Style & Decor Blog

I’ve blogged about my passion for Ontario’s scenic Long Point region before, so it should come as no surprise that I immediately fell for Mississauga artist Joseph Sampson’s incredible waterscapes when I came across his booth at the recent One of a Kind Show.

Although a handful of his oil-on-canvas creations actually depict the north shore of Lake Erie that I call home, many of them convey the dynamic beauty of Ontario’s south coast, regardless of where exactly Joseph drew inspiration from. I had to get up close just to assure myself these weren’t photographs… You can almost hear the crashing surf and feel the brisk lake wind whipping your hair.

Gorgeous stuff, and a remarkable way of bringing the outdoors in. Check out the rest of Joseph’s portfolio at the Sampson Studio website here.

Sampson Studio, 416-878-3327 for pre-show studio viewing

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Austin Parkway public beach access, Long Point, Ont.

The August issue of STYLE AT HOME will be hitting newsstands this weekend (yay!), and the theme of the issue is “Simple Summer” – gorgeous summer getaways and easy, breezy outdoor living. 

Last weekend, I had the chance to ditch the sweltering urban heat island (I’m so not a fan of Toronto in the summer!) and escaped to my own slice of heaven – Long Point.

Long Point is a 40-kilometre sandspit that juts from southwestern Ontario into the warm waters of Lake Erie, and has been my summer getaway since I was a kid. Wide, sandy beaches, lined with whispering poplars that glint like silver in the summer sun, and an unpretentious atmosphere among the cottagers who have a real passion for the place… Regional Road 59 takes you down the fascinating Causeway, flanked on either side by marshes teeming with turtles and birds (over 300 species fly through Long Point through the year), and terminates at the Provincial Park – the fourth oldest park in the province. 

One of my fave activities on the Point, of course, is to go dream cottage shopping. I’ve always loved this buttery-yellow beachfront property, which sold two summers ago for a prince’s ransom (I’d heard $750,000, but that’s local gossip talking).

Why do I love it? It’s a combination of knockout location, with a modest, charming design that doesn’t take away from the splendour of the landscape (Long Point is recognized as a United Nations World Biosphere).

The most famous property on the Point, however, has got to be the Old Cut Lighthouse.

Built in 1879, the three-storey fort-style beacon with a fascinating history is now a private residence, lovingly restored. The renovation actually won a number of awards, including “Most Outstanding Historical Renovation in Ontario”. Isn’t the fence awesome?!

I’ve always wanted to see inside, and a little websleuthing brought up these tasty snaps. You can also see the shabby state the lighthouse was in towards the end of the 1990s… The transformation is nothing short of stunning!