Perhaps because of the long, cold winters, summer cottages have special meaning in Canada. HGTV Canada created the show "Sarah's Cottage," which features designer Sarah Richardson's cottage renovations. Once her husband's off-the-grid bachelor shack, the island cottage gets turned into a family vacation home with room for guests. Click through for more info and a mini-tour of Sarah Richardson's cottage...
Sarah Richardson' cottage is on an island 17 miles off shore. The island includes a secluded "Bunkie" guest house (smaller than the main cottage), which she also redecorates on the show. Sarah Richardson recommends "keeping it country" at the cottage: "Remember why you bought a country home in the first place and resist the temptation to make everything too perfect, slick, new and crisp. What I love best about old houses is their quirks, creaks and signs of age."
What do you think of Sarah Richardson's cottage decor?
More Info:
• Sarah Richardson's website
• Cottage Advice from Sarah Richardson on HGTV Canada
• If you're in Canada, you can watch the show on HGTV Canada's website
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Comments (20)
Love her.
It's not my taste. However, Ms. Richardson once did a lakeside cabin in greens and whites that was perfection! I think she's brilliant! Watch the reruns of "Sarah's House". Wow! She made a silk purse out of a pigs ear, as they say.
Delightful.
I was glued to HGTV when they aired a marathon of this show. I love Sarah's design style! I really liked the large windows and the white-washed wood she used in the interior, but I thought the styling in the living room area felt a bit cluttered and over-done.
Beautiful. I think she's a wonderfully creative designer. I've learned so much from watching her shows. Her style is not always the same as my own, but to me her final product is always attractive with a less-is-more attitude, light-filled, and sometimes just breathtaking.
Fine Living Network doesn't show enough of Room Service, Design Inc., and Sarah's House. And what they do run is at terrible times of day. They need to correct this asap!
Not my style (although I do like her REAL house, or former house -- the MCM one). Not rustic or authentic enough, and as sharr says, overdone.
Speaking of overdone, I think Sarah is being overexposed -- she is everywhere. Room Service, Design Inc., Sarah's house, Sarah's cottage...
"Remember why you bought a country home in the first place and resist the temptation to make everything too perfect, slick, new and crisp. What I love best about old houses is their quirks, creaks and signs of age."
-- Umm, looks slick, new and crisp to me...
Sarah is pretty much my idol. I think she's absolutely brilliant.
It looks cozy, but I agree w/ sharrr; it looks a bit "full" - almost cluttered. Maybe I just prefer cabins to be less nice than my home.
I do like the patio design. The interior is nice, the white flooring room should actually have a wood color floor though.
Nicolette
http://www.furnitureanddesignideas.com/
I love Sarah's work but I too feel that the living room part is way too cluttered. Especially when it was shown on tv...with the footstool being so close to the table...? There is no need for them, when things are that crowded.
Now...if only I had my own island :*(
i'm the odd-man-out here, but i find her stuff looks a little "showroom"-ish. just that little bit too perfect, you know?
maybe i'm a bit jealous - i kinda hate the fact that its her house and her cottage - i think of her a little bit as a "poor little rich girl", y'know?
I love her style, and that cottage is beautiful.. but it's nicer than most people's homes and doesn't really scream "relax - feel free to have your kids run around in wet bathing suits - drink copious bottles of wine with your friends - get sand on the floors".. I can't see myself being cottage comfortable in that place
Ummmm.... not all of Canada experiences long, cold winters! Just wanna fix that misconception/cliché/stereotype.
While this isn't exactly my style, there are elements of it that I appreciate - the child's bedroom, the dresser with the hats. I think it is interesting to see her style (I haven't seen either show featuring the home or cottage) for her own home vs that of her clients'. I really enjoyed some of her earliest episodes of Room Service when the clients had small spaces and budgets. I always thought she was pretty creative in her solutions. Design Inc. not so much. But shouldn't every designer be growing and evolving? She has been around for a while now.
Does anyone one know where she got those fabric storage ottoman/hat boxes??? When you go to her source sheets it says sarah’s own line but she does not have it on her website. She has them in most of her kids/nursery rooms and I REALLY WANT ONE!!! She had two in her first and second sarah house shows and also when she did a triplet nursery room on Design Inc. I REALLY WANT ONE PLEASE, ANYONE LET ME KNOW WHERE I COULD FIND ONE!
Jinger - I have no idea whether you'll ever see this, but apparently they're selling off a number of the furniture items from that house - http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-furniture-chairs-recliners-Occasional-Chairs-2-available-from-Sarahs-House-2-W0QQAdIdZ184855819.
Love her and Tommy. Loved the farmhouse, everything about it. Haven't seen the cottage. I am in USA.
Things in LR/DR are a bit close due to limited space and the need to design for adults/guests and kids. The fabric was selected w/kids/wet swimsuits/dogs in mind. It's a summer get-away cottage. Isn't meant to be anything but comfortable and inviting. Love Sarah Richardson down here in Texas!
Does anyone know where the trundle beds are from in the kids loft?