In case you missed it, the November 2009 issue of Wallpaper showcased forty of the best things from ten of their favorite global destinations. You will find the best from USA, Canada, UK, Scandinavia, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil and Japan.

From Canada, I discover a few names that I did not know. On the architecture front, I love the work by Süperkul in Toronto. I am fond of the cottage they designed on an island in Georgian Bay. This is my type of cottage by the lake.

The best of the SHIFT cottage by Süperkul?

The SHIFT cottage has a must have feature for a summer place. It is a bridge to link the private and public areas. One volume contains the living spaces while a second section is dedicated to sleeping and washing areas. This allows you to have friends over for the weekend but keep your privacy when you feel like it.

Another good luxury is the wood deck terraces that fold into the island on three sides. Who would not want to read a book in this living room?

I am sure that I will present you more fabulous designers from their listing over the next few weeks.

MORE:
+ SHIFT cottage by süperkul architect
+ Fab 40: Canada on Wallpaper

You might also like these posts

Fall officially arrived. In a few weeks, the cottage on the lake season will close for many of us that live North. Wood slice trays are nothing new but I still like them. Plus, using handcrafted organic elements to contrast modern pieces is one of the 4 trends for Christmas 2009 (more on that later).

Wood slices are beloved because they are versatile. Tree slices fit in from a shack style to the modern rustic. You can use them to serve savory pies, or as a natural cheese board.  They can also support your floral centerpieces as you can see on this charming table by the crafty Anna of Rifle Design. Anna took that picture as part of her DIY menu wheel craft project.

Rustic Tree Cake Stands

What I like the most is how you can transform a tree slice and a short thick branch into your own cake stands. Make a least three stands. Ideally, you wish to vary their heights and surface size. They are not complicated to make. See the instructions of Laurie Cinotto. Remember to put a paper between the food and the tree slice, unless you applied a food-safe wood sealer.

If crafting is not your thing, go to Hens in Daisies’ Etsy shop to find large and extra large cake stands. They are ready to use. Simply wipe clean with damp cloth these food-safe sealed cake plates.

MORE:
+ DIY Tree Pedestal Cake Stand by Laurie Cinotto on Once Wed
+ DIY Wedding Menu Wheel on Design*Sponge
+ Large Rustic Cake Stand by Hens in Daisies $45 USD on Etsy
+ Extra Large Rustic Cake Stand by Hens in Daisies $75 USD on Etsy

You might also like these posts

This menu is so quick to make that you still have time to serve this meal tonight to your family. To get the full effect of the charming sight created by this old table, you can postpone it for the closing party at the cottage.  When I saw this delightful scene, it reminded me of the South of France.

Because the temperature is colder and let’s face it, closing the cottage requires time, planning a simpler menu seem to be in order. I selected dishes that required minimum cooking and preparation.

Anyone can cook an assortment of sausages on the barbecue. Devise a meal on a theme by assembling a platter of cured meats and salami for appetizers. Pay attention to the condiments to make it more special. Get several types of mustard. To play on textures, it is important to add crush with salads and pickled vegetables. Drinks are straight-forward since this menu called for European beers and red wines. Also provide one non alcoholic drink besides water.

You can made little bouquet with an assortment of fresh herbs from your own garden or wild flowers from your land. Tie each bouquet in with a simple string. Insert the end in a small plastic bag filled with a little bit of water and tie at the top. Then, you put the bouquet is a tall Mason jar with a gift tag. Voilà!

SOURCING:
+ Salami Sampler at Dean & DeLuca $40 USD
+ Grilling Sausage Set $25 for 12
+ Dean and DeLuca Chile Dijon Mustard $6 USD
+ Dean and DeLuca Sweet Cucumber Pickles $9 USD
+ Walnut Harvest dinner scene by Cooking Light – photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner

You might also like these posts

I wish to talk about this restaurant not for his cooking, since I have never ate there but for its decor. Les Enfants Terribles is a pub located in Outremont, Quebec. What strikes me is how the architect Louis-Joseph Papineau play with depths on the reclaimed walls to create storage and decorating shelving. Naturally, he used the same technique to keep the bar bottles.

The food is a mix between typical French bistro and pub food. I am curious to try their fish and chips. If you want to get an idea of the food, watch this 30-second video. I would skip the calamari dish.

PHOTO CREDITS:
+ wall: photographed by Dominic Gauthier for Voir
+ bar: 30 seconds review
+ small : sweetmama.ca

You might also like these posts

Two classic looks to celebrate the end of summer. Get inspired by these tables dressed by Lexington for the last weekends by the lake at the summer cottage. The fall living table is a mix and match of formal and casual tableware. It is OK to bend the rules to create something unexpected. For an outdoor dinner, do like the French people do all the time and ignore the bread plate, even on a formal dinner table.

