Rewind Design

Welcome to Rewind Design - A Podcast dedicated to discovering the stories of Cottage Country in Ontario. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey and for the first official episode with a real live guest! Today on the show we’ll be diving into a piece of cottage country I am very familiar with, the South Channel of Georgian Bay, home to my favourite place on earth. Our family cottage. And as I alluded to in my last episode, I will be speaking to a very important guest who happens to be one of the most influential people in my life - my mom! My mom is an amazing woman who is so passionate about the arts, is an amazing pie baker, and she is the world’s best gardener. Links: https://southchannel.ca/ | https://georgianbay.ca/ | https://www.gbbr.ca/ | https://georgianbayforever.org/    --- There are so many stories to share and explore and I cannot wait to dig deeper into Cottage Country History with you every 2 weeks. So stay tuned for upcoming episodes airing every 2 weeks on Mondays starting today July 4th.   --- You can follow my instagram page at @rewinddesign.interiors, or you can send me an email at katy@rewinddesign.ca to be added to my email list for episode notifications.

The story begins in a similar fashion to my own history, with Patty’s ancestors hailing from Scotland and Germany, the same mix of cultures I am also from. Curiosity compelled me to read further and further into the pattern of emigration to Cottage Country, how did Patty’s family find their way here? How did they end up in a Farmhouse on the undisturbed Rose Point in the most beautiful protected part of the South Channel? How did they end up on the infamous Waubano Paddle Steamer which transported passengers across the rough seas of Georgian Bay from Collingwood to Parry Sound before there were railways or roads. The story dates back to 1894 when Patty’s now summer cottage was built by her great, great grandparents (Frank + Mary Hogg) to use a a year long home while he was working for the Midland and North Shore Lumber Company from. This original farmhouse was the first house on Rose Point in Parry Sound. He purchased approximately 150 acres of land stretching from the neighbour's property to the girls' camp. Frank Hogg bought the land from Annette Rose, who was the widow of Martin Rose, picked a nice spot, and built the house. His oldest daughter Wilhelmine (Patty’s great, great aunt) wrote about how Rose Point got its name in her autobiography: "...the prettiest point we called Rose Point. It attracted the eye of W.F. Thompson, a hotel man, who bought it and built a summer hotel on it. He wondered what to call it, and Dad said, "We call it Rose Point," and Mr.Thompson said, "Good. Rose Point it is," and there it is today on any map of the vicinity..." Patty’s ancestors lived in this home until around 1916 when they moved south to the states and landed in Cleveland, and then to Florida, using this Rose Point home as a summer residence from then on.

On today’s episode of Rewind Design, we have 94-year-old Anne Grotrian – a creative, an artist, a teacher, and above all, a lover of Georgian Bay. She loves bones, stones, shells and driftwood, all of which you can find sprinkled around her eclectic Japanese pagoda style cottage! She was born in 1928 in Toronto, grew up in Rosedale the youngest of 5 children with a father in the meat packing industry. They originally had a cottage on believe it or not, Toronto Island. As a teenager she attended the girls’ private school, Branksome Hall in Toronto, and went to Ontario College of Art (now OCAD). She worked for 5 years at Henry Birk’s and Son in the window display department. When she was 45 she went back to school at George Brown for Jewelry making. She graduated and taught for 33 years and spent many happy years making jewelry. She has had a wonderful creative life which is mirrored in her eclectic cottage with art everywhere. She has spent: A year around Europe. A year in the arctic. – Managing the Inuit jewelry manufacturing company for the department of economic development of the Worth West Territories. A year in Mexico. – San Miguel de Allende Institute where she studio, bronze casting, logography and life drawing. Bruce visited for 6 months and studied photography, which led to his career.   Anne’s Pilgrimage to Georgian Bay Anne’s pilgrimage to Georgian Bay first started when she met a friend named Glady Smith at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD). Who, in the 50’s originally traveled to Amanda Island to take in the sketch the wilderness. She bought Sanger Island, across from Amanda, when it came up for sale. In the mid 50’s, Anne fell madly in love with Georgian Bay, when she would come up each summer to visit her friend. In 1959, she went home to her espoused, and asked if he was serious about buying their own island, he said “yes” and Anne promptly stated “Ok, we are getting married”. They bought their island for $180 (crown land was selling for $150/acre and they bought a 1.3 acre island). And anther $150 for a survey.   Description of the Island + Cottage The island was empty, except for a big yellow bus sitting near the shoreline. The island was originally owned by one other couple before the 50s, and unfortunately for them, but fortunately for Anne, they did not pay their taxes, and the island was returned to crown land. In this serendipitous timing Anne bought the island on a whim and in a very small window of opportunity.

