East Coast Living Winter 2021

east coast

LIVING Inspiring home life in Atlantic Canada

Holy Cannoli!

CHEF STÉPHANE LEVAC GIVES AN ITALIAN CLASSIC AN INDIGENOUS TWIST

ENO BY A RIVER R TARTAN TRIMMINGS NICO PAULO’S NEW DESIGN DIGS ON DUCKWORTH STREET

telling halifax stories unravelhalifax.ca

contents 28

22

PHOTO: GREG LOCKE

BUBBLE WRAP

WINTER 2021

The longing of the sea

THE LIST

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 Décor: What’s new for 2022

22 People: The longing of the sea

5

The year of living cozily

12 Décor: A reno by the river

A couple on the Kennebecasis River plan a kitchen with a view

14 Décor: A thousand years

of beauty

The enduring elegance of stained glass

18 Trends: Perfect pairings

Reading between the Vines book club

28 Projects: Bubble wrap

Celebrate your Celtic connections

42 Projects: Making do

with the doyenne of DIY

Rebekah Higgs ideas are never short on supply

Nico Paulo finds her transatlantic connections

30 In Depth: A very vintage

44 Libations: High spirits at

Deep Roots Distillery

Christmas

An antique collector salvages the best of Christmas past

34 In Depth: Protecting the ponies A heritage animal to care for

Editor’s message

Curating memories

Infamous absinthe is back again

45 Buying Guide 46 Last look: The softer side

of glass

Newfoundland kiln glass artist Urve Manuel

EATING IN 38 An Italian classic with an

Indigenous twist

Chef Stéphane Levac’s holiday dessert is no ordinary cannoli

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

3

Theultimate ultimateclean. clean.

The clean.

Theultimate ultimatedry, dry, The dry, includingplastics. plastics. including stics.

The ultimate cl The ultimate d including ™ Introducing CrystalDry™plast ™ ™

Introducing CrystalDry Introducing CrystalDry

* Get 60% better drying results with our patented * Get 60% better drying results with our patented Get Get 60% 60% better better drying drying results results** with with our our patented patented ™ technology.

Moisture is transformed CrystalDry ™ technology. Moisture is transformed technology. Moisture MoistureCrystalDry is is transformed transformed CrystalDry CrystalDry™™ technology. into heat, up to 176 degrees, to get dishes, into heat, up into into heat, heat, up up to to 176 176 degrees, degrees, to to get get dishes, dishes, to 176 degrees, to get dishes, including plastics, remarkably dry. including plastics, remarkably dry. including including plastics, plastics, remarkably remarkably dry. dry.

Without Without CrystalDry™ CrystalDry™

With With CrystalDry™ CrystalDry™

Simulated Simulated image image

Without Without CrystalDry™ CrystalDry™

With With CrystalDry™ CrystalDry™

Simulated image Simulated image

*Based on aggregate average drying performance of Bosch Dishwashers with CrystalDry™ on combined household load including plastics, *Based on steel, aggregate average drying performance of Bosch Dishwashers with CrystalDry™ on Home combined household load plastics, glass, and porcelain as compared to Bosch Dishwashers with PureDry™.

Drying performance may vary||www.bosch-home.ca by dish including type. hhDishwashers Dishwashers with with CrystalDry™ CrystalDry™ on oncombined combined household household load load including including plastics, plastics, © ©2020 2020 Bosch Bosch HomeAppliances Appliances www.bosch-home.ca glass, steel, and porcelain as compared to Bosch with PureDry™. Drying performance may vary by dish type. shers sherswith with PureDry™.

PureDry™.

Drying Drying performance performance may mayvary vary by bydish dishDishwashers type. type.

© 2020 Bosch Home Appliances | www.bosch-home.ca © 2020*Based Bosch Home Appliances | www.bosch-home.ca on aggregate average drying performance of Bosch Dis

glass, steel, and porcelain as compared to Bosch Dishwasher

Curating

memories

F

PHOTO: SHAWNA NORTHOVER

ull disclosure: I love Christmas trees. We have five trees that go up in our home every year — yes, I am one of those people. But our Christmas trees have evolved with us as our family grew over the years. The ornaments had an annual multiplier, and it didn’t take long to amass a collection that could easily adorn several trees.

For many years we went with real trees, even though my husband is allergic. Now two of the five are real and we have splurged on nicer artificial ones that are almost indistinguishable from the real deal.

Last year, when our holiday was far from the normal affair, it was my Christmas trees that helped to fill the void of the other trimmings and trappings of the season that were missing.

When I went to visit Karen Lee in her little farmhouse retreat in Tupperville, N.S., last year (“A very vintage Christmas” page 30) and experienced her storied vintage collections, I started to think about where my own Christmas treasures would end up some day. I believe that many of them will stand the test of time and I hope that they will be passed down through the generations with the same affection that went into curating them.

Except for a few new ornaments, I have been decking my halls with much of the same holiday décor for years. I’m not one to follow too many trends when it comes to holiday decorating, and love reconnecting with the garlands, ribbons, and baubles that come down from the attic each year like a reunion with old friends. In a time where we are all more conscious about how our actions will impact the environment, I like to think that my much loved, same old, same old is in some way offsetting other aspects of my Christmas carbon footprint.

I am excited about the holidays. While I have been telling myself I want to dial back on some of the events and festivities that were on hold during the restrictions last year, the energy and desire to make up for lost time is winning. I am thrilled to be setting a large table and welcoming family home — a few to whom I have not seen since Christmas 2019.

This Christmas is also that last one before our youngest daughter graduates high school. So, I will be doubling down on everyone’s favourites and taking more time to reflect on seasons past, not with melancholy but with thanks for the gifts of family, the joy of four grown children, and happy expectation of how our family will continue to grow as they begin their own adult adventures.

And who knows — maybe one of these years I might just need to add another tree.

From all of the East Coast Living team, we wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season where you celebrate what is important to you and health and happiness for the new year ahead.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRENDA JONES

Crystal Murray, Editor ecl@metroguide.ca EastCoastLiving East Coast Living Magazine

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

5

Gift Atlantic

The best gifts are made at home.

