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“Supple butter lettuce, vibrant snap peas and velvety avocado are layered beneath a light buttermilk chive dressing.” — Shea McGee

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Believe it or not, there was a time when Shea McGee only knew how to make salad and cookies.

Now, with the designer’s debut cookbook and popular online cooking series — both titled Around the Table — developing recipes has become second nature. In the moments between running her design firm, Studio McGee, and lifestyle brand, McGee and Co., Shea hosts friends and family for dinner at her Salt Lake City home. Her passion for both home and food led her on this creative journey to becoming a cookbook author.

In the book, Shea shares recipes that are comforting, classic and refined — much like her style. We especially love the Spring Fête chapter, a celebration of the season’s bounty of fresh herbs and produce. The menu we’re featuring here balances flavour, beauty and ease with dishes such as Melt-in-your-mouth Salmon with Asparagus, which is baked on a single sheet pan, crispy Lemony Smashed Potatoes, and delicate Butter Lettuce Salad with avocado and snap peas. Shea’s Basil Garlic Knots are a perfect complement to the meal, and her towering Four-layer Southern Coconut Cake is spectacular. “The meals I love to cook are thoughtful but unfussy, detailed yet comfortable, and inviting by nature,” says Shea.

Recipe: Basil Garlic Knots

Recipe: Butter Lettuce Salad

Recipe: Melt-in-your-mouth Salmon with Asparagus

Recipe: Lemony Smashed Potatoes

Recipe: Four-layer Southern Coconut Cake

She sets her table with natural textures, vibrant florals, pastel blues and rich grassy greens. For her, it’s about creating a visual where people feel welcome. “I believe beauty belongs in every part of our lives,” says Shea. “It should be in the homes we design, the meals we serve and the moments we create around the table.”

Filled with approachable yet refined recipes, Around the Table marks an impressive first release. For your next gathering, get inspired by Shea’s impeccable taste in all things beautiful.

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“Just bake two cake layers, then slice in half horizontally to create an impressive centerpiece with an optimal cake-to-frosting ratio.” — Shea McGee

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“Crispy yet fluffy, this is the ultimate combination of a fried potato and a mashed potato.” — Shea McGee

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Set on a 100-acre property in Caledon, this modern farmhouse pairs traditional architecture with modern minimalist interior design. Indiana limestone, board-and-batten siding and barrel-vaulted ceilings inspired by old churches give the home a timeless feel. “The brief I got from the homeowners was that they wanted a house that felt like it had always been there, with materials that patinated,” says designer Nathalie Thorel of Interior Affairs. The backyard is made for entertaining, with a pool, outdoor kitchen and plenty of space for dining, lounging and taking in the views.

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Designer Denise Roy has a knack for making big decisions look easy.

Since 2021, she’s left a career in PR to launch Denise Roy Design, renovated her family’s vacation property in The Blue Mountains, Ont., and reworked the Victorian she shares with her husband, real-estate agent Rahim Jaffer, their daughter Juliette and her sister, Céline, who arrived earlier this year.

The three-bedroom, 1,755-square-foot house on Toronto’s west side was already in good shape when they bought it. “Everything was functioning just fine,” says Denise. The changes were less about fixing problems and more a matter of making the house feel personal and right for their family.

They began with a two-month-long reno that included the main bathroom, second-level flooring, kitchen and behind-the-wall upgrades, with trade work done by Terranova Developments. “It made sense to tackle some of the trade-heavy work early on, before we were actually living in the space, while we had the momentum and tolerance for disruption,” says Denise.

Denise’s decision to move from PR into design full time didn’t happen with a bang. “It was a quiet realization that kept getting louder,” she says. “I was trying to picture myself returning to my work in PR, and I just didn’t feel aligned anymore.” By contrast, long days knee-deep in renovations, whether for her own home or her clients’, leave her feeling nothing but energized.

In the kitchen, she recouped some costs by keeping the existing cabinets and painting them black. She also swapped the original black counters for white quartz. “Technically, the palette remained the same, but we inverted it,” says Denise. “By doing that, the entire mood shifted.” She also updated the flooring: natural white oak engineered hardwood was laid over the original circa-1890 boards that had become too worn to keep.

Denise’s design style is layered and deeply personal. In her own home, she’s taken the traditional Victorian elements and mixed them with mid-century and collector pieces, creating a calm environment with surprising twists. Unexpected moments appear in the breakfast nook with Sandberg Wallpaper’s Pine pattern and CW Stockwell’s Martinique in the powder room.

At the heart of the home is the dining room, where a vintage stone table is paired with six comfortable vintage chairs that Denise found on Facebook Marketplace. “I wanted it to be a table that you can spend a long time around. It’s a point of pride for me that we can host a dinner party and people linger at the table for hours,” she says with a smile.

Smaller spaces are the perfect place to take risks: on the second-floor stair landing, a vintage bust sits next to a playful contemporary table lamp and, in the front entry, an asymmetrical mirror complements a Kashan runner. Here, old and new work in tandem, creating expressive spaces throughout.