Hello! My name is Katy McNabb, and I am the creator of Rewind Design - A Cottage History Podcast. In honour of Canada Day weekend, I am releasing the first episode dedicated to my own personal cottage history story! I decided to create this podcast and associated blog because I am extremely passionate about cottage country and how everyone and everything ended up here! I wanted to create a space for cottages and cottage lovers alike to share stories of migration to cottage country over the years, childhoods spent on the lakes, stories of generations of fun in one of the most treasured areas of Ontarians (and everything in between). I love to hear how cottagers ended up where they are and most often the reasons why people end up where they are is full of mystery and serendipity. --- For example, How did a generation of farmers come to own 100 acres of land on a now very populated point in Parry Sound with the original 1894 farmhouse still standing. How did a family of loggers buy a lot in Dorset in the early 1900s for $100 and didn’t know there was an existing 10 x 10 cabin on the property until they walked the site? How did an island cottage on Georgian Bay end up being a Bootleg Gin Distillery for many years until WW2?… These are all stories I am going to share in upcoming episodes of Rewind Design! --- There are so many stories to share and explore and I cannot wait to dig deeper into Cottage Country History with you every 2 weeks. So stay tuned for upcoming episodes airing every 2 weeks on Mondays starting today July 4th. --- You can follow my instagram page at @rewinddesign.interiors, or you can send me an email at katy@rewinddesign.ca to be added to my email list for episode notifications.

To jump right into the water, today’s guest will be another member of the McNabb family clan, my dad, Rick McNabb. He shares his story of how the McNabb family ended up in Parry Sound. Everyone thinks we’ve been here forever, but we’ve really only been here for the last generation. My dad and his family are originally from Mississauga and eventually moved up to Parry Sound in his 30’s following his mom and dad and all his brothers. He has had a diverse past with many jobs including working in Advertising, Corporate Canada and owning and operating the Harvey’s Swiss Chalet in Parry Sound and now in his retirement he is a good ol truck driver, driving routes through Michigan and Wisconsin. He is a lover of vehicles, and has also been a recreational pilot since before I was born. So, today we are going to talk about how it all started with my grandparents purchasing a cottage on Horseshoe Lake and how one act of serendipity changed the lives of all future generations of McNabb’s forever!

On this week's episode of Rewind Design, we have an incredibly captivating story, which just might be the most fascinating, intriguing and sexy one yet. Today I speak with lifelong cottager Sadie who has flipped my world upside down with her breathtaking cottage history. Sadie shares the history of her Georgian Bay Island, how her grandparents acquired the striking island property in the 60’s and how the whispers of this property’s true origins baffled her family for decades until they found out the seductive truth behind their 1898 original island cottage. There were unmistakable clues sprinkled around the property that took a lifetime to unravel. I won’t give any more away in this intro, this story is way too extraordinary! If you are dying to learn the meaning behind their Island’s colloquial name, it’s not just the island that was getting a lot of action… Without further ado, let’s jump into Episode #3 Sadie on Action Island ___  Find me below! instagram: @rewinddesign.interiors email: katy@rewinddesign.ca blog: rewinddesign.ca

Today on Rewind Design we have a special episode coming from much further north in Ontario than I’m used too. Today I speak to Jordan Fang, a designer, nature lover, reader + art lover who was a colleague of mine when we worked together at a commercial design firm in downtown Toronto (before I made the permanent move up north). Jordan’s family cottage, or should I say compound, is situated 4km down a logging route on the remote Greenbough lake, just south of the Ottawa River, and East of Mattawa. The compound consists of 7 family cottages, each owned by separate family members and the buildings range in age with original log cabins that Jordan’s grandfather built by hand from logs felled on their property, to cabins inherited from the boy scouts. Mattawa historically was a huge logging hub for Northern Ontario connecting Ottawa River + lake Nipissing and remains a important historic landmark.

