This light and Airy new build in Mitchell Ontario for an absolutely lovely young family was a project I was so pleased to be part of from concept to completion.

My amazing friend and photographer Robin Stubbert partnered with me to style and photograph it for the current issue of Style at Home Magazine.

You can see more of Robins work on her website

The home already boasted some fantastic elements such as high ceilings, lovely floors/ millwork and stunning cabinetry.

They wanted to update the interiors to maximize those features and better reflect their personal style.

During the design phase it was decided that we would reuse some existing furniture. The couch, dining table, chairs and wine rack as well as a pine blanket box which was a treasured family heirloom.

Red is a favourite of the client and the use of it mixed with taupes, tans and black throughout the open concept space combined to bring life and energy while maintaining the classic, elegant backdrop of light walls and cabinetry.

Bringing in barstools with a brushed chrome finish upholstered in a deep red Crypron velvet brought the kitchen to life.

I found a long red vintage runner that leads the eye from the front door towards the living space and the epic outdoor views.

You can see the blanket box was repurposed behind one of the two pairs of club chairs.

A set of vintage drums turned into tables add a touch of whimsy and charm. I absolutely LOVE them!

The rug is a patchwork of neutral hides available to the trade through. JF Fabrics. The Fabrics are also JF. The red velvet is pattern Salute and the wide stripe is pattern Waterfall. I also redid the dining chair seats in a small stripe pattern Creek seen on couch pillow in photo later in the post.

A vintage transit was used in a under-utilized corner. It appears almost sculptural and is actually quite usable for seeing boats out on the water.

I placed a thick live edge serving board one the kitchen island. It has a shaped back side that curves around the sink almost hiding it from view. A beautiful vintage German vase filled with faux glads sit centre stage here… I think the scale is just right to balance the lovely pair of pendants.

A bench upholstered in red sits in front of the fireplace. It serves double duty in the space as extra seating or brought in front of the couch for use as a footstool when watching T.V.

The outdoor views from the property are quite breathtaking… I hope the homeowners enjoy many years looking out towards this vista from their newly updated interiors!!

When I had my first consult with the owners of this cottage I found out that it had been built by the uncle of the current owner. It was obvious right away that there had been a great deal of love and respect for him… The stories of his attention to detail and of his character made that perfectly clear.

The current owners wanted to bring new life to the place… lighten and brighten it and create a better flow for entertaining while retaining the footprint of the original cottage.

So… I set to work!

We kept the ceiling as it was… I chose light walls, designed new kitchen cabinetry complete with an island with storage for the kitchen, four barstools for relaxed eating and a bookshelf on the living room side.

Removal of the old wood stove which took up a huge amount of room made an instant difference.

New furniture and draperies and …

Voila!!

Hello Summer!!

Storage cubes that open up for storing extra blankets , books or games…

Casual but functional wicker chairs…

Area rug from Dash and Albert in a fun graphic pattern…

Butcherblock counters balance the ceiling and ground the space…

A simple striped valance hides the pull down blinds and brings a nautical touch…

I love this finished space and my clients seem thrilled! I hope they make another generation of memories here.

Many of you may know that I had the pleasure of working with my uncle Artist Peter Etril Snyder for a few years before his death in 2017. It was an incredibly creative time that I will always cherish.

It is impossible for me to list all the ways my life was influenced by Pete. From early childhood he was fascinating to me and during my teenage years I began to truly appreciate how talented he was as an artist and how entrepreneurial he was by nature. I benefited from spending time with him and my Aunt Marilyn in more ways than I even realize. Several trips to England where we met up with them sparked my interest in the decorative arts and no doubt contributed to my decision to pursue design as a career.

Pete was extremely supportive when I decided to open my design studio. He mentored me and always made me think outside the box, encouraging me to stretch myself, expand my ideas and dream. Pete and I collaborated on a post for my blog in 2013. It was a lot of fun to work together and got us thinking about the future possibilities. You can read that post here.

During this time we were emailing often. A few opportunities presented themselves for possibly using his work in my design projects and this led to discussions about future collaborations. By 2015 he began cc’ing me on emails on his art business dealings. This opened up a new level of mentoring. His willingness to include me in correspondence gave invaluable insights into how he communicated with people and how he ran things.

I should also interject here that my uncle Doug ( brother of Pete and twin of my father ) played a huge role in Pete’s business. Uncle Doug ran the gallery for over 30 years. I can’t tell you how often Pete mentioned to me the importance of the role Doug played. This quote sums it up beautifully and leaves no doubt as to how Pete felt…

“My brother Doug and I worked together for over 30 years. Anyone who dealt with the gallery knows that Doug was the man who ran the day-to-day operations of the place. His steadfast support of my work made it possible for me to focus my attention on painting and not on the very important job of running the gallery. His attention to the customers and to the staff always left me feeling confident that everyone was looked after properly. It is impossible for me to exaggerate the positive effect that Doug’s quiet competent work had on my career. Everyone should have such a brother.”