Don’t miss out on these exciting titles from some of your homegrown favourites!

books

Meditations for Makers

Lexicon 20

Daily Affirmations for a Creative Life

Puzzles to Challenge & Entertain

The Woman in the Attic

Deanne Fitzpatrick

Theresa Williams

Emily Hepditch

365 vignettes for makers, crafters and artists of all stripes.

20th volume of popular puzzles for all ages!

A claustrophobic psychological thriller wrought with suspense.

Nimbus Publishing

Nimbus Publishing

Flanker Press

$10.95 pb

$19.95 pb

The Blue Moth Motel

$19.95 pb

Tunes and Wooden Spoons

Borderline Hardy in 5b

Recipes from a Cape Breton Kitchen

the improbable success of Pleasant Valley Nurseries

Olivia Robinson

Mary Janet MacDonald

A tale of shifting family dynamics, grief and home.

Down-home cooking wrapped in Cape Breton charm.

Breakwater Books

$21.95 pb

MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.

$27.95 pb

Browse the collection at AtlanticBooks.ca/Holiday

Spot the lighthouse at your local bookseller and #GiftAtlantic this holiday season

Bruce Partridge A journey into an iconic business story.

Moose House Publications

$34.95 pb

On our cover:

Food Editor Chef Stéphane Levac whips up his own version of the Italian classic dessert.

Photo: Steve Smith, VisionFire Studios

Publisher Editor-in-Chief Senior Editor Contributing Editors Senior Director Creative Design and Production Graphic Designer Production Coordinator Production & Design Assistant Printing

Fred Fiander Crystal Murray Trevor J. Adams Jodi DeLong Janet Whitman Shawn Dalton Mike Cugno Nicole McNeil Kathleen Hoang Advocate Printing & Publishing

PRODUCED BY METRO GUIDE PUBLISHING

the Blazes Home The follow-up to national bestseller Stay a Scotians during Nov of ies stor featuring inspiring photos and ID-19 pandemic. the second and third waves of the COV

WE RISE AGAIN More Stories of Hope and Resilience from Nova Scotia during the COVID-19 Pandemic Len Wagg and Angela Mombourquette $19.95 | photography 978-1-77108-943-2

For editorial and advertising inquiries: 2882 Gottingen St., Halifax, N.S. B3K 3E2 Tel. 902-420-9943 Fax 902-422-4728 Email: publishers@metroguide.ca metroguide.ca eastcoastliving.ca

Rosedale Manor

To subscribe, call: 1-833-600-2870 email: circulation@metroguide.ca or subscribe online: eastcoastliving.ca Canada: one year (four issues), $17.99+HST; U.S.A.: one year, $25.00 (Canadian Funds).

($295,000)

Beautiful heritage home on the waterfront in Newfoundland.

Placentia is a prosperous community with schools, hospital, shopping, restaurants, pubs, beaches, historical sites, and a ferry to NS. This home has been a well known B&B. Selling fully furnished or 1 year lease.

Subscriptions are non-refundable. If a subscription needs to be cancelled, where applicable, credits can be applied to other Metro Guide Publishing titles (Saltscapes, Unravel Halifax, or At Home). Please note that each circumstance is unique and election to make an offer in one instance does not create obligation to do so in another.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur.

Contact Linda Grimm Lindasofiagrimm@gmail.com 709-227-3613 or 250-995-0001

25 Riverside Drive Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A 9R9 (902) 894-5536 www.MetroPEI.com

METRO

All non-credited photography is either supplied or sourced from a stock image bank.

Return undeliverable addresses to Metro Guide Publishing at the address above.

Volume 24, Number 4, Winter 2021 ISSN 1714-1834

Viewed to be the best

East Coast Living is a Metro Guide publication.

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

7

Online eastcoastliving.ca

Find even more images from our cover home shoot, blogs posts and more on eastcoastliving.ca.

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

queenscoast.ca

Photo by: Parks Canada / D. Wilson

Missed an issue? Discover back issues of East Coast Living on our website, plus recipes, stories and sneak peeks into upcoming issues of our magazine.

ourchildrenmagazine.com | Follow us @OurChildrenMag F Õ

8

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

PHOTO: DAMIEN PACKWOOD

Subscribe to receive the FREE digital edition of Our Children

PHOTO: ALYSSA GILLINGHAM

PHOTO: LYNNETTE RICHARDS

Halifax’s exclusive parenting magazine

STÉPHANE LEVAC “Holy bannock cannoli” East Coast Living Food Editor, Chef Stéphane Levac is a foraging chef living in the Annapolis Valley of N.S. He is of Indigenous descent and celebrates this part of his ancestry with the food he creates. Chef Stéphane has a passion for photography and exploring for fresh local ingredients with his family.

You can find Chef Stéphane on season nine of Top Chef Canada.

ALEC BRUCE “Making do with the doyenne of DIY” Alec Bruce is a writer and editor whose bylines have appeared in national publications in Canada and the United States, including the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, Canadian Living, and Reader’s Digest. He’s a regular contributor to Atlantic Business Magazine, Unraval Halifax, Saltscapes, and East Coast Living.

MELANIE MOSHER “A thousand years of beauty” Melanie Mosher is the author of three books for young readers. She has written for Saltscapes Magazine and At Home on the North Shore.

When she’s not writing she likes to walk along the trails near her home. Learn more about Melanie at: melaniemosher.com

JANET WHITMAN “High spirits at Deep Roots Distillery” Contributing editor Janet Whitman is a city- and natureloving journalist who divides her time between Halifax and her cottage on the Northumberland Shore. She’s happiest digging in the dirt, picking up a hammer or messing around in the kitchen.

NATALIE OWENS “A reno by the river” Natalie Owens is a personal and home stylist based in Halifax. She founded Stil James in 2016, after 10 years working with several start-ups as a sales director. Whether updating a clients wardrobe or living room, her passion is derived from bringing things up to date and creating beautiful spaces aligned with her clients’ vision.

ALLISON GAUDETT “Bubble wrap” Allison is a designer based in Stellarton, N.S. she believes in building spaces that stir the same deep-rooted feelings within us that are experienced through travel, food, and a connection with nature and history. She is a regular contributor to At Home on the North Shore Magazine.