Today on Rewind Design we have a special episode coming from very close to home, Five Mile Bay - in the South Channel of Georgian Bay! My home territory! Janet and her husband Dave have been kind enough share their story of how their family landed in a renovated 1962 cottage on McLaren Island. There have been many additions and changes over the years, but the heart of the home has been passed down, generation after generation. Janet reached out to me on Facebook after I had shared my idea on the South Channel Association Page, and I was so grateful for her, because she was one of the first people to show interest in this venture, so thank you so much Janet + family! Janet and her family are cottage lovers, like me and I’m sure everyone listening agrees, there truly is no better feeling than that of boating up to your cottage on the Friday of a long weekend, and staring deep into the water while sipping on a cold drink and sharing laughs with your family. I hope all of you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer, and soaking it all in before winter crushes our spirits until spring comes around just as quickly as is always does!

Welcome to Rewind Design A Cottage History Podcast with your host + Local Interior Designer, (me!) Katy McNabb. Today we will be putting the spotlight on a historical Dorset cottage. Join me, as I navigate the waters and chat to my guests about their unique Dorset cottage and their family history over the last 100 years. To start off this captivating story, I though I’d give a short little personal anecdote. I am lucky enough to work with an incredible design firm and each day I come into work, I sit next to a designer named Danielle. Months ago we were talking and I brought up my idea for a Cottage History Podcast. Her eyes lit up - in a flash she said “you have to speak to my mom!”. Excitedly, I typed out an email to her mom, Dianne, explaining my ideas and how I’d love to interview her. I anxiously clicked send and closed my laptop. A few days later she replied with an email, and what followed was an incredible cottage history story. Dianne’s cottage property faces North West with an uninterrupted view of a wooded ridge lot on mainland across the narrow channel. The lush and wooded property feels especially private as you drive in through the u shaped driveway to reach the cottage just off the road. There have been many debates when entering which is the front door and which is the back… Dianne and I agree that the front door is the door facing the driveway, whereas some guests are determined the front door is the lake facing door! We am not convinced. The property was bought by Dianne’s grandfather who was in the lumber business in Dorset. Her father subsequently bought the lot from her grandfather when he returned from the war for $100.00. It wasn't until he physically walked the property that he discovered there was already a cabin in it. The cabin belonged to one of the old lumber camps that the family still uses today as a sleeping bunky. It's about 130 years old… The current cottage was built in addition to the sleeping cabin in 1958 and the new room (Dianne still calls it that) was added in 1975. Dianne’s dad was in the lumber business so the cottage is all wood interior, cedar walls and ceiling, brilliant red pine floors. Most of the furniture is hand me downs and whenever they acquire something new at home the old item goes to the cottage. Dianne has a lot of old dishes that came from gas stations which she would now consider antiques.