That quote was from an interview Pete gave around the time he closed the Gallery in 2009.

I believe that this positive and longstanding working relationship with his brother played a very important role in Pete fostering a working relationship with me. This excerpt refers to his thoughts on the matter:

“We have a singular relationship which I value dearly. Very few people are fortunate enough to work with a family member and here I am with a second round of a special family relationship..”

Emailing back and forth with Pete became a very important part of my life… whether we were discussing business or family, going down memory lane or brainstorming about a new idea… it all filled my heart and fuelled my creativity.

We had talked about a host of possibilities for the future. I knew he was thinking about how things would go on once he was gone. He copied me on an email sent to a colleague in the publishing field where he was suggesting he wanted to introduce me to her the next time they met:

“With no kids, I am looking for a safe and interested pair of hands to take over”

My interest in developing my design website and managing my own SM branding intrigued him and in 2016 when his website became out of date and needed redesigning he asked me to step in. He wanted people to have a place to come learn about his career, look at his paintings and read what he had written about each piece. I think that goal was achieved very nicely indeed! You can click through to explore the Gallery Website.

Also around this time I began thinking about using Pete’s images on fabric for development into the decorative market. This really intrigued him and there were many emails batting around concepts between us. After some trial and error I settled on a UK company to do the printing. I approached Gresham House Furniture about doing a custom chair using the printed fabric. I also began printing images for custom pillows.

Pete not only supported these explorations into new products he encouraged it. In one email he said

“It is a joy to do stuff with you. I enjoy your energy and ambition and agree with your taste which is clearly paramount.”

Our discussions about fabric design had us both smitten…

To Pete Sept 7/2016 ( FG is a short form of Pete’s lifelong nick name for me… Funny Girl:)

“This fabric development opens up a new way of considering composition as well. Slightly more faded borders …
not using the entire canvas but bleeding out towards the edges gives me interesting options for centring for pillow tops or creating repeats that have those bleeded colours between ? I don’t know if that makes sense?
XO
FG

which garnered this response back:

“That makes total exciting sense!
P”

followed later that day by:

“My thoughts are several. Doing a layout in black and white and then laying several backgrounds with accents might be the way to go.
Leave it with me. This wants more thought. This will be great fun! P”

Over the next few months I would get many emails relating to our new joint venture… His health during this time was declining as it had been for awhile. I know from his correspondence that collaborations over email became highly enjoyable as they provided creative outlet from a relaxed and quiet environment.

”It is impossible to convey how much I enjoy our chats. I hope that I can generate some thoughts and challenges to you. I am always happy to act as a sounding board for you. Since I go out very little now my life has shifted to online. P”

Developments in the fabric arena as well as other concepts we had been discussing led Pete to approach me with an idea. He wanted to transfer the ownership of his copyright to me. I was staggered by the possibilities and also by the responsibility. Pete had spent over 50 years painting. His work had received international success, it crossed decades, continents and captured vividly and beautifully all that ensnared his heart over the course of his life. History will recognize him as a prominent Canadian Painter. Being responsible for how that body of work would be seen and represented in the future both captivated and petrified me… but then I remembered where he started from and the risks he took to pursue his passion. How he wanted his work to bring enjoyment. How he took pleasure in connecting with people and most of all… how even though he achieved great success he never lost sight of those who contributed whether as an employee, peer, friend or customer.

This is what he wanted.

I was the safe and interested pair of hands he had chosen to intrust his catalogue and I was honoured to take on the responsibility.

In late October of 2016 the transfer was completed and I became owner of the copyright to his complete portfolio. We continued to discuss ideas for development of the Art Licensing aspect of his work. He encouraged me to pursue leads in many arenas both innovative and traditional such as prints:

“Funny Girl, 
I have been thinking about finding a name or term for new reproductions. Once I’m dead… Perhaps”estate approved” or something….”heritage something”?
Should the word ” Family” come into the picture?
Pete”

Emails like that were so hard… I honestly couldn’t imagine life without him and even now a year and a half after his passing… I still can’t believe he is gone. I feel his creative energy all around me and his words echo through my mind…

”I will be watching with interest to see how you guys get on. I feel so fortunate that you are interested in my work. I Love you. Pete

“Honey,  I believe that I have had an influence on you and I feel so heart warmed by that. I also feel good about my impact on Spencer but remember influence is not a one way street. I am so proud of you and your spirit. Both you and Spencer are outstanding and satisfying your ambition…  We are fortunate to have each other. P”  

Pete says in his autobiography Picture Maker:

“The dictionary defines beauty as those qualities giving pleasure to the mind or the senses. For me, that is what painting is all about.”    

