It’s been a busy spring and summer at henhouse, having completed several projects from custom kitchens and bathrooms, to interior design, furniture and more!
After such a busy season, I’m looking forward to winding things down a bit and spending some time with my family at our family cottage compound, a special place that my extended family returns to every August.
This place holds so much history and many memories. I’ve spent every August here since as long as I can remember, and I really look forward to returning year after year, and sharing it with my kids and husband.
These photos are all of the original cottage, it was the summer home of my Great Grandparents, Mabel Mackenzie and Scott Griffin.
Mabel was the daughter of Sir William Mackenzie who had enjoyed great success in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a railway contractor and entrepreneur, supplying timber for many significant railway projects across Canada.
Mable took this place to heart and constructed and furnished this home with her simple Scottish aesthetic. The matriarch of the family, she had a strong vision of how this compound would function. This look and style has extended to all other cottages on the property.
They built their cottage and an ice house in the early 1920’s using local logs and materials sourced from the land to construct it.
Eventually this cottage was given to my Grandfather, Tony Griffin (who turns 104 this summer!) and the rest of the 80 acres was parcelled up and split between four of his children.
My father was given 8 of the 80 acres. He and my mother built their summer cottage in the late 70s. Today, there are five cottages on the property, all connected by paths.
Stepping into my great grandparent’s cottage is like stepping back in time. Furnished the way its always been, it has changed very little.
The family photos, the blue and white dishes collected by my Aunt, the antique furniture, all of these things fill up the cottage with the story of our family, and connect us to times passed. The feeling of this place is something that continues to influence my style today.
So, it’s time for me to relax, and re-energize and return filled with the wealth of inspiration that is in my family and our cottage compound.