€7 26 - +Tongtong

Near&dear
Exquisitely composed and
effortlessly quirky, Drake
Devonshire Inn – a manageable
drive from Toronto – has proven
to be worth the hype
Above The covered porch hugs the entry of the inn, offering a quiet place
to relax and a clear view of the lake beyond. Opposite Beside the reception desk nestles a micro–Drake General Store, handy for whenever one
finds oneself in need of such trifles as an alpaca-covered bar of lemonbalm soap or the complete collection of New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles. (Other signature pieces from the Drake Hotel’s inaugural
incarnation scattered throughout the inn’s three storeys include clearplastic-topped ottomans and one-armed bar stools.) The site-specific
installation Cabin Fever is by New York artist Kirsten Hassenfeld.
Photography by Nikolas Koenig
By Leslie C. Smith
Is the schlep from Toronto really worth it? That’s what my travel
companion and I wondered as we wandered warily down twisting
country roads, two and a half hours’ distance from the big city. - - - - -------------------------------------------------If it weren’t for Jeff Stober’s involvement, we might not have attempted this trip. But Stober has done amazing things in the past – most
notably the revitalization of the Drake Hotel a decade ago that, in
turn, led to the entire west end of Toronto becoming a boomtown for
artists and hipsters. Since then, he and his band of hand-picked designers have opened the popular Drake One Fifty restaurant in downtown Toronto, as well as three locations of the Drake General Store,
which specializes in “curated curiosities old and new.” Now, after two
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26
years’ work, the Drake Devonshire Inn, a.k.a. “Drake by the lake,” is
ready for its closeup; thus, the car ride to the small town of Wellington,
in Prince Edward County, on the stony cusp of Lake Ontario. - - - - - -------------------------------------------------We are greeted in the lobby of the small, 11,000-square-foot boutique inn by John Tong, principal of the lead design firm, Toronto’s
+tongtong. Actually, we are greeted before we reach the lobby by the
sight of a gorgeous, polished bronze “dumpster” crafted by Newfoundland’s Zeke Moores, one of the inn’s several Plein Air artworks
curated by Mia Nielson, head of cultural programming for the Drake
chain. This Dada-esque piece signals what’s ahead for us: the brand’s
signature blend of artistry, surprise and whimsy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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-------------------------------------------------Next to reception, an exposed-brick living room is practically all
that’s left of the site’s original structure – first an 1849 steel foundry
and later transformed into a bed-and-breakfast lodge. The room certainly catches the eye, with its crazy-quilt floor tiles jostling each
other for visual supremacy. Like the inn’s jumbled tongue-and-groove
wainscotting and flashes of floral wallpaper, this a nod, says Tong, to
the “architectural archeology” of working on old houses: “I’ve renovated so many houses over the years. I wanted to capture those different levels of wallcoverings and linoleum that you find.” - - - - - - - -------------------------------------------------The living room acts as a junction, linking past and present, as well as
the new Glass Box meeting/games room and patio to the rear and publicly accessible restaurant on the lakefront. Philip Evans, principal of
ERA Architects, has created a building envelope to suit this chronological convergence, with olde-tyme, tin-gabled roofs surrounding a
central peak set atop ultramodern glass curtain walls that allow unexpected light and sightlines into the interior. Perhaps as a tongue-incheek reference to Wright’s Falling Water, he cantilevered part of the
dining room over the tiny creek that runs past the property. Fittingly, for
the site’s foundry origins, this entailed the use of a great deal of steel. -------------------------------------------------Comparisons to summer camp mess halls are inevitable within this
barnlike space, with its broad Douglas-fir vaulting and picture windows overlooking water and woods. Echoes of cottage life come from
the purposely mismatched chairs and white-washed, engineeredpine flooring. Yet, given the room’s custom marine lights, wood-slat
banquettes and “infinity pool” view of Lake Ontario, an even stronger
sensation is that of being aboard some beautiful, becalmed ferry. In
one swoop, Tong has engendered nostalgia, longing and peace, a
perfect setting for chef Matt DeMille’s locally sourced wines, seasonal ingredients and cozily upscale comfort food. - - - - - - - - - - - - -------------------------------------------------Beyond the restaurant proper, the entertainment area stretches towards another rafter-and-truss room – the screened Pavilion – and
spills out into the open air via a huge, connecting cedar deck and
bleacher/steps facing the beach. Landscape architect Joel Loblaw has
assisted nature here as elsewhere with a variegated selection of native plants and trees. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------------------------------------------------
CANADIAN INTERIORS 7/8 2015
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Clockwise from opposite bottom The
screened, east-west Pavilion (host
to musical performances, farmer’s
markets and guests seeking protection
from the sun or bugs) boasts a huge
custom mural by Brooklyn collective
FAILE; with its white walls, floors and
furnishings contrasting with dark
Douglas-fir vaulting and blackened
steel overhead, the barn-like dining
room evokes many associations, from
camp mess hall to ferry boat to family
cottage; inspired by utility and a theme
of old-and-new, custom-designed
dining-room tables integrate floorboards and Corian panels into
a painted-steel frame; the Pavilion’s
hydraulically hinged “barn door”
shutters double as a unique porch
awning, while tempered-glass barriers
leave the lake view unimpeded;
opposing glass walls of the Glass Box
(whose amenities include a Ping-Pong
table, a trunk full of board games
and a wet bar), allow a throughway for
light and sightlines from the entryway’s
pea-gravel lot on one side to an
intimate stone patio on the other.
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Paris / sePTeMBer 4-8, 2015 / january 22-26, 2016
Paris nord viLLePinTe
Born and
raised WiTH
Maison&oBjeT
Above Like one’s private chalet in the sky, the Owner’s Suite features
a magnificent lake view from the fir-lined, A-frame interior and secluded,
glass-parapet deck beyond. Custom furnishings, such as rope-crochet
ottomans and a picnic-table “desk,” rub elbows with mid-century-modern accoutrements sourced from antique shops and flea markets. Left
The inclusion of a large skylight turns the small box-room adjacent
to the Owner’s Suite into the nighttime-spectacular Star Gazing Room.
CANADIAN INTERIORS 7/8 2015
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Amidst all these elements of communal relaxation and refreshment,
however, one must not forget that Drake Devonshire is au fond an
inn. Eleven cleverly quirky bedrooms occupy the second floor, and
two unique suites comprise the entire third storey. All rooms are
decorated with custom touches plus a mishmash of vintage and modern furnishings, sourced from antique shops and flea markets by
Tong and Drake stylist Carlo Colacci. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -------------------------------------------------Setting the Loft Suite and Owner’s Suite apart are both their size and
their vantage points. The Owner’s Suite in particular offers a spectacular, A-framed view of the lake that simply screams Canadiana.
This panorama extends through sliding glass doors onto a private,
glass-parapeted deck. An adjacent box-room, perfect for a kid or two,
has been dubbed the Stargazer for the large skylight directly over its
queen-sized platform bed – perfect for falling asleep under the stars.
-------------------------------------------------So, was our trip to Wellington worth the time and trouble? If all of
the above is not enough to answer that question, we leave it to New
York’s annual Hospitality Design Awards. This June, out of an international field of 560 entries, the Drake Devonshire was accorded
Best Boutique/Lifestyle Hotel, Best Boutique/Lifestyle Guestrooms
or Suites and, the most coveted prize of all, Best of Show. - - - - - - - -------------------------------------------------•
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