AMEETA VOHRA “The softer side of glass” Ameeta Vohra is a news and sports writer. Her work has been published throughout North America including in Unravel Halifax, CBCSports. ca, Star Halifax, CFL, TSN, Featurd, Football Canada, Haligonia.ca, Sportstream.ca, and USports. She is a 2020 Atlantic Journalism Awards finalist for Atlantic Magazine: Best Profile Article.

KATIE INGRAM “What’s new for 2022” Katie Ingram is a freelance writer, author, and journalism instructor based in Halifax.

CONNIE BOLAND “Protecting the ponies” Connie Boland is an award-winning journalist, creative writer, and communications professional living in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. Her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and online publications across Canada.

Connie was twice a finalist for Atlantic Journalism Awards and received Canadian News Awards for Outstanding Editorial Achievement.

PHOTO: MEGHAN TANSEY WHITTON

PHOTO: STEVE SMITH, VISIONFIRE

Meet our contributors

SHANNON WEBB CAMPBELL “Perfect pairings”, “The longing of the sea” Shannon Webb-Campbell is a member of Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation. Her books include: Still No Word (Breakwater 2015), I Am A Body of Land (Book*hug 2019), and Lunar Tides (Book*hug 2022). Shannon is a doctoral student at the University of New Brunswick in the Department of English and the editor of Visual Arts News Magazine.

She lives and works in Kjipuktuk/Halifax.

ALYSSA GILLINGHAM “Protecting the ponies” Alyssa Gillingham is the owner of Alyssa Denise Photography based in Central Newfoundland.

Specializing in capturing the in-between moments, the love and the joy of sharing life together and creating memories you’ll cherish.

JAMES WALSH “A reno by the river” Full time photographer/ videographer, located in Market Square, Hilton Lower Walkway. Instructor at the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design.

WINTER 2021

···

BRUCE MURRAY “Perfect Pairings”, “A very vintage Christmas” Bruce has been creating food and lifestyle photography for more than 20 years in the Maritimes and in his original studio in Vancouver. visionfire.ca @VisionFire

STEVE SMITH “Holy bannock cannoli”, “Bubble wrap” Steve Smith is a commercial photographer at VisionFire Studios located in Pictou, N.S., shooting for a wide range of clientele throughout Atlantic Canada.

GREG LOCKE “The longing of the sea” Greg Locke is based in St John’s, Newfoundland and has more than thirty years experience as a professional photographer and journalist. Assignments have taken him to more than 50 countries and his work appears regularly in the Globe & Mail, CanadianJournalist.ca and Reuters. He has won a National Magazine Award With Canadian Business magazine and 2017 Time Magazine Top 100 Pictures of the Year for his Ferryland Iceberg photo.

eastcoastliving.ca

9

PHOTO: JENNA DUNLOP

What’s new for 2022

The year of living cozily East Coast designers break down the trends that will shape homes in 2022

BY KATIE INGRAM

D

ue to COVID-19, 2021 was a year where homeowners started to rethink their spaces, leaving 2022 open to an array of new and old ideas.

It’s expected looks will take a cozier, softer approach, emphasizing warm colours and curves.

However, there are some pandemic-related trends that will carry over, given that many people will still have home offices, either on a full-time or part-time basis.

To help predict just how much will change or stay the same, East Coast Living spoke with four designers to get their take on the year of living cozy.

10

eastcoastliving.ca

···

JENNA DUNLOP, OWNER OF JENNA RAE INTERIORS (NOVA SCOTIA) Jenna Dunlop didn’t see too many changes from 2020.

“I think that might have a lot to do with the pandemic, because there hasn’t been much for people to pull from in terms of inspiration,” she says.

Specifically, 2021 drew inspiration from the places people could go, like their backyards.

Dunlop says items influenced by nature were popular, like oak cupboards, kitchen islands, and flooring.

“I think because people were stuck home, they were pulling from their surroundings,” she says.

“I think a lot of people were using the outdoors

WINTER 2021

as an escape, and it was a way to bring that back into their home to create that vibe inside.”

Textures were also common over the past year.

“Whether that be through wallpaper [which is] making a huge comeback, or through throw pillows or throw blankets, the addition of texture creates a nice, cozy vibe and that’s a big part of what clients were looking to achieve,” says Dunlop.

Drawing inspiration from outside the home will carry into 2022, she adds, but it will be more travel related.

“I think it’s just in terms of people travelling again, maybe bringing things home, those keepsakes and momentos, and getting inspired by places they go,” she says.

DÉCOR

Like Dunlop, Junker’s clients found inspiration in nature.

She’s been working with cooler tones and environmentally influenced materials like natural wood and dark green countertops.

For 2022, this will change slightly.

“I think it is going to go a little more midcentury modern and retro, but it’s going to mix in those environmental elements,” she says.

Warmer colours will be used, along with pops of colour and warmer texture pieces, like stone fireplaces.

“As opposed to marble fireplaces, stone fireplaces don’t necessarily go out of style, but we’re just going to see more texture and more colour with them,” she says.

As for what will stay the same, home offices or home office spaces, such as using an island as a dual-purpose work and kitchen space, will remain.

“They were huge in 2021 and I don’t perceive that going out of style, because now people have gotten used to that as many are still working from home,” says Junker.

As 2021 becomes 2022, mixing metals will be a recurring trend, says Mallory Lennon.

“From your lighting to your door hardware to your cabinetry hardware, we’re not just sticking to one finish throughout the home, which is nice,” she says.

As for colour, Lennon is seeing brighter colours like blues and different textures and patterns, all of which will continue.

For those that do choose neutral though, it will be a modern take.

“It’s the new neutral; it’s not the old, boring beige,” she says. “It’s a soft, warm, neutral and more in a modern setting.”

As for the home as a whole, Lennon has the same expectations as Packwood regarding curved furniture and other pieces.

“It’s to give a sense of warmth and a bit more tone,” she says. “We’ve been doing a lot of curved sofas and a lot of round (pieces),” she says. “Arches are back — arched doorways and that kind of thing — so I think it’s helping soften where there’s a lot of hard lines within a home.” o

PHOTO: CHARLI JUNKER

DAMIEN PACKWOOD, OWNER OF DAMIEN MORRIS DESIGNS (PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND) Damien Packwood finds clients are looking to spend more on their properties.

Previously, his clients would keep the designs “pretty neutral,” but that has changed.

