The Art of Relaxation

A family’s lakeside retreat is filled with natural materials that blend beautifully with its rural surroundings.

- interior designer Allison Willson Design writer Meghan Shouse/photographer Patrick Biller

ENTRYWAY

The 3/4-inch thick porcelain tiles from Creekside Tile "wear like iron," says Willson, who paired them with oak tongue-and-groove paneling on walls. About three hours north of Toronto is an area called “cottage country.”

About three hours north of Toronto is an area called "cottage country."

The moniker describes the Kawartha Lakes municipality in Ontario, Canada, where city dwellers escape to second homes for weekends and holidays to swim in summer and ski in winter. In this bucolic setting, a family of five posed a challenge to designer Allison Willson. Charging her with turning their new-build cottage into a warm, cozy retreat, the parents asked, “How can we enjoy ourselves the most and have it be beautiful, but not be worried about [delicate] finishes or yelling at the kids to keep their feet off something?” The answer: neutral hues and durable natural materials. Over the course of 15 months, Willson transformed the nine-bedroom, six-bath-room home into a serene lakeside retreat. Having “tons of fun with layers,” she says she “tried to finish every room with something other than drywall,” whether that was textured wallcoverings, board-and-batten, or the shiplap-covered bunk-room any and all kids can pile into. Everything is eye-pleasing, and nothing is too precious.