 So, I will end with this…    

Dear Pete, I miss you so very much. Your influence on my life is incalculable and I promise… I will do everything we talked about… I will never stop dreaming and your work will continue inspiring for many generations to come. Thank you for bringing your completely unique beauty to the world. xoxo Funny Girl

July 4/2017 sent to the organizer of an upcoming tribute in his honour at Waterloo Regional Museum. Although Pete could not attend due to his failing health the event was wonderful with many friends speaking about Pete and his contributions to the community as well as his impact in the Art world. Little did we know he would leave us only a few weeks later.

“My niece, Cynthia has taken over my library of images. My hope is that my work and it’s further application does not die with me.”   Peter Etril Snyder

The main project was a new kitchen… but, before we could begin that we had to decide about flooring. With a centre hallway, maximizing flow was an important consideration and so we opted to remove all five kinds of flooring on the main level ( three kinds of tile and two kinds of hardwood… none of them original to the house) and start over.

I had already decided on black cabinetry with chrome hardware, a white farmhouse sink, black walnut butcher block counters and an inset blue agate island top. To balance and unify the space we chose white oak for the floors which we stained in place with a semitransparent warm white stain.

This photo was taken the day we moved in… you can see the three kinds of tile in the foyer, kitchen and bathroom off the kitchen. You can also see the transition to wood leading into the dining room. What this photo doesn’t show is that the doorway was actually walled over. You could not get into that room from the foyer. Kent opened that access up within 24hrs of moving in which immediately opened things up visually.

If you have followed here for awhile you will know that in the initial renovation I chose to paint the foyer very light. We also repaired and repainted the staircase steps and spindles white. I knew I wanted to bring some interest to the stairs by adding a striped runner.

I chose to use a Dash and Albert pattern called Birmingham Black. It has a very bold line I love and the black and light tan combination is an absolute classic.

Now here is where I need to come clean… When it came time to lay the runners we were so tired from the renovation that we decided to lay them overtop of the old green runner. In hindsight I know this was a mistake. Taking the extra time to remove the old runner and add new underpad would have been well worth the effort.

So… let’s jump ahead to 2019… Over the years that the runners were down they looked great and I still absolutely loved them but… with some spot cleaning I began to see colour leaching through from the old green runner. There was also some wear starting as the staircase gets extremely hard use. Lots of traffic both people and dogs.

I decided that I needed to replace them. Since I wanted to use the same pattern again but was craving a bit of drama in the foyer I began to contemplate how to achieve my goal.

Now don’t panic… I know a lot of you loved the foyer already and I want to thank you for your beautiful compliments on it and the entire renovation featured in the various issues of Style at Home we were in. If you missed those features you can get a recap Here, Here and Here.

It was just a bit of punch I was craving… a few small changes that would add some weight to the staircase and marry it to the strong presence of the entryway.

Well… you may have guessed what I chose to do.

Yes, I did! I painted the staircase black. Not only does this bring the impact I was craving, it also defines the runner, grounds the entire staircase and draws your eye up the staircase showing off the gentle curve of the wrap around railing.

I am thrilled with how the black also enhances the colour of the cherry hand railing and newel post.

To repeat that black and tan combination I added a warm toned saddle hung on a black post above the doorway to the kitchen. It provides an unexpected element to the space. This is a trick I use often in client projects as well… a touch of whimsy or interest that has a subtle sub conscious repetition of some aspect of the design or the personalities/interests of the client.

I learned from past experience and this time I completely removed any trace of the old green runner and used new underpad from Dash and Albert as well. The finished results were well worth the effort. Dash and Albert has a great tutorial on their website showing tips for installing runners on staircases. Here is the link… I think you will find it really helpful!

I also need to give a big thank you to our son Spencer who helped install the runners on our staircase. You are the best!!xoxo

Spring always brings a long list of things to do here… I’m excited to start thinking about the gardens again and I am also planning a few more updates for the house so stay tuned. You can follow all my exploits over on Instagram.

Here is the link If you would like to purchase Birmingham Black runners or rugs for your home. They have so many beautiful patterns be sure to browse their website to find the perfect one that suits your unique style!

As always feel free to pin images to Pinterest. You can follow me over there at this link Cynthia Weber Design on Pinterest.

