

I had enough branches to keep a few in the kitchen over easter and another couple of branches in our upstairs bathroom. It really heightened the sense of spring arriving as you could see the buds opening up more each day, an uplifting little reminder - brighter beautiful days are ahead.

So here they are 19 days after cutting and these blooms stayed fresh for another week at least. That’s a lot of joy from a few free branches. On the East Coast we’re probably still at least a month away from anything blooming outside. If you’re looking for a way to thank a special person or a Mom in your life, now is a great time to give it a try and create a your own ‘forced’ bouquet.

HOW TO FORCE BRANCHES: Cut branch stems about 2 or 3’ long and with visible buds on them, run the cut ends under water and trim another inch off, put in warm water in a tall sturdy vase or vessel,,,,,,and,,,wait. Replace the water every 3 days, keep them in a warm spot but out of direct sunlight. In about a week you’ll see the buds starting to open (this could take longer depending how far along in the season the branch was cut). In about 2 weeks they’ll be blooming and will last another week or so. If you have a crabapple or magnolia tree, forsythia or quince bush in your yard - go and cut a few branches to bring inside!!!! I promise they’ll bring so much spring beauty into your home and you can watch them transition from bud to bloom. A treat for everyone in the house or a special gift for Mom.

While we’re on the topic of free things, here are a couple of free downloads I’ve enjoyed on my Ipad and thought I’d share:

Kindle Reader App: If you’re an avid reader and running out of books to read, but have never read digital books before, nows the time. You don’t have to have a Kindle, you don’t have to leave home, no delivery service required, no sharing (non contact) with others involved. Go here, download the free kindle reader app all you need is an Amazon account (also free) and you’re ready to buy and read any digital book. Bonus, they cost a lot less than traditional print copies. (Not an affiliate ad or promo, just a new to me find that I wanted to share).

House & Home: Did you know H&H are offering the digital copy of the current May issue for free! On your Iphone or Ipad go to the App store and upload the H&H app. Once you’ve uploaded the app, select The May issue and it loads on your device for free. (Sorry Android users I only see an App for Apple users. ) Thank you Linda Reeves and the team at H&H for this gesture. P.S. The french garden of Design duo Les Ensembliers in this issue is an absolute dream garden! Check out a video tour here.

House & Garden UK: They’re also offering a free download of the current May issue. Just download the House & Garden UK app onto your device from Google Play or the App Store, then click the red “download” box under the May 2020 issue and Enjoy. The issue features the newly redone Restormel Castle, the country home of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (Prince Charles & Camilla). Or visit H&G website for the story, More here.

Lastly I wanted to express condolences to all those in Colchester County and elsewhere who who lost loved ones or were effected by last weeks mass shooting. Colchester is one of my favourite antiquing destinations so I’ve visited the area many times. I wrote this blog post well over a week ago, before it happened and simply have been overwhelmed with sadness all week. It was a shock for so many in NS to face the reality that in a place renown for its peaceful simple living, and even in the most remote rural small towns you are not safe from the spread of a deadly virus or the potential deadly effects of mental illness gone un-checked.

The virtual tribute that aired on Friday night was incredibly moving and it will be difficult for Nova Scotians to move forward without this having a lasting impact but no doubt those effected will be stronger from all the support that’s been shared. One of the most beautiful and saddest performances I’ve ever seen was Natalie McMaster’s duet with the young victim and fiddler, Emily Tuck. Anyone who has followed me for a while knows how infatuated I am with Cape Breton and particularly the local celtic music. There’s something about the sound of a fiddle that I find so moving, it instantly lifts my spirits or brings a tear to my eye. If you missed it here’s the cbc link of the performance.

Wishing you well, from our home to yours.

Take care. Stay Safe. Stay Home.

C

xo

Before & After: Dutch Colonial Kitchen

welcome to a Before & After tour of a nova scotia Heritage home’s kitchen renovation

Its long past due to share the after photos of the Dutch Colonial kitchen renovation that we designed for a young, new retiree who loves to cook, bake and entertain. The home itself is a heritage home, circa 1784 and is located on the South-West Shore of Nova Scotia. This project involved a complete reno of the existing kitchen space and light reno of the adjoining pantry, all without tearing down any walls separating the kitchen or pantry from each other or any other adjoining rooms. Essentially we renovated these two rooms within their existing footprint. It was also extremely important for the homeowner that the renovation respected the heritage of the home and honour its authentic character, in fact we needed to revive some of what had been compromised over the last century.

Kitchen Design: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc. | Photo by: Janet Kimber Photography

Above is a view of the new kitchen sink wall and hearth style range wall which both represent the most significant changes and the biggest challenges. Below is a look at the before floor plan. Its hard to believe the old kitchen consisted of only an island in the centre of the room, sink on one side, range on the other. As strange as it looks, I see how it might function efficiently for two people cooking, one doing wash-up and prep on one side, the other doing the cooking on the other, in tandem. Otherwise I can’t imagine a more impractical set up, no surprise it was a top priority to its new owner.

Kitchen Plan Before

Before Photos: Pantry (left) & Kitchen

Click on the floor plan above to see the before photos.

