The OLD HOUSE by THE SEA

TWO HALIFAX DESIGNERS ARE KNIGHTS IN SHINING ARMOUR FOR A NEGLECTED NOVA SCOTIA RETREAT.

OON CANADA’S EAST COAST, SUMMER IS LIKE A FLING: hot, totally thrilling, and gone before you know it. So it’s not surprising that, here, the idea of a summer house is more a state of mind — a destination at the end of a long winter or a stressful week of work — than a brick-and-mortar place. That’s what Halifax designers Colin Blanchard and Kenneth McRobbie craved one Saturday morning in the summer of 2016 while sipping their coffee and scouring the local real-estate listings. They spotted a circa-1890 house for sale about an hour away, on the shore of East LaHave, N.S. As life partners and the owners of 31 Westgate, their home store and design firm in downtown Halifax, their dream was “to find a historical home on the water where we could welcome clients, friends and family all summer in a relaxed environment,” says Colin.

When they rushed to see the house the next day, their hearts sank. “It was shocking,” admits Kenneth of the derelict three-bedroom, 2,600-square-foot structure that had been empty, exposed to the ravages of Nova Scotia’s weather and already on the market for two years. “It was a house down on its luck, run-down and dirty.” Although the designers are veteran renovators, their first thought was that this was way beyond what they could take on. But, like a much-anticipated but disappointing first date, they were eager to overlook its flaws. “We fell in love with the bones of the house; it was so romantic,” says Colin of its Italianate architecture and swoon-worthy views of the LaHave River. “We’re emotional buyers, and this was a sleeping beauty that needed attention.”

Two days later, they decided to make an offer only to find there was a higher bidder whose intention was to tear down the house. As luck would have it, the local bank manager was from the area and didn’t want to see the landmark destroyed. So, the house went to Colin and Kenneth — cobwebs, cracked plaster, leaky ceiling, toxic wallpaper and all.

Aided by their trusted team of craftspeople, they rolled up their sleeves and went to work. “We’re both doers,” says Colin.

RIGHT: Designers Colin Blanchard (left) and Kenneth McRobbie on their restored front porch. Door colour, Fox Red (48), Farrow & Ball. OPPOSITE: An elegant corner of the studio serves as a summer office, complete with a working rotary phone. “There’s a romance to intimate task lighting rather than lots of ambient light,” says Colin. Desk, 31 Westgate; desk lamp, floor lamp, Ralph Lauren Home; flowers (throughout), Island Meadow Farms.