If you cannot go of the summer,  you can still use items from the summer catalog. I like the thermal vacuum bottle but I do not know where to find it. Beware that, as far as I know, many of the items are props used by the stylist.

MORE:
+ Lexington

You might also like these posts

Seeing this old Coca-Cola cooler last week at Finnegan’s market brought back childhood memories.  My parents owned a lot on a small lake 45 minutes from my home. Every nice Sunday during the summer, my parents, friends and family members used to meet there. We crossed the lake by swimming, played games of horseshoe and sat at night at the fire pit. It was fun!

A visit at the flea market can be the occasion to design a party decor. Think about ho you can integrate old items in an unexpected way. Here, the stylist at Pottery Barn decorate a pole with vintage buoys. I remembered seeing a few vintage wood soda crates stacked in a corner of my father’s business when I was young. I wish he had kept them. These crates can be used to bring the dishes in and out of the house or to gather bottles and glasses next to your buffet. This look calls for dishtowel napkins.

Other items to look for our farm stand signs and seeds storage. Transform seed metal boxes into the vase for a centerpieces or to distribute the cutlery wrapped in cotton napkins.

SOURCING:
+ Found Soda Crate $15 USD
+ Dishtowel Stripe Napkins, Set of 6 on sale at $27 USD
+ Amish Farm Produce Roadside Stand Signs $65 USD
+ Seeds Metal Boxes – available at Comme on Aime in France

The vintage buoys are not anymore available online; maybe you may get lucky at a store near you but I would not count on it.

You might also like these posts

Two years ago, I told you about Domaine des Ormes, an hotel in Brittany, France where you can rent a perched cabin for your family vacation.

Now, I am presenting you a hut concept developed by a French company called BubbleTree. A wooden platform is build around a big tree. The idea is to get the feeling to live in nature. The spherical canopy (bubble) is meant to be deployed only to shelter you for rain and wind. The rest of the time, you live without walls.

This hut can be very sophisticated. BubbleTree sells hammocks, nets, long chair convertible, lighting system, solar shower, picnic basket and a lifting system to fit their construction. By adding hammocks or sleeping bags, you can transform, at will, the space into a summer guest house for 2 people.

As far as I can tell, BubbleTree’s products are only available in France. This is not inexpensive either. According to the article I read on Born Rich, you must budget EUR 11,000 (approx. $15,300) for the platform alone with the ladder. If you wish to add the bubble (canopy), the price starts at EUR 18,000 (approx. $25,000).

Still, you can still build your little oasis at your cottage. After you adapted and designed your own version, invite a few friends to build it this summer. It does not have to be perched into a tree. It can be a simple platform on a raised piece of land with a canopy system.

MORE:
+ BubbleTree – Web site has an english version
+ Via Born Rich

You might also like these posts

I have to warn you. If you do this, you are better to clear your agenda because all your friends will line up to stay over on weekends. This is one of the most adorable weekend decoration project I have seen lately.

The idea is to convert a small garage or a big shed into a tropical guest room. And you will not break the bank to impress your friends. This design was accomplished with mostly inexpensive items found at IKEA and in Chinatown. The sources are in the July 2009 issue of Canadian House and Home.

The best deal was the daybed. Imagine reading a book or having a nice conversation there. The base is made by stacking several shipping crates that they painted. Ask your  local hardware stores, garden centers or lumberyards for similar unpainted crates – most stores give it for free. A sheet hanged on tree branches. They use a sheet but you could check out the dollar bin for fabrics to cover a foam cushion or a single bed mattress.

This setting calls for quick and simple cocktails. Serve gravlax canapes paired with a white wine or a refreshing Tom Collins for the apero. Lynda Reeves shares her Gravlax Recipe With Mustard Dill Sauce. This is one more recipes to try besides the two gravlax recipes I gave you this week. You could rotate them each weekend and see which one you prefer.

CREDITS:
+ Canadian House and Home July 2009 – Photography by Stacey Brandford

You might also like these posts

The Memorial Day’s weekend marks the start of summer. I will give you a head start on inspirations for remarkable picnic with your friends and family members.

First way to impress your guests is with these adorable BBQ cutlery envelop. I am getting two packets. If I like them, I may buy more to give as hostess gifts. The BBQ Cutlery Kraft Envelops are the creations of etsy seller Miss Pickles Press.