There were two main issues that had stumped the homeowner when she tried to envision a new more functional kitchen layout; one is typical of old homes which was a lack of wall space - the room had 5 doors and a wall of three windows with low sills. The second was an old brick chimney stack that protruded about 18” into the room and which wasn’t feasible to remove.

After Floor plans, Dutch Colonial Kitchen Reno. Design by Carol Reed Interior Design Inc.

To maximize counter space and appliance locations, I knew I needed to utilize the two walls that didn’t have doorways on them - the window wall and the chimney wall. We removed dis-functional closets that flanked the old brick chimney in order to create a long continuous ‘L’ shaped counter layout with centre island. I approached the two physical challenges (low windows and brick structural intrusion) the same way I always deal with obstacles - I created features out of them. I designed a hearth style range hood to surround a new 36” range and which completely concealed the old brick chimney and dually, evoked the traditional english country design aesthetic we were striving for.

Kitchen range wall in progress.

You can see the chimney in the progress photo above. We also removed two layers of old ‘modern day ceilings’, the first layer was an acoustical tile ceiling and the second was drywall. Removing all of it gained almost a foot of ceiling height and exposed the original wood beam ceiling joists - which we had anticipated would be there and intended to leave exposed. The contractor meticulously cleaned the beams up and drywalled the between them, accomplishing beautiful clean edges requiring no trim work to cover up gaps or crooked joints.

Kitchen Design: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc. | Photo by: Janet Kimber Photography

On the window wall I planned the cabinetry and counter to run in front of the low windows with the cabinetry designed to allow space for the window sills below the counter. Taking this approach maintains the integrity of the old architecture as it retains the original window size and spacing on the exterior while on the interior its a nod to the history of the house - the kitchen is designed around the original features not the other way around. An added feature of this detail was specifying the counters to be deeper than standard so we wouldn’t lose any cabinet space to accommodate the window sills and it netted extra deep work surfaces which is a luxury if you have the room. The end result is the windows are neatly recessed below the counter and appear to float behind them, all executed with thoughtful details like the marble slab curb fitted perfectly between deep window casings.

The counters are unique one of a kind natural stone slabs that were an unexpected find at the stone warehouse that quite honestly, are the most beautiful counters I’ve ever used on a project. I absolutely fell in love with the colours in the stone which are reminiscent of the coastline, the overall look is very organic and natural. I’ll admit my client was pretty apprehensive about these slabs until she went to see them in person and was instantly infatuated with them. They’re honed quartzite (part of the granite family) and I have to clarify that all quartzites will have different properties as far as hardness and porosity, so I always recommend testing for your particular use. The samples I used were sealed and tested with the toughest of spills (red wine, vinegar, lemon, mustard, ketchup) left on for several hours and longer showing no visible etching (or staining). In comparison, my honed carrara marble counters will show etching from these same spills within a few minutes. We were confident this material would be super practical, beyond my clients expectations and satisfy her desire for unique natural stone.

Kitchen Design: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc. | Photo by: Janet Kimber Photography

The baking station reflects another way we integrated the “challenging” low window sills into the design and created a feature. We dropped the height on one end of the ‘L’ counter directly below one of the windows to create a baking station, the lowered stone surface is perfect height for rolling out dough which the homeowner does regularly. The cabinet on the far left houses a stand mixer on a hydraulic lift, the drawers hold all the bake ware and tools. The homeowners own collection of vintage rolling pins (all in frequent use!) become a beautiful wall display and are hung on custom iron brackets made by a local blacksmith. The chair rail is old and window casings are new reproduced to match the original.

Kitchen Design: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc. | Photo by: Janet Kimber Photography

The adjoining pantry was transformed with new built-ins and cosmetic updates. The new cabinetry and additional open shelving was configured in a new layout which created better flow and sight lines from the adjoining kitchen and dining room. The existing plain walls were clad in new bead board panelling to add character and dually accommodated the installation of new wall shelves. The design objective for the new pantry was for all the new work to be cohesive with the character of the heritage home, like it could have always been this way. Sloped floors and uneven ceilings were not levelled or straightened, but instead, the centuries old age of the home was embraced and all the new carpentry was carefully fitted so as not to diminish this personality.

Kitchen Design: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc. | Photo by: Janet Kimber Photography

The cabinetry was all custom built to my design and was intended to be simple and utilitarian in function. The counters are made from reclaimed wood the same as the kitchen island. To the right of this cabinetry is the full size fridge, a broom closet and a full wall of open shelves that hold a large supply of dried goods and canning.

Interior of the range hearth is clad in a vintage look white subway tile, each side of the range hearth has built-in niches for essentials.

While the working side of the island incorporated root vegetable bins and slots for cutting boards, the back side of the island accommodates 4 counter seats and a cabinet for cookbooks. To the right of the range is a wall hung spice cabinet above a bank of cabinets that stores serve ware.

Simple shaker style peg hooks beside the spice cabinet and serve ware storage. The homeowner who is an avid cook and baker has a collection of aprons that get used daily. This one is saffron coloured belgian linen.