A big thank you to Annie Selke for providing me with the runners for this collaboration. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Along with the Birmingham Black runners here are a few of my current crush Annie Selke products… They all link directly to the items on the Annie Selke website… Happy Shopping!!

If you found me through the tour…

Welcome to our home, BannockBurn 1878!!

Be sure to check out the other homes on tour and enter for the giveaway … I will share links at the end of this post.

I often hear people say that they don’t know where to begin when creating seasonal decor for their home…

It can all seem a bit overwhelming, I totally understand…

My number one tip when beginning the process is to enjoy it…

Preconceived notions of Holiday Decorating Perfection are an illusion we get far too caught up in…

In my experience, some off my favourite seasonal decor ideas were spur of the moment…  so don’t be afraid to try something new!!

Set in the dining room of our home BannockBurn 1878 this tablescape was part of my Holiday style collaboration with Bradshaws ( located in Stratford Ontario.)

We used many products from their wonderful shop to create a festive holiday table.

Starting with a whimsical striped table runner in paper and then adding layers of texture and interest with silver placemats, Le Creuset dinnerware, Waterford crystal, candleholders and charming silver trees we set the stage for making memories.

If you are anything like me you are always looking for extra serving areas.

I designed these collapsible tray tables based on a vintage baggage stand concept. We have them throughout the house and quite frankly, I can’t image not having them… I use them in so many ways.

Here one makes the perfect place to showcase desert.

Not only does this leave the host or hostess free to do less hopping between courses but it also provides another place for a holiday vignette.

Sometimes high impact can be achieved through simplicity… a wreath hung with wide black ribbon is all that was needed to dress my china cabinet.

For an interesting mix of style within the china cabinet I married Sophie Conran dishes, Wedgewood Strawberry and Vine dinnerware ( which I believe is now discontinued ), some vintage glassware and a variety of cut glass and pressed glass pieces.

Fresh greens are always my go to when styling for the Holidays…

Yes, they can be more work and Yes, they do drop as the season winds up but for me… there is no substitute!

Here a small posy of cedar, seeded eucalyptus and a magnolia tip are tied with ribbon on the chair backs.

A few whimsical miniature houses,  a reindeer and a dusting of fresh cedar go along way to dress up our bar area.

I am absolutely in love with that apothecary inspired jar holding gorgeous black tipped matches and the stunning Waterford Lismore Black tumblers and brandy glasses stole my heart!!!

Mixing fresh greens with crystal candlesticks, white candles and these wonderful mercury glass trees brings the perfect mix to this centrepiece.

I can just imaging the dance of soft candlelight playing off the metallic of the trees… sigh.

Grey Mongolian sheepskins are casually draped over two of the chair backs for a touch of whimsy and texture.

We work so hard creating beautiful deserts for Holiday gatherings… it seems fitting to give them centre stage as long as possible!

This absolutely adorable cake from Perfect Pastry dressed with rosemary tip trees and a bambiesque doe deserve to be seen and fawned over…

Yes, I did say “fawned” over Ha Ha Ha… or is it Ho Ho Ho?

Well that is my take on creating a festive dining room for the Holidays.

I hope you enjoyed the photos and if you are curious to see more of our home and my work please follow along with me on Instagram I would love to get to know you!!

Here are the links to the homes on the tour…

Here is the line up for the week:

Monday

Maison de Cinq * My Soulful Home * French Garden House * Savvy Southern Style

Tuesday

So Much Better with Age * Cynthia Weber Designs * At the Picket Fence

Wednesday

Becky’s Farmhouse * Love of Home

Thursday

Little Farmstead * Our Southern Home * Celebrating Everyday Life

Friday

Starfish Cottage Blog * Housepitality Designs * UnSkinny Boppy

The tour is sponsored by Bespoke Decor. Read on for an opportunity to enter for a chance to win a $200 gift card to Bespoke. Happy Holiday to you a bit early!

Bespoke Decor is filled with beautiful things for your home & lifestyle from one of a kind vintage to elegant linens. You are bound to find more than a few items you’ll love. Enter to win the chance at a $200 gift certificate by clicking HERE.

Entries for the Bespoke Decor give away must be in by December 1st. Our winner will be randomly selected and notified by email.

You can also follow Bradshaws IG feed  and to purchase their beautiful products online please visit their website 

*Wreath and fresh greens used in this feature courtesy of Stratford Blooms. Photos of the dining room feature shown in this post are by David Charlesworth Photography

Wishing you and yours a very festive Holiday Season!!

xoxo

Cynthia

P.S… Bradshaws has asked me to put together a curated Holiday Gift List for them on Dec 1st. so follow along on my IG feed to see all the goodies on my list!!