The house also reflects the realities of family life. In the loft playroom, neutral anchor pieces combine with accessories and toys in brighter colours. “Children’s spaces don’t need to be loud to be joyful,” says Denise. A checkered Moroccan stair runner, installed with help from a neighbour when the designer was eight months pregnant, has become one of her favourite features. “The runner makes me smile, even when I’m schlepping the umpteenth load of laundry up the stairs,” she says.

The bathroom was the first room they renovated, for practical and emotional reasons. “It’s a space we use constantly and, for me, it’s a sanctuary,” she says. The room was gutted, with only the tub remaining, and new terrazzo slabs on both the walls and floor became the defining feature, creating a graphic, immersive effect. The bathroom also delivered the biggest budget shock. Mid-renovation, Denise discovered that she needed an additional slab of terrazzo. “A little miscalculation turned into a big surprise,” she says.

The post A Designer Updates Her Victorian With A Cool, Eclectic Mix appeared first on House & Home.

Just like inside, this backyard feels refined and quietly luxurious. Reminiscent of a European-style courtyard, the terrace has a striped awning above and herringbone pavers underfoot. Decorated in simple black, white and grey, it brings the style of the kitchen outdoors, but it’s practical, too: in a relatively small footprint, there are zones for cooking, dining and lounging, including what the homeowner calls his “cigar chair.”

In this tranquil backyard designed by landscape architect Ron Holbrook, the coffee table does double duty as a fire table when the cover comes off.

For this contemporary country home designed by Sam Sacks, luxe is an understatement. The serene pool reflects the surrounding hills and is bordered by thoughtful landscaping.

A view from indoors highlights the refined outdoor setting.

Playful sphere-shaped lights illuminate this contemporary patio, lending a magical touch. The woven details add texture and intrigue.

In this outdoor space, fountains punctuate a fieldstone wall inspired by a hotel in Italy, and create a soothing sound. The granite boulders look like they’ve naturally tumbled into the water, and were locally sourced for this weekend home.

Fire features are increasingly popular in gardens: they provide a warm focal point and draw people together. The impressive stone fireplace is the centrepiece of the outdoor lounge in this stately Toronto garden.

Pool safety is important, and following city bylaws doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice aesthetics. The glass safety barrier is so sleek it’s practically invisible and doesn’t obscure the views of the pool.

Classic and visually soothing, symmetrical elements create order in a garden. In this Toronto home, the furniture is divided into two zones clustered at either end of the pool. To keep the vistas clear, boxwood shrubs are sunken directly into beds inset into the pool’s sandblasted Algonquin limestone deck.

Two statement trees tower above a meadow-like planting in this West Coast garden, softening the home’s contemporary, angular lines and adding height to the plantings. As these trees mature, they will provide a canopy of shade to keep the garden cool.

This Toronto backyard has clearly defined outdoor entertaining zones. The pizza oven and BBQ are is ideal for outdoor cooking, the dining table is the perfect spot to enjoy an open air meal and the comfortable lounge area offers a gathering place for an evening cocktail.

In this outdoor space, the firetable is a focal point that blends in with the warm wood tones of the deck. Made of Corten steel, a material prized for its no-fuss oxidized finish, the firetable will age gracefully over time.

A manicured shrub or hedge increases air flow and sunlight for healthier, lusher plants. Careful pruning also conveys a sharp, professional effect that looks high-end. A mix of Japanese maple and boxwood soften the hard lines of this home, to form a gradual crescendo up to the front door.

Having spots to gather are key to purposeful outdoor spaces. In this home, a charming wicker bench and armchairs allow for meals to be enjoyed and memories to be made on the terrace.

Oversize planters make a statement with their scale. In this Toronto backyard, a striking Arctic willow can overwinter in this generous pot, which provides plenty of room for roots to thrive.

The designers of this condo, Curtis Elmy and Trevor Ciona, kept the look tailored with dark stone tables and black upholstery accented by crisp white piping to match the buildings’ sleek, mirrored exterior and railings.

Even sun worshippers need a cool place to retreat at high noon. Structures like pergolas or umbrellas provide respite from the summer heat and let the breeze flow freely on this pool deck.

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“The clients wanted a contemporary country vibe with a lot of natural materials like wood,” says designer Audrée Kemp Bélanger.

The rustic pine vanity in this newly built lakeside home in Quebec’s Laurentians subtly references historical Quebec furniture. Set near an antique ladderback chair selected by AKB Design, it gives this bathroom an unmistakable heritage air. “Vintage pieces in this bathroom make it feel timeless and warm, plus they give the space such a unique charm,” she adds.

Audrée‘s advice:

• Place the tub in front of a window, if possible, or add interest to the wall above the tub with art.
• Add vintage pieces for character.
• Create symmetry: in this space, the tub is centred opposite the vanity.
• A water closet is a great option for privacy.
• Inject colour with towels and runners: here, purple towels pick up the rug’s plummy tones.

