A Brighter New Year

Looking Forward to A Brighter Year in 2021

Welcome 2021! It was quite a dramatic first week wasn’t it. Chaos south of the border, more rounds of Covid lockdowns and reports of new variants to start things off. But the good news is the vaccines are rolling out and along with this comes plenty of hope for a brighter new year with some return to normalness.

Our garden gate and barn, Christmas Day 2020. | Carol Reed Interior Design Inc.

This weekend we took down what remains of our holiday decor which was pretty minimal this year so it was quick work. We did a pair of table top trees with mini LED lights. Both left unadorned except on the tree in our front room I laid an old birds nest on a branch (you can kinda see the photo below) .

Living Room Christmas Morning | Carol Reed Interior Design Inc.

Once the fresh greens are down, I leave the pinecones and paperwhites around all winter. Our amaryllis bulbs, 6 weeks later still haven’t bloomed, we must have killed them by storing them in the barn for a couple weeks back in November, which might have been too damp for them. Otherwise, I have no idea what happened, not any sign of growth from them at all. The paper white bulbs were also duds , after more than six weeks in, half are only now just starting to bloom the other half have began to sprout but then stalled out. Usually i get blooms in 3-4 weeks, seems they went into hibernation this year, not that I blame them but I REALLY missed having fresh blooms over the holidays.

Like the rest of the year we spent the holidays at home by ourselves. For the first time in 20 years I worked over the holidays - not a bad year for that so no complaints! In the couple of days I did take off I baked christmas cookies for gifting. I usually bake up at least 6 different types (all in my stories ) so I can box up an assortment. I wasn’t well prepared with cookie boxes and made do with these ones from the dollar store - a plain brown box would have been my choice but with limited shopping these did in a pinch. (we made and added the dividers to them).

Our fisherman neighbour gifted us with a haul of fresh lobsters on Christmas eve day, one of our traditions since living here, and so we ate lobster for days. On Christmas eve I made a chowder and for Christmas supper we had them just cracked from the shell with warm butter, along with potatoes gratin, and a mesculin, mandarin and goat cheese salad. I have to admit I didn’t even bother to set a table, we just dined at the island where we had already lit some candles and popped some bubbles.

In between the eating we did get in lots of beach walks. We never miss getting out for one on Christmas day and this year it was stellar. It was a mild day on the East Coast and made the beach a popular destination - I’d never seen so many families out for a beach walk and chat with neighbours. We took advantage of the weather and walked for a couple of hours. Just being out in the fresh salt air, mask free, was a gift.

Staircase & Christmas Tree reflections | Carol Reed Interior Design Inc.

In the midst of moving some things around (for some paint touch ups) I caught this reflection in our living room, it was a potent reminder of how fast time flies. We have a telephone jack (functioning) sitting temporarily on the hallway floor, It dawned on me that its now been there ‘temporarily’ for over 7 years. I’ve become blind to it. The ‘Woman in The Dutch Door’ however, is clearly giving it the side eye. Like she’s calling me out on it. Is it embarrassing that its been like this for 7 years and annoying to look at - yes. Has it bothered me enough to do anything about it, apparantly not - there’s always a long list of seemingly more important things to do or fix. And where I really want to put the outlet does require a bigger project so i think its time to rethink if or when that’s gonna happen. More often than not, this is the fate (or trap) of temporary fixes, they just become long term dysfunctional situations. Clearly there’s a message the woman in the portrait is pointing out. Here’s to focusing on the little things in 2021 that you may be conveniently ignoring or putting band aids on for 7 years. ; ) Or, is it - don’t sweat the small stuff because life is short and time flies by much too fast. ?

I’m relieved to see the end of 2020 although I’m always mindful never to wish time away or wish for time to hurry up. Its the most precious thing we have regardless of the circumstances as is our choice of what to do with it. I’ll hold on to the good things that came out of the past year. To me 2020 seemed to be the year of learning. So here’s to holding on to the good things from 2020 and looking forward to lots of safe hugs, gatherings and reunions in 2021.

From my home to yours,

wishing you good health and peace in the New Year!

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For more peeks of CRID at home, full-service and e-service design projects you can follow us on Instagram @carolreeddesign

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New Project: Vintage Craftsman Cottage

A VINTAGE SEASIDE COTTAGE RENO: DOCUMENTING ITS PAST

We’re gearing up to kick-off the interior updates to a centuries old craftsman style cottage on the Southwest Shore at the start of the New Year. By gearing up I mean designing non-stop, all of the new interior wall and ceiling treatments, new built-ins as well as fully redoing the kitchen and bathroom.

The cottage itself was built in a simple craftsman style and retains most all of its original details with plumbing and electrical updates added over recent decades. The interior layout is basic and simple consisting of one open space for the living/dining/kitchen and partitions around the bed and bathrooms.

The open living area features a huge wood burning fireplace that I’m pleased to say will remain wood burning. I'm always thrilled to meet fellow real wood fire enthusiasts!

Original doors and floor boards from the turn of the century will all remain. Some are painted, some are are not….

Our goal for the new work is to create a interior with simple by-gone charm that remains authentic to the original cottage. New and improved from a modern day perspective but not stripped of vintage character.

