Beauty on Clear Lake

Clear Lake, located in Peterborough County, is surrounded by woods and picturesque beauty for miles! Located next to Stoney Lake, and as part of the Trent Severn Waterway, Clear Lake is nestled amongst a serene and natural setting. The lake is ten miles long and one mile wide at its widest point. Located conveniently near Lakefield, Clear Lake is a popular cottage and seasonal home destination for many and the number of permanent residences, are increasing on the lake.

Clear Lake located in Kawartha Lakes Ontario

Our Clear Lake project was built in the 90’s and like most cottages it had seen a lot of typical lakeside activity. Bottom line, it needed a refresh, especially the basement area which is a walkout style. We dislike using the term “basement”because let’s face it, our projects aren’t exactly “basement like” by the time we are finished with them! The walkout was used for TV viewing, housed all the guest rooms, had an area for wine storage, and also an office and gym zone were located on the same bottom floor. This would be one of the hardest working walkout projects we’ve done as there were many checkboxes for how each area needed to function as well as how the aesthetic could translate into an elegant yet practical collection of spaces.

Just one of the many views of what we created for this Clear Lake walkout!

As our client’s began to spend more time at the cottage, it became obvious that the walkout area, needed a makeover. They enjoy watching golf events like The Masters and they also love entertaining. These usable but dated vignettes of space, required a more sophisticated and stylized update to elevate the walkout into a comfortable, warm and inviting household destination. With this area housing the only TV, and the fact our clients enjoy cooking and having company over, it was easy to see how we could create a personalized and unique room that guests would find accommodating and welcoming.

Spacious, welcoming, with a contemporary aesthetic, Clear Lake delivers on lakefront practical comfort with modern amenities!

Our clients contacted us for their walkout glow up and we were intrigued by the challenge of how to connect all the various spaces and build cohesion for this pass-through area to the hot tub and the lake. Our mandate was to create a space for watching a movie and sporting events with enough room to entertain. The clients are wine enthusiasts so we wanted to highlight the wine cellar as a feature. We also needed to create an entertaining area for food and drink to avoid having to go upstairs. A well-appointed wet bar would hold amenities and they would be able to do turn key entertaining in the walkout space.

Our to do list also included the creation of a spacious gym area, and we have to say the makeover results are spectacular! The gym space required specific features and we designed the bar area outside the gym door, to double as a water station. Internet access, mirrors to ensure form is not forgotten and fluted wood treatment on walls serves dual purposes. One purpose is to bring the outdoors in and with felt backing, the fluted walls secondly, provide a sound proof effect. Floors utilized gym purpose materials so that everything is soft to the touch.  

The main guest room was a perfect location that we needed to outfit with attention to detail in mind. The second guest room would be more of a challenge with little natural light and the office would need to serve dual purpose as both a work area and additional sleep accommodations. The gym would also have a pull-out space so that in a pinch, more guest overnight arrangements could be had. And finally, a renovated bathroom would have a steam shower as a fitting accomplice to the gym. For finishing touches within the guest rooms, we selected gorgeous art from The Colborne Street Gallery, with accessories and furniture from Room by Tim + Chris. We added thoughtful lighting, and blackout curtains to create ambiance and mood. Hooks and bag drop areas along with dressers and simple side tables provide ample space for guests to unpack and unwind.

A view to the living room with fireplace. An Eddie LePage piece, from the Colborne Street Gallery works alongside the many accessories we incorporated into the design details for each guest room.

A view to one of the guest rooms featuring the upholstered Carmichael Bed from Room by Tim + Chris.Lighting and end tables all available through Room by Tim + Chris.

We love a good doorway view!!

Soft bedding and muted tones provide a relaxing and calm guest room offering all the amenities.

This entire walkout space was going to be a showstopper and Home by Tim + Chris rose to the design challenge! We were essentially building an entire floor of a home and the way we planned for flow, would be paramount to the success of the project. And let’s not forget about the view to the lake! We had the beautiful backdrop of Clear Lake, therefore materials we selected would need to be durable yet elevated for this type of design mission. These spaces would be used accordingly so we wanted longevity yet impact from a design perspective.