“I feel like a lot of people still like that really soft, calming, natural environment,” he says. “I was known for white kitchens, but many customers now like to add in like natural elements like a butcher block or framing the white cabinets in the natural wood, just softening things and making it homier and cozier.”

With people spending more time at home, trends have and will continue to lean toward more functional and softer spaces, says Packwood. One popular item has been transformer tables, which can be used as console tables or seat large groups.

“I’m using that a lot, because they’ll put it down into a console table and it will be against the wall as a desk. Then when they do entertain, they can pull it out,” he says.

He’s also predicted there will be more curved furniture in the coming months.

“I think it’s just more appealing to the eye,” he says. “It’s still pretty square, but they’ve taken off that sharp edge. It just gives it that soft roll, which I feel is a little more relaxed and a little less stiff.”

WINTER 2021

PHOTO: MALLORY LENNON

MALLORY LENNON, OWNER OF REIMAGINE DESIGNS (NEW BRUNSWICK) PHOTO: DAMIEN PACKWOOD

CHARLI JUNKER, OWNER OF YOUR SPACE OUR DESIGN (NEWFOUNDLAND)

···

eastcoastliving.ca

11

A reno by the river

Brandy and Mike Williams welcome winter with a fresh white kitchen and a view of the Kennebecasis River in Rothesay, N.B.

BY NATALIE OWENS PHOTOS BY JAMES WALSH

I

Iplayed competitive basketball growing up. As a young girl, I remember looking around at my teammates and opponents, thinking: “I wonder what we’ll all be doing as grown-ups? Who will get married and what kind of jobs will they have?” The curse of being an inquisitive child, dying to grow up instead of enjoying the simplicity of life as a teenager. When Williams reached out, I knew her name and face instantly. I had played against her several times in high school and then university and often had to guard her as we both played point guard.

When Brandy opened her door to her quintessential, classic old Rothesay home in November of 2020, I thought, “Ah, this is where you landed.” She’s married to a wonderful guy named Mike, with an oversized Golden Doodle named Cooper flailing around the house like a dervish. The first thing Brandy shared about her reno vision was the ultimate desire to have a fresh white kitchen. When she walked me into the existing kitchen, the words fell out faster than I had anticipated: “Well, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

They had recently moved in, and were using the open space off the kitchen as their main living room and as a small dining area. Immediately I knew we had to re-route the living room. There was a large room to the left of the entry way equipped with a working fireplace and plenty of

12

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

DÉCOR

PHOTO: NOT TAKEN BY JAMES WALSH

Clockwise from far left: Brandy and Mike Williams welcome winter with a fresh white pallete warmed up with touches of brass.

Prior to the renovation the kitchen lacked function. A custom range hood floats over shimmering subway tile. A farm sink gives a wink to the past and floating shelves gives a nod to more contemporary style. A river view from the kitchen and new dining area with pops of green connecting the inside with the natural world around them.

Caption

space for a true living room independent from the kitchen. We would use the open space off the kitchen as kitchen dining only and blow out a pesky wall that was destined to give us a lot of trouble.

Not only was it a weight-bearing wall, but the supporting beam was thick and brought that portion of the ceiling down an extra foot. It ran from one side of the room to the other, before the ceiling exploded upwards to an atrium in the dining space.

We enlisted Select Kitchens, a local kitchen design group, to tackle the project. From there, Brandy’s husband Mike, and his family were prepared to do the work themselves on the demo and install. We were unsure of what they would find when they knocked down that centre wall and pulled out an old brick fireplace running up through the main corner of the kitchen, that we were going to need for counter space.

Brandy and I pored over light fixtures, cabinet styles, samples of quartz and hardware.

We both decided that the light fixtures were

going to be where we invested a good portion of the budget. She wanted to keep her midcentury feel in the dining room, while also tying in a very traditional looking kitchen that was clean and current but still upheld the character of the house.

The couple had a custom built, live-edge wood dining table that would span across the back wall of windows looking out to the Kennebecasis River. No longer were they jammed into a corner to eat while looking onto their living room.

I wanted to add a large, linear light that was open and airy so that it didn’t obstruct their view to the water in any way. The finish had to be an antiqued brass to pull in a traditional feel that would carry on into the hardware and fixtures in the kitchen. We added custom fabric green chairs and a natural-coloured jute rug, that would be tough enough to vacuum and stand up to Cooper’s chewing. Bringing the outside in was crucial in this space, while also completely opening it up to let the view of the water be the focal point.

From there, we oriented the kitchen so that the chef was always looking out to the water.

We added decorative columns on each side of the new, oversized island to support the beam running across the ceiling. Given that it ran through the island where normally pendent lights would go, we decided to capitalize on our columns and add large sconces on the inside of each one.

From there, it was all in the details. We found traditional brass pulls and knobs for the cabinetry hardware and added five more light fixtures in the space. A custom, wood rangehood and floating shelves opened up the wall of cabinetry. As much as I tried to sneak in some colour, Brandy kept true to her word on wanting a fresh, white kitchen and I’m glad she did because it turned out to be beautiful.

I no longer had to wonder where Brandy landed. I’m glad our past brought me into her future and that our shared love of basketball was replaced with a shared appreciation for home design, except this time around, we were finally on the same team. o

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

13

A thousand years of Bring the timeless elegance of stained-glass into your home

BY MELANIE MOSHER

Lynette Richards’ artistry trancends time.

Inset: Newfoundland glass designers Dave Pye and Jillian Gardiner.

14

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

PHOTOS: LYNNETTE RICHARDS

DÉCOR

I

n much of its 1,000-year history, stained glass has been associated with churches and religion. More recently, it became noteworthy due to the famous lamps created

by Louis Comfort Tiffany. These days, your home décor can showcase the elegant beauty and whimsy of this ancient artform.

Lynette Richards of Rose Window Stained Glass in Terrence Bay, N.S. uses lead came, metal H-shaped and U-shaped strips, molded between pieces of mouth blown glass, hand painted with vitreous paint and kiln baked.

Vitreous paint is made of finely powdered glass which fuses together during the baking process, melting and becoming one smooth, durable piece of coloured glass. It’s a skill, a passion, and a labour of love she learned through an intensive three-year apprenticeship with a European master glazier. “Each piece I make has to be important enough to last a thousand years,” says Richards.