The story begins in a similar fashion to my own history, with Patty’s ancestors hailing from Scotland and Germany, the same mix of cultures I am also from. Curiosity compelled me to read further and further into the pattern of emigration to Cottage Country, how did Patty’s family find their way here? How did they end up in a Farmhouse on the undisturbed Rose Point in the most beautiful protected part of the South Channel? How did they end up on the infamous Waubano Paddle Steamer which transported passengers across the rough seas of Georgian Bay from Collingwood to Parry Sounds before there were railways or roads. The story dates back to 1894 when Patty’s now summer cottage was built by her great, great grandpa (Frank + Mary Hogg) to use a a year long home while he was working for the Midland and North Shore Lumber Company from 1894-1916. This original farmhouse was the first house on Rose Point in Parry Sound. (also known as Parry Harbour at that time). He purchased approximately 150 acres of land stretching from the neighbor's property to the girls' camp. Frank Hogg bought the land from Annette Rose, who was the widow of Martin Rose, picked a nice spot, and built the house. His oldest daughter Wilhelmine (Patty’s great, great aunt) wrote about how Rose Point got its name in her autobiography: "...the prettiest point we called Rose Point. It attracted the eye of W.F. Thompson, a hotel man, who bought it and built a summer hotel on it. He wondered what to call it, and Dad said, "We call it Rose Point," and Mr.Thompson said, "Good. Rose Point it is," and there it is today on any map of the vicinity..." Patty’s ancestors lived in this home until around 1916 when they moved south to the states and landed in Cleveland, and then to Florida, using this Rose Point home as a summer residence from then on.

Welcome to the first ever Rewind Design episode featuring a Muskoka cottager! I had the utmost pleasure of sitting down and speaking with a wonderful woman, Bonnie Bean and her daughter, in their generational family cottage on Lake Muskoka. Bonnie was so open to speaking about her family’s past, their journey to Muskoka and the initial challenges of owning a cottage in the early 1900s. Bonnie has been coming up to Muskoka from Toronto with her family for 82 years, ever since she was born. Her family has owned a piece of property just 4 miles north of Bala on Lake Muskoka for over 100 years. The property has since gone through some changes, as is bound to happen over 100 years, yet Bonnie is still cottaging as strong as ever! Even at 82 years young! The original lot was purchased by her grandfather in 1915, and was a rough and rocky property to develop. It took 2 years to build the cottage, with no access to electricity, and rough landscape conditions. 

“The property, the entire cove, was purchased by my grandfather, Luke Spearn in 1932. He had  6 children, willed the property to his family, each of his children got a lot.  Lots were decided by  picking a number from a hat, in order of birth.  The original cottage was a farmhouse with a wrap around veranda which was the cottage for 27 yrs, then upon death and division of lots, it was torn down in 1950s and, new strictly summer cottages were built. When the  original cottage was torn down we found news  papers in the wall used for insulation . They were 75 yrs old!!! My mother said she would put up the lot and $2500 and the rest was the responsibility  of my sister and I. AFTER 15 years sharing, my wife and I bought the only undeveloped lot from uncle Frank in 1975. We built a winterized cottage in 1976. At that time there were no winterized cottages on Bannockburn Rd. To access we  cross-country skied in (from highway 169) back packing all food wine etc. including our Lhasa apso. We spent 16 New Years Eves there (from 1976-1992), it was WONDERFUL!!!. Actually spent  a week there one winter."

On this weeks episode, we have Rags (Don Ragland) who owns a cottage property on Axford Island on the South Channel of Georgian Bay. How he acquired the island was slightly problematic, extremely lucky and he has a very curious story to how he purchased his property! They have a charming property sitting in a sandy channel he calls “Sand Channel” or his buddies call it the “Raglonian Strait” (haha) between Axford Island and Lent Island on the south channel of Georgian Bay. Rags hails from Dearborn Michigan, the home of Henry Ford, and taught high school English + art so he was able to spend the majority of his summers in cottage country. He originally came to Parry Sound with his parents as a child and would stay at Point Pleasant Resort (before is was exclusively a marina) and they would pay $3/night for accommodation! His property on Axford Island is roughly 1.33 Acres with 210 feet of frontage. They have a magical, I would say even enchanting property tucked in the hemlock tree forest with the original cabin still in place, painted in a bright coca cola red, the same colour from when they purchased it in 1970. 