Heading downstairs, you pass a granite wall with arched doors that connects to the outdoors. We changed the granite to horizontal shiplap which lightened the space and created more of a fresh, modern feel. We also had the challenge on this same wall, of hiding doorways which the shiplap allowed us to do. Beside the shiplap wall, we created an arched feature over the bar. Our Studio TC team are incredible at custom fits and looking back at the arched bar, arched door and granite, it all immediately puts your eye at ease.

The granite accent wall we left as an interesting entry feature for the wine room.

Just over from the bar is the fireplace. Our challenge with this particular spot was balancing the doorways adjacent to it. Selecting shiplap allowed for a hidden door feature that would not distract from the clean lines that we accomplished with such a wall treatment.

Arched treatment for bar area with wine room entrance in background along the granite wall.

The bar area is used for entertaining, food and drink preparation and clean up. Also, with close proximity to the gym, this area acts as the water station.

Custom benches and shelving all designed and built by our Home by Tim + Chris Studio TC, provide storage for everything from electronics to hot tub supplies.

A view facing the fireplace with built-ins by Home by Tim + Chris Studio TC, beneath vertical windows that act as storage.

Storage and benches work in unison. One of the many art pieces from The Colborne Street Gallery that we used to bring colour and a piece of the Kawarthas inside.

Other built-ins by Home by Tim + Chris Studio TC to continue the storage theme. These built-ins have beautiful textured caning to add interest and a global feel that still pulls the Kawartha outdoors in.

In front of the fireplace and framing the entire room is a coffered ceiling that we modified from an oversized shape into something that instead frames the room and still provides depth. The craftsmanship of the ceiling material is really special and when paired with lighting that highlights the wood grain, we in effect made the ceiling into art which speaks to the other pieces throughout all the spaces.

We use art for story telling throughout our design experiences. Art allows us to translate our client’s vision into something authentic and we are then able to connect walls and spaces to a Kawartha aesthetic that is unique to the area we are designing for. Throughout each space are heated floors, which again, are a practical consideration knowing that we are designing for a region that has its seasonal variations.  Often lower levels require an extra layer of warmth to gain the cozy factor during the winter months and cooler evenings.

This Leanne Baird piece tells the story of the Kawartha landscape through her work with acrylics. Visit The Colborne Street Gallery for more Kawartha inspired art pieces.

The wood coffered ceiling frames the entire ceiling in front of the fireplace creating depth and turning the ordinary into art!

Ceiling in relation to the fireplace and cozy sectional sofa from Room by Tim + Chris.

Expansive wood floors mimic the ceiling treatment creating cohesiveness and interest at the same time.

As you make your way through the hidden ship lap door into the office, Home by Tim + Chris Studio TC created a bespoke pullout bed that mimics a bookcase!

The hidden door behind horizontal shiplap leads to the office with lake view.

We kept the furnishings in this room minimal so that the compact desk could easily be moved for the bed to pull out. The view from this room is really special and we really enjoyed pulling everything together for it. A signature rug, a special piece of art and a side chair from Room by Tim + Chris are really the finishing details that work in tandem with the view.

Art from The Colborne Street Gallery and a rug from Room by Tim + Chris provide personal touches selected by our client.

Natural light floods the office which works to accommodate guest overflow with the pull-out bed designed as part of the custom bookcase.

This modern contemporary chair available at Room by Tim + Chris is the perfect accent for a sunny corner.

Clear Lake provided a backdrop for us, and we transcended boundaries for what comes to mind when you think of a typical walkout basement. By embracing the Kawartha exterior, we used wood tones and materials to enhance seamless transition for all the various spaces with an effortless exit to the outdoors. This is a space you move through. It pulls you in for a spell of TV watching, perhaps a nap or a workout, but ultimately it all connects to the expansive view to create an exceptional result. Know you will see this space again, it’s a timeless classic design that we enjoy sharing in our stories and posts!

Warm wood tones in every corner, make this walkout well suited for cottage style but with elevated contemporary touches.

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Tim + Chris