“Welcome to the Drake Devonshire. would you like to try one of our signature cocktails?” If very first impressions can be trusted, I was going to like the Drake Devonshire. A lot.
A bright yellow door on the far side of a cobblestone courtyard provides a sunny welcome to visitors who’ve made the two-plus hour drive to prince Edward region from Toronto or further. Inside, opposing adjectives like “quaint” as well as “cool” contend for your affection. part of the hotel occupies a renovated 19th century iron foundry, onto which age designers added new light-filled spaces. To blend them together, Toronto designer John Tong of +tongtong layered the interiors with quirky vintage discovers as well as colourful contemporary accents. The impact is like being at a household cottage that the grandkids have updated for a new generation while preserving nostalgic aspects of the past.
The staffer greeting me with the tray of mixed drinks isn’t a long-term perk for showing up guests. I’m there for a media preview, which aims to provide me the experience of a weekend stay in a few short hours. So while I don’t get to sip a cappuccino on the big back deck while viewing the morning mist lift off Lake Ontario, I do get a personal trip of the hotel with owner Jeff Stober, John Tong as well as Mia Nielsen, who curated all of the artwork.
I find Jeff is an antiques junkie. He gets thrilled around once again recounting the story of exactly how he snagged the vintage secretary desk that now functions as a hostess stand. It turns out he’s a routine at the Brimfield Antique show in Massachusetts as well as has a fine-tuned system for buying, storing as well as shipping discovered treasures. I secretly begin plotting exactly how I can label along on his next trip, so I can find all of his suggestions as well as tricks.
We roam into the recently developed A-frame pavilion, which is holding a raw bar piled high with fresh seafood prepared by chef Matt DeMille, who graced the kitchens at Toronto’s Canoe, parts & labour as well as Enoteca Sociale, to name a few, before moving to the country. Later, in the lake-view dining room, he’ll treat us to a multi-course dinner that I happily surface every last bite of, in spite of having stated “yes!” to the numerous snacks provided throughout the afternoon.
Jeff notes that he likes the pavilion’s A-frame structure — “It appears like it has been right here forever,” — however I’ve only got eyes for the customized mural by Brooklyn-based Faile, which covers one wall as well as appears like a collage of street art, album covers as well as wallpaper scraps. Mia has put art to surprise as well as appeal guests: new York artist Kirsten Hassenfeld’s sculpture made from vintage paper is hung so it can be delighted in from two different perspectives (looking up at it from the primary floor as well as looking directly into it from the stairwell to the second floor), fragments of poetry by Canadian Al Purdy are written directly on walls, as well as vintage paintings updated with cheeky details by Toronto collective team Macho hang in almost every room. It’s soon remove to me that Mia has the coolest task in the world.
John has a quite great gig, too. He was part of the team that developed the original Drake hotel in downtown Toronto, so he understood precisely exactly how to modify its DNA for the country. graphic patterned floor tiles anchor the primary floor typical areas. In the guest rooms, Jeff’s vintage furniture is paired with customized platform beds sporting beadboard headboards, colour-blocked walls as well as strong area rugs. These are areas you can conveniently inhabit whether you’re dressed for the beach or dinner — as well as here, one attire will most likely do for both.
Before I have to head house to the city, we gather around the beach-side terminate pit as well as view the sun go down. A man playing guitar on the deck accompanies the fire’s familiar crackle as well as pop, as well as I discover myself dreamily planning my return.
Photo credits:1-8. Kayla Rocca, courtesy of Drake Devonshire9. Kimberley Brown