GORGEOUS ON THE GORGE

A glitz-free design makes Mother Nature the star all year long

The view of Sophia Reay’s backyard in Salem, Ont., would inspire a landscape painter. Like an A.Y. Jackson canvas come to life, a clutch of cedar trees sits on a bluff overlooking the Irvine Creek, which cascades into a 30-foot waterfall. It’s spectacular and sonorous, especially in winter, when the snow settles on the branches and the backyard puts on a show.

“Our home is right on the gorge. You can see the old Salem gristmill,” says Sophia, the principal designer behind LemonTree + Co. Interiors, which sells vintage furnishings and custom linen goods, such as drapery, aprons and toss cushion covers. “When the waterfall freezes over, it’s beautiful. Then when it thaws, you hear huge ice chunks fall and the whole house shakes.”

The scene is stunningly captured from the designer’s many-windowed living room in the home she shares with her husband, Richard Frede (a builder who runs R. Frede Construction), and their dog,

Maggie. “We chose to build a modern home because it allowed us to get away with much more glass than a traditional design,” says Sophia of the light-filled 3,200-square-foot structure Richard’s company erected in 2016. “We love nature, which is why we wanted the entire back of our home to be one big window. That is our art, our colour. It revolves around cedar trees, the rocks and the gorge.”

Simple Mid-Century Modern furniture in an earthy grey and white palette creates a serene interior. Yet the restrained rooms are undeniably cozy, offering many spots to lounge with a cup of tea and read a book or get lost in the forested view. It’s all about weaving in the right details, says Sophia. “Modern can feel stark unless you use texture and organic elements,” she says.

That approach also plays into how Sophia decorates for the holidays. Seasonal touches take the form of a potted poinsettia on a side table, for instance, or an understated wreath pinned to a door. “I used to be over the top with sparkles and glitter during the holidays, but I’ve pared down completely, using only a few natural touches. Why would I want glittery branches when I can look out to see real ones?” says Sophia with a laugh. In a house like this, you really can’t compete with Mother Nature, she adds. “You’ll always lose!”

“Modern can feel stark unless you use texture and organic elements.”

LEFT “We watch TV; we watch movies,” says Sophia unabashedly. “So why hide it?” That said, she used black to make the TV visually recede into the fireplace surround, “to let nature and the view dominate.” Bits of seasonal and year-round greenery complement the verdant views.