Hello and welcome to this weeks episode of Rewind Design - A Cottage History Podcast. On this weeks episode, we have Geoffrey Hayes, a Sales Representative for All Points North in Parry Sound (See link here - https://allpointsnorth.ca/geoffrey-hayes/) From his biography on All Points North he describes his journey to Cottage Living. As a young boy from Waterloo, On, I have fond memories of travelling and fishing throughout northern ontario with my father and grandfather. To be honest, I’m pretty sure that this is when the love of fishing and Ontario’s back-country planted itself like a seed in my heart. Throughout my entire life, I have done what many people do – spend my holidays and weekends beating the mad rush out of the City to travel to the places where my heart was happiest – where I relaxed and felt free from the corporate life I was living. I spent much of my professional career in Corporate Canada in Customer Service leadership and I’m grateful for the opportunities that I had but when my wife and I became empty nesters, we knew it was time to make a different choice – to live in the place we yearned to be and to do something fun and different. I know how hard it can be to make radical life changes. I understand the challenges of living in a new community and I know how difficult it can be to choose a new path but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done and I’m not looking back. Whether you’re looking for a vacation home or make a permanent move, I’d be honoured to help you be where you want to be.

Welcome to Rewind Design, a Cottage History Podcast - dedicated to discovering the stories of Cottage Country in Ontario! I am your host, and local Interior Designer, Katy McNabb. On this week’s episode, we have Rebecca Hay from Rebecca Hay Designs (www.rebeccahaydesigns.com). Not only is Rebecca an Interior Designer like me, she is also an entrepreneur, a mom, a mentor, a podcast host and a lifelong cottager! In this week's episode, we discuss Rebecca’s journey to becoming a designer, her life experiences that led her to design, and what she loves most about cottage country. We discuss the differences in designing for an urban environment like Toronto, and how we design cottages differently. Link to Blog portion of this episode: www.rewinddesign.ca __ Rebecca Hay Designs Design Website: https://www.rebeccahaydesigns.com/ Mentor Website: https://rebeccahay.com/ Podcast: https://rebeccahay.com/podcast/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccahaydesigns/    

Rewind Design is the recipient of the Georgian Bay Land Trust King Family Bursary for 2023! 🍾✨🎉 . 🌊While season 1 focuses on intimate stories of cottage history, season 2 will focus on sustainable design along the shores of Georgian Bay, with an emphasis on protecting the shoreline via green energy, green building methods and the maintenance and preservation of natural landscapes. . 🌊With support from the Georgian Bay Land Trust, I will be interviewing a variety of guests for my podcast, including builders, contractors, architects and landscapers, to discuss best practices when building sustainably on Georgian Bay. The purpose of season 2 is to educate Georgian Bay cottagers and locals on the benefits of sustainable design, presented through my podcast and blog in an accessible and easily understood conversational format. . ✨I am extremely honoured to receive the King Family Bursary in support of my project Rewind Design, Season 2. I am a huge advocate for sustainable design and architecture on Georgian Bay’s shorelines. Development on Georgian Bay is inevitable, however it is my goal to help current and future generations become more educated on sustainable ways of building and designing to protect our treasured Georgian Bay shores and ecosystems for generations to come.✨   GBLT Article: https://www.gblt.org/news-item/king-family-bursary-winner-katy-mcnabb/ Website: www.rewinddesign.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rewinddesign.interiors/

On this weeks debut episode of Rewind Design - Season 2 - we have a very highly regarded guest from the Georgian Bay Association (GBA) Rupert Kindersley. He has been the executive director of the GBA for the last 5 years and I had the honor of speaking to him last summer. Born in London England, Rupert was educated at Eton College and the University of Toronto, however he has now officially spent more than half of his life on Georgian Bay - so he’s a honorary local now! __ ✨I am extremely honoured to receive the King Family Bursary in support of my project Rewind Design, Season 2. I am a huge advocate for sustainable design and architecture on Georgian Bay’s shorelines. Development on Georgian Bay is inevitable, however it is my goal to help current and future generations become more educated on sustainable ways of building and designing to protect our treasured Georgian Bay shores and ecosystems for generations to come.✨ __ GBLT Article: https://www.gblt.org/news-item/king-family-bursary-winner-katy-mcnabb/ Website: www.rewinddesign.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rewinddesign.interiors/ --- You can send me an email at katy@rewinddesign.ca to be added to my email list for episode notifications!