One of Richards’s current projects uses different types of clear glass. Samples of the glass sit on her work bench, patterned with varying textures. Those set-in place surrounded by the dark came in Gothic curves are moving. “It’s the light and the dark working together,” says Richards. This piece will be a stunning addition to a client’s home.

Richards combines the attributes of light and darkness with movement and stillness, creating windows worthy of their longevity.

It’s these qualities that give stained glass the beauty and the power to move people.

In stained glass, as in life, we need the darkness to see the light.

Sheet glass manufactured by machines produces uniform material, which provides protection from the elements, while allowing light to pass through. Light passing through old style, mouth blown glass, dances with movement, creating unique patterns. For Richards, it was these observations which initially drew her to stained glass and have kept her at it for more than 20 years.

Modern approaches to glass art make the artform more accessible. The method of copper foiling, introduced in the late 1800s

by Tiffany Studios, meant pieces became decorative additions without architectural considerations. Further developments include mosaics, glass fusion, overlays, faux stained glass painting techniques, and even vinyl peel-and-stick film.

Dave Pye of SGO Designer Glass in St. John’s, N.L. makes a career out of adding beauty and light to homes using stained glass overlay.

“It combines multiple materials (glass, multilayered polyester film, bevels, jewels) to form a solid piece of decorative art glass. The finished product has the look and feel of traditional stained glass, but with the strength and integrity of a solid piece of safety glass.”

Clients of both Richards and Pye begin with a consultation to discuss numerous options.

Some prefer a traditional looking piece while others see an opportunity to add a unique touch to their home.

“Our unique overlay process allows for designs not available with regular stained glass,” Pye says. “We can do everything from cabinet door panels, transom windows, interior doors, to entrance systems.”

The next step is design, and both Richards and Pye begin with planning on paper, maintaining contact with clients, going back and forth with conversations and/or emails, to ensure everything is perfect.

Pye works with artist Jillian Gardiner, a painter from Summerside, P.E.I., who began working with SGO Designer Glass after receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts form Memorial University in 2007. She listens, sketches, plans, and transfers the clients request to glass. The final step is installation.

Pye and Gardiner have been called on to re-create memories in glass. “Last fall, we had a lovely customer who wanted to surprise her husband with an interior French door for their summer home,” says Pye. “She sent us WINTER 2021

902-499-1323 Jarrett@reddoorrealty.ca reddoorrealty.ca

Where nature meets nurture.

This winter, make our cozy new Lakeside Glomes your home away from home. Experience the ultimate blend of nature and luxury on a grown-up getaway in the forest. You can fully relax knowing there’s nightly live entertainment and all the amenities of the resort – just through the trees.

whitepoint.com

···

eastcoastliving.ca

15

PHOTO: SGO DESIGNER GLASS

Visit and experience local fine art!

1274 Hollis Street, Halifax Nova Scotia 902-446-4077 www.art1274hollis.ca

Heather Crout

Judy GORDoN Shauna MACLEOD Bonnie BAILLIE

SHARON TRICKETT

INTERHABS Specializing in custom designed homes & buildings that use our signature, hand-

a recent picture of him salmon fishing and we then adapted it to a stained-glass design.”

Both Rose Window Stained Glass and SGO Designer Glass aim to bring beauty and light to their clients through creativity. Pye’s company makes stained glass accessible to all, and Richards spends some of her time preserving the art from years ago.

“Protecting our heritage is a responsibility and a privilege.

Conservation is a gift we give to the past and the future,” says Richards. Restoration of traditional stained glass involves replacing the lead and repairing any fractures, sometimes reproducing pieces broken beyond repair.

Exterior windows and doors exposed to the elements age and require upkeep. Traditional stained glass requires delicate work and an expert touch, whereas the upkeep for overlay glass can be done by the homeowner.

Sam Hattie of Sunflower Stripes Stained Glass in Halifax creates items that are aimed at giving everyone, even in apartments and dorms, a chance to enjoy the art form.

She finds inspiration all around. “I love being outside. There is so much colour and individuality in nature and I love the freedom that gives me to create.” She crafts many custom designs, functional or decorative, adding whimsy and delight to any space. From company logos, business card holders, and candlesticks, to renditions of beloved pets, sea creatures, and vases of flowers, Hattie’s open to all. “I just want to make people smile.”

Once the art is completed and installed — traditional or modern, big or small — all that’s left to do is to sit back and enjoy the spectacular display of light, texture, and colour. o

crafted, panelization system.

Learn more at www.interhabs.ca

info@interhabs.ns.ca 902.857.1616

PHOTOS: SGO DESIGNER GLASS

Hubbards, NS

16

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

DÉCOR

The power of the circle A window inspired by the Flower of Life brings positive energy into a South End Halifax reno

BY CRYSTAL MURRAY PHOTOS BY BRUCE MURRAY, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

A

circle. A simple curved line in an endless loop, the foundational shape of life.

Stained glass window artist Lynette Richards sees the circle as primal, featuring it prominently in her work.

When she was engaged to create a circular window for Halifax couple Linda and Karl in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she took her time and moved though conversations with the homeowners and the designer before reaching the concept, which has become the energy centre of the house and one of the most important architectural elements of an ongoing reno.

Richards works predominately in stained glass, but it was evident that colour in the window would overpower the space. It was designed so it could compliment the homeowners’ art collection. The window couldn’t compete, but it had to stand alone as a celebration of light and art.

The irony that so much attention has gone into a — window that was not even part of the original renovation plan — is not lost on Linda.

But she knew that as the reno evolved, there was something very important that was missing

in the space. The living room wall had been designed to create a little privacy for the couple and their neighbours. The lots are generous on the South End street, but Linda wanted to be respectful. Her solution was to create a window that would subtly obstruct the view but allow for the movement of light throughout the day.

Circles and gentle arcs were already an influence in the house design, so a circular window was a natural extension of the fluidity that Linda and designer Jessica Skinner of Lovely Nova Design created in the floor plan.

“The Flower of Life is sacred geometry,” says Linda, sitting at her kitchen island while several busy trades people buzz around working on some of the final elements of the overall renovation. “I love the spiritual side of design and the window is part of this.”

