From simple cottage to luxurious retreat

Picking the right colours
The house's colours add subtle layers of warmth. "We stayed with the colours of nature," Ellen says. "We were influenced by the fall colours, because that's when we first went to the property to discuss the new house. So there is green running throughout the house—mossy green, green slate floors in the mudroom and vestibule—plus touches of red, and paprika, and rust."

There are softer hues too: sage green and cream, pale wheat, mellow Dijon yellow, which offer contrast with the dark oak floors.

Occasionally, the beadboard has been painted in more traditional country style: white in the daughters' bedrooms, and a coat of cream for the kitchen ceiling that was subsequently 'antiqued' with a wash of the owner's favourite sage.

The effect in these spaces is to create a hint of separation from the other rooms and give a lighter, more open feeling. The different looks in different areas also create interest, notes Ellen, as you move through the house.

At only an hour and a quarter from Montreal the house easily fills up—"There are often crowds up here," Ellen says-but it also makes a lovely overnight getaway for the couple.

"Sometimes we go on Friday and come home on Saturday. Everyone leads hectic lives now," the wife says, "but we get in the car to go there and forget about it all. It's a true retreat—a place we'll have for many years."

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