Welcome to Episode 2 of Rewind Design Season 2! I am beyond excited to share this episode with all the cottage lovers out there. I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with David Ballentine, owner of Ballentine Construction, all about cottage design, restoration + his unique approach to building on the Bay. David is a lifelong cottager in Pointe au Baril, and a longtime Parry Sound resident. Ballentine Construction provides renovation, construction and maintenance services throughout Pointe au Baril and Georgian Bay. They are known for their high quality craftsmanship, their client relationships as well as their sympathetic approach to cottage restoration, with David claiming they “save everything” they possible can to be repurposed. They can lovingly renovate a generations-old cottage, maintaining its ambience while subtly incorporating modern touches to make it more comfortable, as well as more cost and energy efficient. You can find their work at ballentineconstruction.com In this week’s episode we discuss: Historic Restoration - what is possible to restore and repurpose Environmental impact of cottages + how we can design and build with less impact Challenges of building on island properties

Welcome to Episode 3 of Rewind Design Season 2! If you are new to this podcast, my name is Katy McNabb and I am a registered Interior Designer working in Ontario’s Cottage Country. I am on a mission to share sustainable ways of building, promote green energy and document the history of the area. I have been waiting to share this episode for many months and am finally able to release it. This week we have Scott Weir, an Architect, a cottager and a history lover. Scott is a partner with ERA Architects, and has been with the company for over a decade. I was referred to Scott by many people in the PAB area, and it was a dream come true to connect with someone so like minded as myself. Here is a quick summary of ERA from their website: ERA Architects Inc. (ERA) is an award-winning architecture and planning firm focused on conservation through reactivation. Working across a lively spectrum of scales and locales, we develop heritage planning approaches that renew and improve the built environment. Creative adaptive reuse strategies and building conservation techniques are a core expertise established at the firm’s founding in the 1990s by Edwin Rowse and Michael McClelland. Since then, we have expanded our in-house expertise to encompass a broad range of consulting, design, and advocacy work. For over 30 years, we have provided a high level of professional service to the public and private sectors from our offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. The more than 130 talented individuals who comprise our integrated, multidisciplinary team have memberships in an array of professional associations and advocacy organizations.  We nurture professional integrity and skills enhancement through industry-wide conversations, research, education, and mentoring. We frequently collaborate with other firms and organizations. ERA delights in finding solutions to the challenges of city building and reactivating buildings and places in ways that shape a more engaging and sustainable future.  You can find their work at https://www.eraarch.ca/ IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE WE DISCUSS: Heritage preservation, highlighting the Ojibway Club Historic Restoration - Scott’s Cabbagetown home in Toronto, and his early 1900’s cottage in PAB Scott’s journey to becoming a cottager in Pointe Au Baril and his love of the area

Welcome to Episode 4 of Rewind Design Season 2! If you are new to this podcast, my name is Katy McNabb and I am a registered Interior Designer working in Ontario’s Cottage Country. I am on a mission to share sustainable ways of building, promote green energy and document the history of the cottage country. Today we have Vanessa Fong, from VFA Architecture speaking about sustainable cottages + historical restoration.  Here is a quick summary of VFA from their website: Principal Architect Vanessa Fong, an Ontario Architect with over a decade of architectural experience at a variety of scales, from interior design to master planning, established VFA in 2014 and assembled a team of energetic creators with a commitment to thoughtful and beautiful design no matter the budget, scale or medium. As individuals, the team, brings a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences which inform our projects in unique and unexpected ways. What brings us together is a shared passion for great architecture at a human scale – elegant in form and eminently pragmatic. At the heart of it, we are problem solvers – preferring to work within contexts and situations with challenging constraints that require innovative approaches to arrive at beautiful, practical and finely crafted solutions. (https://www.vf-a.com) IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE WE DISCUSS: Vanessa’s journey to cottage design + opening up her own firm in 2014 (almost 10 years!) The Bigger is Better Trend in Muskoka (hot topic) Historic Restoration in Toronto VFA Website: https://www.vf-a.com/ VFA Instagram: www.instagram.com/vfarchitect/