About 300 individual pieces comprise the window that Lynette Richards cut and fused together in her Terence Bay, N.S. studio.

All three women embraced the idea of a representation of the Flower of Life in the design, a symbol for everything in existence.

The overlapping and repeating circles a

reminder that all life and consciousness arises from one source.

“It’s a concept that just resonated with Linda’s entire philosophy for this renovation,” says Jessica, who specializes in the infusion of historical and industrial design.

The window also relates to another element in the room, a door threshold that was salvaged from a house designed by Andrew Cobb — one of Nova Scotia’s most influential architects. The glazing in the side lights of the door is glue chip glass, a method of glass making that is hundreds of years old. Richards was able to replicate the glazing pattern in a multitude of the flower pieces.

This was an important part of the design. “The application on the glazing was harmonizing and gives coherence to the space,” explains Richards.

Linda believes that the circle is a grounding presence.

“When people enter my home, I just want them to come in and leave whatever it is that they carry with them outside,” she adds. o

Lynette, Linda and Jessica admire the window after its successful installation.

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

17

Dartmouth, N.S. resident Megan Brydon loves the idea of a locally owned bespoke book club.

Perfect pairings

During the pandemic, an East Coast bibliophile found the perfect way to bring the book-club experience home — with books, wine, and chocolate

BY SHANNON WEBB-CAMPBELL PHOTOS BY BRUCE MURRAY, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

T

he pandemic changed the way we connect, and in many ways, sparked new ideas and opportunities to bond. While stowed away in Dartmouth during quarantine, avid reader and wine lover Emma Bent came up with Read Between the Vines, a monthly subscription book club box.

Bent launched the club in fall 2020.

“I became a particularly voracious reader during the pandemic because I was spending more time at home. I was getting restless and needed an outlet,” says Bent. “I love to read, and although there are other book subscription boxes, none of them integrated a book club aspect. I wanted something that would not only keep me accountable – like a weekly book club, but that would also allow me to meet some new people.”

While Bent researched book blogs, vlogs, and read widely as possible, she quickly learned which novels would lead to engaging conversations. Read Between the Vines subscribers receive a handdelivered box with free shipping in the Halifax area (but can also be posted Canadawide) featuring a novel paired with a bottle of white or red wine selected by Lucas Mader, a local sommelier from Bishop’s Cellar. For those who prefer to abstain, you can pair your book club box with coffee and tea

18

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

TRENDS

and artisanal chocolate from local vendors. Bent says that the wine is paired more by season than book themes. Book club chats led by Bent are optional but she says have been well attended, and she is seeing friendships blossom through the connection.

“Wine, for me, is a liquid love language,” says Bent when she describes why a wine option was important to her. “Wine requires a thoughtfulness to curate the right climate, terroir, varietals; like books which require thoughtfulness to assemble its assorted notes into a cohesive symphony,” says Bent. “Both require a great deal of love, blood, sweat and tears to produce the right final product. I always include local artisanal chocolate, because who doesn’t love chocolate?”

In honour of her one-year anniversary, Bent hosted a Read Between the Vines Anniversary Cruise with Murphy’s on the Water Harbour Queen on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 with nearly 100 of her fellow book club members.

Local authors like Genevieve Graham, Karen Dean, and myself were invited onboard to read between wine pairings and specialty crafted chocolates made for the event by Halifax baker and chocolate maker, Michelle Kolich.

“Emma chose the wines, I had the pleasure of deciding what flavours to pair with them. I consulted the winery to ensure I was making the best flavour choices,” says Kolich.

Read between the Vines founder Emma Bent packs up the books and pairings for December members.

“Being part of Read Between the Vines harbour cruise was really a phenomenal experience,” says Mounfiq Raiyan, who cruised, listened to the book readings. “Although 2020 was excruciating; 2021 for me has been froth with personal, health, and business changes, so it was great to spend some quality time with like-minded individuals who love books even more than I do and were hungry to learn and connect with one another.”

For subscriber Becky Davison, vice president of marketing at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, and Bent’s long-time friend who frequently helps her deliver the boxes to her customers, the Read Between the Vines anniversary cruise was seeing a dream become reality. She loves meeting new people with a similar passion for reading and supporting local.

“I could talk all day about books, and if that’s over wine and chocolate, all the better,” says Davison. “I had a moment on the cruise when I thought: I’m on the ocean, drinking amazing local wine with incredible people, enjoying chocolate and listening to amazingly talented writers, does it even get any better than this?”

With 50 regular subscribers and 30 newcomers added monthly to the subscription list, Read Between the Vines has reached subscribers via social media and through news articles. For Megan Brydon, who has been a subscriber since December 2020, she found Read Between the Vines on Instagram. As bookstagram accounts continue to grow, they create a

Deck the halls & your floors this holiday season with Scotia Stone.

Scotia Stone Products Limited is a highly regarded Nova Scotia brand, that has been in operation since 2007.

We source our product from our own quarry, with craftsmanship in its manufacturing of high-quality slate products for commercial and residential use. Natural stone can make your projects more prominent and exquisite due to its high quality, beauty, and durability.

Our one-of-a-kind products can take your project to the next level.

Our products are used using a network of dealers across Atlantic Canada.

Please visit our website to find a dealer nearest you or contact us for more information

Holly Norman General Manager • 902-440-2358 • hnscotiastone@outlook.com

WWW.SCOTIASTONE.CA

20

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

TRENDS prevalent network of readers who share, review and post their latest read.

“I liked the idea of a local woman-owned business that provides a curated book club experience delivered to my door, with a strong focus on local partnerships,” says Brydon.

“It really helped shake the loneliness of social isolation. I am an avid reader, had seen other book delivery services, but I was looking for a local, more bespoke option. When I discovered, Read Between the Vines, I was thrilled. I have been a loyal subscriber since the first box.”

While the book club meets weekly, there is also an option to meet virtually at the end of each final chapter. Brydon notes she cherishes the friendships she’s formed with other book club members and looks forward to receiving the wine and chocolate. There are also special add-on treats like a candle, bookmark or puzzle that members can also add to the their box selections with each order.

“I am a fairweather book club attender.