Kitchen Design: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc. | Photo by: Janet Kimber Photography

Behind the island seating is small expanse of wall space between two doorways and its was the perfect spot for artwork. The homeowner had a couple of vintage blue and white plates and so we decided to build on that and install a collage. During the renovation phase over the spring and summer, the homeowner and I hunted for more plates to add to the collection. The finished collage includes pieces that we found at an estate auction, and antique fairs and shops along the South Shore from Hubbards to Yarmouth.

A one of a kind traditional hand woven area rug adds a layer of pattern and colours that beautifully compliment the deep navy cabinets. The plank wood floors are original to the house. After this photo was taken and over the course of the coming winter the homeowner lovingly filled in all the gaps between the boards with a wool fibre material that’s designed for this purpose but I can’t recall the name off hand (or source), so I’ll do a followup on that in another post.

That was a long but quick tour of the kitchen! There’s still so much more detail that I haven’t discussed like the lantern sconces, custom slots for cutting boards, and vintage brass cabinet pulls….. but that will have to wait for the next set of photos….

I can’t express how special a project like this is. It takes a lot of thoughtful planning and one on one collaboration between the client, designer and contractor/cabinet maker, and requires everyone involved in the project to have a like-minded passion and respect for historical houses.

Previous blog post with the design plans and concept boards for this project here.

Check out this kitchen featured in Style at Home, October 2019 issue and here.

Contacts:

Contractor & Cabinet Maker - Nick Bell Carpentry, Shelburne, NS

A Vintage MCM Table Top for Easter

These Are A Few of My Favourite Things

No doubt this first holiday during a time of social distancing was celebrated in many unique ways. If you were already missing family and friends then this past weekend really heightened that sense of distance and separation and emphasized how much the holidays are about spending time with the people you love. This weekend I was inspired by a challenge on Instagram that was about creating a table scape from 10 of your favourite pieces. Even though its just the two of us at home I wanted to set an Easter table anyway, so I decided to apply the concept of using 10 favourite pieces for a table setting rather than a table scape in the round so to speak. I knew I had a lot of pieces still in storage and I decided this would be a good time to dig them out.

We’ve been taking our self-isolation pretty seriously and so the last time we did a grocery run was almost two weeks ago - we weren’t even thinking about Easter at that time and so of course this weekend we weren’t really prepared with anything special for the holiday but decided we could happily do without and wait until after the Easter weekend to do another shopping trip. So while we didn’t have any chocolates or fresh flowers, we had flowering branches of forced quince from our yard, plenty of food and wine (even some bubbles) and a beautiful shoreline to walk in the gorgeous sunshine. Our Easter table would be a celebration of hope that we’d all get through this, safe and healthy.

On Easter morning I starting layering the table with some of my favourite treasures, many which haven’t been out of storage since we moved to Nova Scotia 8 years ago. The white dishware is vintage #EvaZeisal , Classic Century series that I collected piece by piece many years ago and more recently while antiquing in Yarmouth I found the Johnson Bros. fish plate series of the same design.

Eva Zeisel’s Class Century dinner ware, originally designed in 1952, Available at Crate & Barrel.

The Classic Century dinnerware series was originally designed by Eva Zeisel in 1952. Its design is simple earthy and elegant and as the name suggests, its classic mid century modern in style. The line is reproduced today in the UK of cream coloured earthenware and is available at Crate & Barrell. *not sponsored*. I fell in love with Eva Zeisel’s work about 15 years ago and started collected pieces on e-bay from this Classic Century series and others. Her work is featured in MOMA and is renown for being beautifully sculptural and functional.

The quince branches were brought inside exactly two weeks ago, my first time attempting to force them and the buds happened to bloom right in time for Easter, not planned but a wonderful co-incidence. There are few things I find more beautiful than flowering branches and since the blooms had just burst to life, these were a must for the table top.

The stem glasses were hand painted by a beloved Aunt who was like a second mother to us, my Dads sister, who passed away from cancer just over a year ago. I’ve had these glasses for ages, but its the first time I’ve used them. The potted fern is one we grew over the winter from a cutting 🙌 (we don’t have much luck growing anything here so this is truly a sign of hope!) the shells are gifts from beach walks which we treasure and …

….the birds nest was found in a second hand shop (never know what you’ll find in those places!!) as was the cutlery and the rattan napkin ring holders which I tied shells to for my visiting family so we can identify who’s is who’s. 🐚 The silver butter dish is another second hand find with best friends in Naples FL.

It’s not a ‘table scape in the round’ but I think my Insta friend Rela will appreciate the joy this table setting brought me on this isolating Easter Sunday, it was a bit of scavenger hunt! For every post tagged #relachallenge @ggdesignpartners @relagleasondesign Rela donated catered meals to frontline hospital workers - supporting a local restaurant and health care providers. Thank you Rela for inspiring me to set the table!

I hope this inspires everyone reading this to set a table with your own favourite things. My table came together without any pre-planning, this was completely spontaneous round-up of random things that bring me joy. Happy Easter to all! Stay Home, Stay Safe!