Then, it is the magic of the styled pictures of UK retailer Toast that inspired me. Take clues on how to nicely wrap your sandwiches. I was interviewed earlier this week by a journalist (the article is yet to be posted) on themes for summer bashes. I referred to tiffin tins, probably because they are on my wish list. Plus there is no chance to break the stainless picnic set if you mix your picnic with a bicycle ride.

Every party should have its signature drink. For a hot summer afternoon, make a pitcher of limoncello and light (less sugar) cranberry juice. Arrange the proportions to taste but their should be in the range of 1/3 limoncello with 2/3 cranberry juice or 1/4 limoncello with 3/4 cranberry juice. You can prepare it in advance in a thermos bottle. Add ice cubes to the glass when you are ready to serve. The Sip and Repeat Cocktail Sticks, again by Miss Pickles Press, adds a welcoming touch to your drink.

You can bring a nice arrangement of cut flowers or gather a bunch of wild flowers on place. If you like to do picnics on a beach at the cottage, get a couple of wood bath mats on the sand with a long bath brush and a bar of natural soap.

SOURCING:
+ BBQ cutlery envelop $15 for a pack of 12 on etsy
+ tiffin tins small £12, medium £22, large £39 at Toast
+ picnic set £39 at Toast
+ madras tablecloth £25
+ mango wood bath mat £35
+ Sip and Repeat Cocktail Sticks by Miss Pickles Press $10 for a pack of 12
+ scholar vase £49, available in sky blue, grenadine and citrus green

You might also like these posts

The interior design blog Design to Inspire featured beautiful interiors photographed by Philip Harvey. I am curious and wanted to see more from this talented photograph.

This is how I found these two photos. The top picture complements the food served on the tree from the OVO Tapis Rouge event that I shown you last Sunday. I imagine this scenery for the launch party of the cottage season.

The romantic picnic setting on a beach looks like it is straight from a movie set. So adorable.

CREDITS:
+ Photography by Philip Harvey – rights reserved
+ Via Design to Inspire

You might also like these posts

I told you before that I dream of having someday a modern cabin at the top of hill facing a lake. Materialicious is a blog filled with modern architecture houses from across the globe.

Justin Anthony, a New Yorker currently residing in Phoenix, Arizona is the founding editor of Materialicious. He describes his blog as eye candy, pure and simple residential architecture and design.

House N

Located in Japan, House N is house within a house designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects. The concept is very cool. Looking at all the pictures, especially the interior spaces, enables us to understand the genius behind the house space planning.

I would like to visit the House N to see if the magic continues in the real world. Photos by Iwan Bann (rights reserved)

Wooden House and Guest Quarter

One thing that I would like is a small guest house semi-detached from our cabin. I say, semi-detached in case we wish to use the cabin during the winter months.

Here a project done by a Architect firm in Vienna called planhaus . Looking at the picture taken during the construction, I do not grasp how this house is a prefab house as mentioned by Materialicious. But I am not an architect. Photos by Wolf Leeb (rights reserved)

Summer Cabin in Denmark

When you think about it, a small house can provide everything you need for a simple weekend getaway. I examined the floor plan of this cabin. If you can live with the super tiny bedrooms, Christensen & Co Arkitekter designed the perfect no-frills summer cabin. Photos by Adam Mørk (rights reserved)

MORE READING:
+ Materialicious: House N, Planhaus prefab house and guest quarters, Summer Cabin in Denmark
+ Below the Clouds

You might also like these posts

Setting the Decor

Last July, Gourmet inspired their readers with a delicious summer menu realized in a dreamy setting. I fall in love with the vintage canoe table.

Set the tone of the party with Camping Circa 1960s note cards by Old School Stationers. To set the tone of your table, go for the vintage style dinnerware. One great choice is the Festa Dinnerware at Fortunata.

DIY Wood Tray

Serving burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and toasts on home made wood tray is not just cute, it is very practical.

A friend of mine sent me this picture of the wood board made by her father. To reproduce, you simply cut a 2×6 or 2 by 8 in 8-inch long tray. A fancier version, shown here, is to carve a space to put the knife.

The story goes that her father was tired of the stream on the china plate that we all experienced with toasts. But if you use instead an untreated wood tray, the wood would absorb the humidity and deliver the best toasts you ever taste.

SOURCING:
+ Recipes of Rollin’ on the River Menu
+ Get the Look featured Rollin’ on the River
+ Festa Dinnerware at Fortunata
+ Camping Circa 1960s by Old School Stationers
+ Baja Barware at Pottery Barn – price: $45 USD for 6 double old-fashioned, $54 for 6 highball glasses
+ Top pictures photographed by Quentin Bacon for the Rollin’ on the River article on Gourmet, July 2008 – right reserved

You might also like these posts