Emma has had several authors attend her book club, and it’s been a real treat to see behind the scenes of their writing process and

follow-up on burning questions,” says Brydon.

“What is nice about the online book club is that it is a friendly, low-stakes way to discuss the book, and it is very low-pressure.”

Linda Meyette has routinely been part of an in-person book club for years, but when COVID restrictions prevented her book club gathering, she came across Read Between the Vines through an article on CBC, and searched out the subscription online. Read Between the Vines became an excellent alternative, and even when her old book club meets back up again, she plans to continue subscribing. Meyette appreciates the option to trade wine for a

“I could talk all day about books, and if that’s over wine and chocolate, all the better,”

pound of coffee beans, loves the chocolates, but appreciates the community and Bent’s curated book selection most.

Cheryl Grosvold received the subscription from her son as a Christmas gift in 2020, and she loved it so much, her husband renewed her subscription for her birthday in June.

Grosvold regularly attends the Sunday book club meeting, and enjoys hearing three generations of women speak from their various perspectives, points of view and predictions about the selected book.

“Read Between the Vines was such a blessing during our many lockdowns of COVID,” says Grosveld, who is retired and adds that during the pandemic there were weeks that the only thing she had on my calendar was Sunday book club.

“Emma’s selections have opened my eyes to books, wine and chocolate that I never otherwise would have read or tried,” she says. “Emma also makes every effort to have the author join us for the last meeting of the month. I have already requested my family renew my subscription for another six months this Christmas.” o

— Becky Davison Emma Bent enjoys a cup of coffee in her favourite mug while she packs subscription boxes for local delivery.

A book, a glass of wine and a taste of local chocolate is the perfect pairing for a winter night.

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

21

The longing of the sea

A move east reveals spiritual links and transatlantic ties for singer-songwriter Nico Paulo

BY SHANNON WEBB-CAMPBELL PHOTOS BY GREG LOCKE

22

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

PEOPLE

P

ortuguese singer-songwriter Nico Paulo moved to Newfoundland with her partner Tim Baker, former front man of Hey Rosetta, to make music and ended up setting up a design studio on Duckworth Street.

The pandemic prompted the couple’s initial relocation from Toronto in 2020. Paulo and Baker drove to Newfoundland in their touring van, and were planning on staying for the summer at Baker’s house.

Now they’re making themselves at home in St. John’s.

“Almost a year ago we left Ontario. We tried to do a road trip.

We visited friends. We slept in the van. We hung out in their gardens. We stopped in four different places,” says Paulo. “We got here and quarantined for the two weeks. Our plan was to come for the summer. We said let’s stay one more month.

Then Tim brought up the idea, what if we just go get our stuff, and moved here for a year?”

For Paulo, who was born in Toronto, and raised in Portugal, she was ready to stay in St. John’s the moment she arrived, as she finds deep connections between her homeland and Newfoundland.

“I love it here. Just being so close to the ocean is the thing. The air smells sweet, there so much salt in it, and so much green,” says Paulo. “Also, it’s the people. There’s a

humbleness, and a roughness that I really like. It’s like the rocks — the landscapes are similar.”

While Newfoundland and Portugal are nearly 4,000 kilometres apart, they share a history of codfish, and some historians believe the first mariners to reach Newfoundland before John Cabot were the Portuguese.

In 1502, a Portuguese map identified Newfoundland as “Land of the King of Portugal.” Several parts of Newfoundland have Portuguese names, as many of the 16th century cartographers were from Portugal: Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, Portugal Cove South, Baccalieu Island, Bay de Verde, and even Quidi Vidi.

“You need to go away from home, remove yourself from it to understand it,” she says. “Leaving Portugal and coming here to Canada was like, oh this is what Portugal means to me. It gave me more time to think about it.”

Paulo returned to Canada after studying graphic design in 2014, and she worked for IKEA for several years as a graphic designer, but decided to quit her day job in spring 2018 to pursue music and visual art on her own terms. Paulo met Baker the day she went to visit a friend and former coworker, Rachel Hawkes Cameron, in Hamilton, to tell her she was changing her life. Incidentally, Cameron’s husband Jason Burns is Baker’s manager, and the couple has also relocated to Nova Scotia.

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

23

PEOPLE

“The interesting part was I left my full-time job to do this. It was around the same time I met Tim and we connected, and he was so excited about my new plan for my life, but he was also refreshed by it,” says Paulo. “It’s interesting that Tim came in my life at that right moment. The songs were developed in my head, he was a translator to help make them come true. He worked very closely with my producer, David Baxter. It was a dance between the three of us.”

In 2020, Paulo released Wave Call, a five-track EP, which charts longing, homing and subtle connections. “The City,” is the first song Paulo wrote, and is a dreamy serenade of feeling small amongst the big city.

But it’s opening track “Please Don’t Forget,” that sets the tone of Paulo’s etheric voice, and her organic weaving of memory and mystique. The music video for “Please Don’t Forget,” features painter Hawkes Cameron working on an abstract painting, which is not revealed in the video, but is the single’s artwork.

“I feel like ‘Wave Call’ is that longing for the ocean, and missing it so much. The natural nature itself,” says Paulo.

“Memories of growing up. “Please Don’t Forget” is about growing up so closely with my grandmother and not ever wanting to forget.”

With her strong visual background, and unique blend of ethereal folk melodies, she has found a sense of home in Newfoundland’s rugged beauty, and kinship connections. Paulo’s visual art and musical career is flourishing, partially due to the supportive and diverse arts community, and the stars aligning.

Last winter, while Paulo was the artist-in-residence at Lawnya Vawyna, she recorded Live at First Light, a three-track release recorded at the Cochrane Street United Church in the First Light performance space.

Paulo’s collaborators include Baker, Adam Hogan, Steve Maloney and others. The EP’s artwork features stitched flowers on a black background (the original design is from a coat she is wearing in the video), and is her own art and layout.

Paulo’s natural style is woven through her music, design work, and presence. This past May, she opened a design studio on Duckworth Street with photographer Ethan Murphy, where the two work, and have started to host pop-up literary readings, art shows and small gatherings.

“Everyone needs design at some point. Different people come for ideas,” she says. “I am a musician, I am visual artist and designer. I think music inspires design — they inspire each other.

