"Rick is planning to extensively renovate his cottage, but before he does, we captured the cottage in its current state — the same it's been since the 1980's."

Unless you meant 1880s, I don't get it.

Why renovate it? It's charming and genuine as it is. Replace the mattresses and linens if they are worn out, but let the rest stay.

Well, I WOULD move the photo of Grandma and Grandpa from beside the dart board. You really don't want a stray dart hitting them.

I like it the way it is! Hope he doesn't over-renovate and lose the family history feeling of it all.

What a cute getaway. In the reno process, I hope Rick keeps the furniture, the fireplace, and those windows.

There are a lot of keeper pieces there, that's gonna be a fun project. I want a project like that!

It's just what a cottage should be: unpretentious, low-maintenance, and full of quirks and history. I'd avoid an extensive renovation and instead just do a little cosmetic updating. Gorgeous setting.

Looks a lot like the cabin my grandparents used to own in upstate NY (major nostalgia trip). Even the painting of the windswept pine kinda looked like my grandma's style -- she does very bright, gestural landscapes.

If that place is built anything like my grands' though, I can see why he might want to renovate at least a little bit: no sound proofing! none! I remember being sent to bed as a kid and listening to every word of the TV a floor below me. You know, SOUND is something so rarely addressed on this site (smell, too, I suppose). So sometimes, renovation's a good idea, if it can be done sympathetically.

This is most Canadians idea of paradise but even so I don't think the inside is anything other than an outdated cabin. However if they asked me over for a week-end I wouldn't say no.

I spent more summer vacations in a Georgian Bay cottage than I care to remember: bugs, mice, boredom, yuck. I hope to never see the inside of a cottage again.
The first thing I'd do is paint some of those panelled walls white - the furniture is quite nice, esp. the sofa. This place needs a re-do, right now it's nothing special. The outside currently looks better than the inside.

BEST PLACE ON EARTH! You've got a great place!

Are you single and available, Rick? I wanna move in and help you renovate and then go kayaking in the most gorgeous kayakers paradise in the world. (I'm a great cook and carpenter and gardener and...I'm working it...)
Lucky you to have inherited this and now making it your own! Please keep us posted on this wonderful project full of potential.
And would you be a fan of Tanglefoot?

So, by renovate, what do you mean? Drywall and new windows? New kitchen? Or changing the floor plan, too? Sounds like a lot of work to do that all on a place you need a boat to get to. (Much like 'Sarah's Cottage,' though I suspect this will reno will be on a less ridiculous scale)

I wish you luck, Rick!

Is it wrong to love the press-on brick-look vinyl squares?

Great to see some Canadian posts! Keep it up AT.

Can't wait to see what you do.

quite a bit of effort spent on a "BEFORE" shot, without even giving us any clue to what is going to be "extensively renovated."

Looks like the perfect setting for a horror/suspense movie... what a place!
Please keep us updated on the progress - though being from down under and not knowing much about the area - is it ever warm there?

What a charming place - I wouldn't change a thing.

Pine walls. Brings me back to skinned knees and sitting on the floor of the den reading the naughty [anatomy] entries of the encyclopedia. I hope he keeps some of them at least.
-anna
chateausavoie.com

spent many a summer in a cabin on a lake in the Maine woods and loved every second of it including mice, bugs, bobcats and lumberjacks! Looks like a time capsule right now but some brightening up would make a huge difference and enhance the charm.

Rick is a very lucky man. I've spent time in several cabins such as this one and the sentimental part of me likes the quirkiness and the dull colors, the granny artifacts and practicality of everything - it promotes one to go outside and find something interesting to do ... in nature.

Personally, I'd renovate and edit very lightly. So many important family memories are stored here. Failing that, I recommend a flick through the British Country Living magazine website for some examples of thoroughly inspiring and beautiful Scandinavian (mostly Danish) cabins.

Get rid of the dead animal head.

I do not see why the inside cannot be as beautiful as the surroundings.

This reminds me of my grandparents' cottage on the Housatonic river in Conn. The decor was raw wood and pine walls, flyfishing ads and whatever else that was stuck on hooks. The outhouse- a bit down a creepy path past the rattelsnakes, was festooned with my uncles pin-up pictures.

Ah yes- I had some great times there as a kid- but would I love it now? Are you kidding?

Celebrate this beautiful place with great AND appropriate decor.

Nostalgia is overrated.

I'm still puzzled. The Eighties are the *last* design decade I'd want to preserve. Why the nostalgia? I'm with dakini123: Go ahead and renovate!

I think it's cute the way it is :(

No, no . . . the moose must stay!! I'm just sorry that Bessie the Cow (her hide) is not still on the floor before the fireplace!!

Change to the interior is needed, but we will respect cottage history...

Very cute and VERY 80's. I would love to see this when it is re done!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MonoNoAwareShop

Cabin possibilities:

http://www.contemporist.com/2009/01/27/mollys-cabin-by-agathom/#more-3466

D: it looks like a house someone would be murdered in :/ creeeeeepy, i dont get good vibes looking at that place...

Best of luck with project. There are also a number of senstively renovated Scottish holiday cottages. Again, the best interior magazines (usually European of course) showcase them.

A lot can be achieved with a really good scrubdown from top to bottom, inside and out; and then fresh fabrics. Not forgetting polishing of all wood, and some rearrangement of furniture and art. From then on, each project can come with time. I'd LOVE to see the outcome, whether the renovation happens in one or many stages.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh love love. As a Canadian girl who spent 40 weekends a year at a place similar to this, let me say... this IS a Canadians idea of paradise. :) Yay for cottages!