Winter Wonderland

Against an icy backdrop of gray-blues and wintry whites, a Victorian cottage in Prince Edward County, Canada, showcases how to deck the halls in a way that's as elegant as it is welcoming.

- RHONDA REINHART

When serial old-home renovator Stellina Condello (stellina josephinedesign.com) is considering a new project, there is just one nonnegotiable must-have: “[My homes] always have to feel like they have a heartbeat,” says the Toronto-area interior designer, “as if the walls can talk and tell their own story.”

Stellina and husband Mike Ecclestone, a landscape and irrigation designer, found that and a whole lot more when they discovered the circa 1860 redbrick cottage they now call their country home. “It was on a sweet street, with a solid foundation and good bones, and was a blank canvas for me to create thoughtfully layered spaces,” Stellina says of the Victorian-era charmer with a covered front porch and a steep double-gabled roof. Even better, the house sits in the heart of Southern Ontario's Prince Edward County, a culture-rich area full of endless opportunities to indulge and explore.