Have I sold you on the area? Luckily, you can try out the County life for yourself. Many of the cottages in SSV can be rented (check them out on the SSV website) and I truly believe it is the perfect destination for families visiting Prince Edward County. Hands down, it beats our old cottage that we had in Haliburton cottage country. We rented a cottage here for one week back in 2015 and by the end of the week we were completely in love and bought one of our own. Where else can you nap on the porch, hit the beach, visit a winery, and enjoy fine dining, all within 15 minute drives?


Speaking of porch naps, you can see a previous tour of the 250 square foot screened cottage porch here. But for today, let me give you a tour of the inside!



The cottage is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, plus loft. It's a bright open concept and we kept most everything white to maximize the fresh, airy feel.  Here you can see the kitchen area. We updated it with a tumbled moonstone backsplash and custom plaid roman shade. I love the softer, honed finish of the backsplash. The cottage is a place to relax and where nothing should be too precious so the more rustic tumbled tile felt right. The blue and green hues of the roman blind (Westgate Ink fabric from Fabricut with custom sewing by Tonic Living) references the lake waters and green fields surrounding the cottage.

We also added in a black swing-arm sconce above and changed the hardware to graphite pulls for more of a modern country look. Though the cottage is a new build, I want it to feel collected over time so I've decorated the tops of the cabinets with some of my antique finds from around the county. Decorating with vintage pieces can bring character to a room, even if it's brand new.



The island is where we enjoy hearty weekend breakfasts. The Serena & Lily Riviera Counter Stools were my very first and still favourite purchase for the cottage. They were a splurge but they really set the tone for the decor. They're durable, easy to clean, and the woven rattan and bamboo material brings a summery touch to our decor.



The mug stand is a very important part of our cottage rituals. Each morning, I pick a new mug for that perfect first cup of coffee! I love the campy whimsical sayings - you can really have fun with nostalgic accessories at a cottage. I add one new mug a year from Indigo's summer mug collection and have a few iconic Hudson's Bay mugs too. Which mug would you pick?



To the left of the kitchen is the entry way. We made this DIY shaker peg rail last summer and it's provided a cute and functional spot to hang coats and bags. The woven market tote is a great one for hauling farmer's market produce or taking to the beach. Again, I've used textiles here to add a bit of colour. The Fleur Botanical La Mer fabric drapes contribute to the modern country feel. Custom draperies might seem like a splurge but we plan to enjoy this cottage for a very long time and I wanted it to feel finished and complete, and less like a temporary place to visit.


Over in the living room area, our queen-sized Reston sleeper sofa takes centre stage. It's a trundle-style sleeper which means that it slides out and up, instead of folding out (see it extended here). Sleeper or not, it is THE most comfortable sofa I have ever owned. The deep bench means that you can fit up to four comfortably. We have a lot of Netflix movie nights here at the cottage and I can tell you that sitting on this sleeper sofa makes for the dreamiest home tv watching experience. It also functions as a guest bed in a pinch. I just throw a queen fitted sheet around the bench and trundle and it's good to go. I've tossed a Hudson's Bay striped knit blanket on the back, for when you need a little extra warmth.

Behind the sofa you can see the ladder which pulls out and provides access to the loft. I'm not one for heights so I don't spend too much time up there, but you can see a peek at the sectional and poufs we have up there in this post. Eventually, we'll add built-in storage for a TV and create a fun, separate hang out for our daughter Chloe and her friends.



Here's a look at the living room wall. We covered one wall in DIY plywood shiplap which added warmth and texture to this all white room. We've kept the wood in its natural state for now, but could paint it white or another colour when we're ready for a change. Painted shiplap is something we've done in our mint green shiplap cottage bathroom. It hasn't changed much so check out this post to see more about the bathroom.



As the cottage living room isn't that large, I opted for just a few functional pieces. The cottage armchair provides additional seating and a cozy spot to curl up with a good book. The multi-arm lamp is a good light for reading and I like how the shiny brass is juxtaposed with the more natural, rustic finishes in the rest of the room.  A small scale patterned rug helps define this zone and provides subtle colour. Another feature that adds colour are the doors which we painted in Weathervane, a moody green black colour, by PARA Paints. We also changed out the door handles to matte black to coordinate with other hardware in the space.


In the opposite corner, I've tucked a small vintage desk we've had for years and an inexpensive knock-off bistro chair that was damaged but I couldn't return. I don't love either of these pieces any longer but there's no real urgency to have them replaced. The pig art in a DIY shadowbox has found its home here too.

The TV should be mounted on the wall, but the TV stand we have for the space is a little too short and dark so we've rested it on top for now until we can find a replacement. I do like though how the TV stand baskets coordinate with the round ottomans. The ottomans store magazines but they're easy to move out of the way when we want to expand the sleeper sofa.


I haven't changed much of my daughter's cottage bedroom so you can check out this post for the details.


Moving into the master bedroom, you'll see that not much has changed since last summer's bedroom refresh. This might be a terrible thing to say as a design blogger but I don't feel a need to change out accessories and furnishings all the time. When a look works and you love it, why change it?

We wanted this room to feel inviting but relaxed and not too fussy so if things seem a little rumpled, that's okay, I wanted it to be that way, ha! The Summer Hill bed by Universal Furniture is my absolute favourite. I love the headboard and side panels which have a woven look. The wooden matching nightstands have a vintage feel and the wood complements the warm tones in the room. Above the tables, I've placed matching glass lamps though I've changed up the art and accessories.

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