Vintage sink, aged brass taps, peeling paint and real patina.

A kitchen so charming its a shame to replace these original buil-tins with new cabinets and counters, but ultimately its worth the sacrifice - to have counters, some drawers, a larger sink and a dishwasher will make full-time living here more practical and enjoyable.

The homeowners have fantastic style and an extensive collection of the most interesting vintage and antique accessories. A few of them they inherited with the cottage but many are their personal treasures that they so artfully display and use.

This is just a small sampling of the incredible collections and charming character that currently inhabit the cottage. Before all of this is packed away, or taken down forever, I was sure to take the time to photograph it all - for reference in the new design but also because it is SO worth documenting. Places like this are becoming as rare as those special people who value their authentic character and relevance. It will truly be a joy to work with these owners in embracing all of this home’s 1920’s seaside personality.

Stay tuned for the circa 2021 version.

For more peeks of CRID at home, full-service and e-service design projects you can follow us on Instagram @carolreeddesign

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Thankful: Turkey for Two

THANKSGIVING 2020

We had longstanding plans for family from Ontario to visit us for a couple of weeks over Thanksgiving, but those plans were cancelled as the Atlantic bubble came into effect mid-summer and remains in effect to this day. So like many families in Canada unable to get together, we celebrated separately this year.

As sad as it was that our plans were cancelled, we are grateful in more ways than ever that we’re all well and safe during this pandemic. In my home, we don’t have a routine yearly tradition - we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving for two, just us, as often as we’ve celebrated with family - they’re equally special yet different ways to enjoy the beauty of fall and bountiful harvests. I would hardly categorize anything from our potager garden as a ‘harvest’ but at this time of the year we’re pulling up the last of its edibles for the year. Each year when planting the garden we always make sure to include things specifically for our Thanksgiving table.

Thanksgiving morning began with coffee in the garden (on the most stunning indian summer day) - gathering some of its last produce for our menu. Even though the garden looks like its expired, its amazing how much is still there and ready to pick.

A view of the garden, past its prime, early on Thanksgiving morning.

The garden was seriously neglected this year as we had construction of decks and sheds and fencing happening all around it, and on top of that, with covid, there wasn’t a lot available at the local nurseries so we planted less than we normally would have. In the fall I like to fill the gaps in the beds with pots of mums and a dozen or more large pumpkins…but this year I just wasn’t motived considering it hadn’t gotten much attention up to now.

Our morning pick. There were still loads of herbs and cabbages, a small crop of carrots reserved for Thanksgiving, and even some late appearing tomatoes and zucchini. These small cherry size tomatoes are almost pitch black in colour were a favourite this season.

FOOD FOR DECOR. After cleaning and trimming the veg and herbs I always separate them into bunches, and use them to make fresh green arrangements in glasses or crocks. This is my substitute for fresh market flowers, which we just don’t have access to here, plus i prefer to make use of what we grow. There’s rarely a time of year I don’t have jars of seasonal cuttings in my kitchen. Its so quick and easy that while I’m cooking, I’m also creating some decor for the table top and kitchen. That’s about as much time I had to put into TG decor!

I filled various glasses and vessels with carrot tops and herbs. Call me crazy but this is why carrots are one of my favourite vegetables to grow or buy at market, not just because I love eating them but also the carrot tops are wonderful greens to use for decor. I never throw this stuff out!! (I do the same with parsley all year round too). The vibrant stems last for at least a week and add a lively hit of green to your kitchen.

Prep is done. Turkey is resting. vegetables are roasting and I’ve created some super quick, herbal ‘bouquets’ to enhance the harvest vibe.

I love food that is as it is beautiful as it is delicious. These beets and rainbow carrots are a feast for the eyes. I take a really simple approach with root veg, my go-to is to roast them with olive oil, himalayan salt and pepper, and fresh herbs. Sprinkled with crumbled goats cheese after it comes out of the oven.

We grew pumpkins for the first time, sugar pie pumpkins, and had a total of 5. Of course as a designer, the dilemma is whether to use them for decor or make a pie. I opted to use canned puree for our pies but will eventually try the pumpkins for a soup. I read that they’re better for more savoury recipes than sweet.

I started cooking the day before so on thanksgiving day things were pretty organized, thankfully because it was like a summer day and we just wanted to be outside. This corner of our kitchen between the sink and range is super active and efficient, I love to access everything within arms reach.

Sink scenes…i kept myself busy in the kitchen most of the day, but basically making this turkey dinner and all he fixings was a just good distraction from dwelling on the cancelled plans. Plus it meant left overs for a week. The best part!

We took a mini road trip the day before and stopped into a couple of antique shops, I picked up this large platter which i was excited to use - it was beautiful despite the slightly burnt roasted veg. And that’s about as fancy as we got, I decided to go for a long walk on the beach rather than spend the time to set the table so we ate at the island, super casual, with the whole turkey as the centre piece…. and feeling extremely grateful.

Hope you had a beautiful Thanksgiving however you spent it.

For more peeks of CRID at home, full-service and e-service design projects you can follow us on Instagram @carolreeddesign

You can also find us on PINTEREST and FACEBOOK!

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