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Kelvin Browne On Setting Up House With His Partner, Michael Allen, In Chester, N.S.

We bought our Chester house before setting foot in it. It wasn’t quite an online impulse buy because a friend, who was nearby, did a reconnaissance. “I could live there,” she said.

I had been based in Toronto for 50 years — I stayed after attending the University of Toronto — and my husband, Michael Allen, had lived there for 40 years. I’m now retired but, in the city, I worked as a writer and arts administrator, including stints as vice-president at the ROM and director of the Gardiner Museum. Michael was, and still is, a lawyer.

We’d been looking for a new Canadian retirement haven after selling our property in Cape Cod, Mass., the year before. Our first attempt was a brief but unconsummated dalliance with Prince Edward County, Ont. After this, Chester became the aspiration, as we realized we missed the ocean and we’d also recently acquired a sailboat — Chester’s Mahone Bay is one of the best places to sail in Canada.

While we’d been visiting Chester for 30 years, and almost bought a place there 15 years ago, this house wasn’t on our radar. Nonetheless, it was in the village where we wanted to be, rather than on a picturesque but remote oceanfront property where you couldn’t walk to the grocery store. Also, it was still a time of Covid anxiety. There were few houses for sale in Chester, and the perceived Covid avoidance of small-town living created high demand — hence the precipitous purchase. So, in October 2021, I flew in from Toronto three days after our offer was accepted. It was a relief that the online photos weren’t misleading, and the home had a good vibe.

When we replaced the Mexican tile in the living–dining area with porcelain tile that resembled slate, the existing pine floor in the front hall felt disconnected. Painted floors in the Maritimes are not uncommon, so we painted a black and white checkerboard design over the original pine to better co-ordinate with the new tile. The bold pattern is a nice jolt when you enter the house. Our contractor was initially horrified, of course, but he’s come to like it. We left the stairway as is, except to paint the treads black to tie in with the floors.

The house was built in 1901 by a local judge as a year-round residence. Many local houses of that period were not winterized and used only as summer cottages. We’re told it was a rooming house in the 1930s; at more than 3,500 square feet, and with potentially five bedrooms, it was a good candidate to be one, especially during the Great Depression. We’ve experienced ghosts and suspect they’re from this tumultuous moment in the house’s history. Soon after we arrived in Chester, a new acquaintance said, “I hope you’re going to change your awful house colour.” But we liked it, so it stayed. The door was a dark purple; when we repaired it, we painted it a more vivid purple inspired by the “painted lady” houses in Lunenburg, N.S.

We commissioned local artist Scott Hamlin of Scotian Ironworks to create a fireplace screen and suggested that the work of Diego Giacometti be his inspiration.

About 70 years after this, an American couple, seasonal residents, rebuilt the rear portion of the house when they bought it, including a basement. They sold it to us after summering there for 25 years. We were fortunate our intrepid contractor, referred to us by the previous owners, was miraculously available when Nova Scotia was suddenly booming after years of decline. Dwight Neaves had decades of experience with Chester houses, plus access to gifted trades with the same love, or perhaps tolerance, for working on older homes. Connections are paramount in terms of getting anything done well in the Maritimes, and Dwight had them. In the dining area, we replaced the small, fussy-looking bookcases with more elegant contemporary versions. Throughout, we installed track lighting and added more recessed lights in order to illuminate our art properly.

A lot of smaller changes add up to a big job: we moved the powder room off the living room to a new front hall that was created, built a fireplace, replaced much of the flooring, added and upgraded windows, built a wall to separate the kitchen from the living room, replaced the kitchen cabinets, added cornice mouldings and renovated the ensuite. I often forget the less visible aspects of the renovation, such as replacing electric baseboard heating with propane hot water rads and recontouring the property outside for better drainage and a dry basement.

I assured Michael that our renovation would be completed in short order and on budget. “Not like the others,” I claimed. We weren’t adding an addition or gutting a place; I was confident. A year later, we were still finishing details and had jettisoned our unrealistic budget months before. The kitchen didn’t start out as a gut job but, in the end, it became one, save for some of the cabinet frames and the cooktop.

The other decorating was comparatively easier, as we had been collecting furniture and art for decades and had a trove from which to choose. While many things fit, much was sold or went into storage. We also bought some new furniture; these strategic purchases help our eclectic mix look like it belongs together here. The result is a wonderful sense of being surrounded by our past, but having it appear as fresh as a new beginning.

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Every inch of this modern farmhouse designed by Keri MacLellan is reminiscent of the English countryside. The painted tongue-and-groove exterior is topped with a European-inspired metal roof, while floor-to-ceiling windows frame views of the bucolic landscape and horse paddock beyond. Inside, soft curves, plaster and limewash finishes create a warm, layered feel, while a double-sided fireplace anchors the main living space.

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