I’ve become even more aware of it since I’ve been making music.” o

24

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

ADVERTISING

East Coast Living Gift Guide 2021

Gift ideas for everyone on your list

2 1

JIGSAW PUZZLES $12.99-33.50 Enjoyment for the whole family or just yourself! We carry The New York Puzzle Company, Ravensburger, Cavallini, Pomegranate, Galison and lots of others.

Atlantic News 902-429-5468 @atlanticnews atlanticnews.ns.ca

WATCHES FOR EVERYONE Give a timeless gift this holiday season - a beautiful watch from Inglis Jewellers. With their selection of timepieces from Citizen, Bulova, Caravelle, MVMT, Tissot, and more, you’re sure to find something special for your someone special!

Locations in Truro, New Glasgow, Riverview, Sydney and online at inglisjewellers.ca

4

GIVE THE GIFT OF ULTIMATE MASSAGE! $79.99-$99.99 Rechargeable or plug-in, Bodispa massage wands are ultra-powerful for instant gratification and relaxation.

Pleasures N’ Treasures Halifax, Dartmouth, Lower Sackville, Truro & Sydney pntcanada.com

6

3

SIGMA LENSES Sigma offers lenses for every use starting as low as $379.99. From wide angle to super telephoto choose a lens for your Canon, Nikon or Sony camera.

Moncton, NB ivanscamera.com

5

ALEXA! Hardcover $32.95 The astonishing story of Alexa McDonough, the woman whose career changed the face of Canadian politics.

Goose Lane Editions gooselane.com

BEARLOOM TEDDIES

7

Artist-made teddy bears, home decor & Christmas items created from recycled fur coats.

Dartmouth, NS bearloomteddies@hotmail.com (902)221-6716 bearloomteddies.com

Varietal-focused Wines in 3 sizes $12.99 - $40.99 Outstanding wines from around the world cellared and nurtured right here in the heart of Atlantic Canada. grandbankerwine.ca

GRAND BANKER WINE CELLARS

ADVERTISING

East Coast Living Gift Guide 2021

8

A NATURAL BALANCE Hardcover (illustrated) $45 A beautifully illustrated book celebrating the 20th anniversary of the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University.

Goose Lane Editions gooselane.com

9

HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS $65 Choose from three unique holiday collections packed with local luxuries from small businesses across Canada. Free shipping.

The Little Shop Box info@thelittleshopbox.com thelittleshopbox.com

10

11

SKYWATCHER DOB 8” $609.99 Telescopes make great Christmas gifts and Ivan’s have scopes for all ages and experience. Telescopes starting at just $89.99.

Moncton, NB ivanscamera.com

JOST VINEYARDS Great Big Friggin’ Red & Li’l Frigg’r

$16.99 & $5.99 The best-selling Nova Scotia red wine. Its little 200ml buddy is the perfect stocking stuffer! A dark red wine with undertones of maple, toasted oak and hints of spice - a wine to drink alongside the BBQ and more.

48 Vintage Lane, Malagash NS, 902-257-2636 jostwine.ca

12

13

KISSABLE MASSAGE OIL $24.99 (available in 3 flavours) Kissable Massage Oil is perfect for sensual massage, while moisturizing the skin and leaving a delicious scent behind.

Pleasures N’ Treasures Halifax, Dartmouth, Lower Sackville, Truro & Sydney pntcanada.com

FOR THE MOVIE LOVER ON YOUR LIST! Spend $40 or more in Cineplex gift cards and unwrap even more movie magic (like free popcorn!)

Cineplex.com/Holiday

14

15

CREATIVE MIND, HAPPY SOUL JOURNAL

By Doodle Lovely $24.99 The top self-care tools together in one book! Featuring doodling, gratitude, journaling and mood trackers to help you bring calm and creativity to your day. doodlelovely.com

THE NEWFOUNDLAND TEA COMPANY $14 - $20 (no tax) Sweet and fruity with a hint of candied nuts, Plum Pudding is sure to leave visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. With 24 organic blends, you’ll find a tea for everyone on your list! thenewfoundlandteaco.com

ADVERTISING

East Coast Living Gift Guide 2021

16

Someone’s

GLOBE AND MAIL & SUN NEW YORK TIMES SUBSCRIPTION $8.25 to $13.47 weekly Each Sat & Sun get a copy of the print edition of the Globe & Mail and / or Sunday New York Times. Please call for details.

Atlantic News 902-429-5468 atlanticnews.ns.ca

LÜVO LIFE CO. WINES 250ml award-winning local wines $5.99 each All natural, gluten-free and vegan, LÜVO canned wines are artfully created with locally grown Nova Scotia grapes. The ideal stocking stuffer and just right for celebrating moments, making memories, and enjoying with good friends, food, music and fun. luvolife.ca

SHELBY RANCH Check out our Sleigh Ride of Lights event or Give the gift of Ranch Adventure with a gift certificate.

Located in Scotsburn, Pictou County, only 1 hour and 40 minutes from Halifax. shelbyranch.ca

WHITE POINT GIFT CARD Wrap up a winter getaway at White Point Beach Resort.

Enjoy ocean views, soak in the indoor pool, and relax. whitepoint.com

18

DOODLE BY NUMBER: A FESTIVE GUIDE TO CALMING THE CHAOS

19

21

17

e beach!

going to th

20

By Doodle Lovely $17.99 Like a paint by number, doodlers are invited to fill in an image with suggested shapes and patterns for 30 doodle activities. No artistic talent needed to start! doodlelovely.com

NORTHERN WATTERS KNITWEAR & TARTAN SHOP The “Home” of the 100% British Wool sweaters and accessories. Supporting over 250 Canadian artisans with their crafts, Scottish/Irish items and First Nations.

Open year round.

1869 Upper Water St., Halifax, NS Historic Properties 902-405-0488 150 Richmond St, Charlottetown, PE C1A 1H9 800-565-9665 nwknitwear.com

Bubble wrap

The bubble has burst but the ties are still strong.

Give your gifts a little East Coast flair with tartan trimmings woven with the fabric of our landscapes and the places we hold dear STYLED BY ALLISON GAUDETT PHOTOS BY STEVE SMITH, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

PROJECTS

Hints of gold

An interweaving of gold, a symbol of potential wealth, forest green for the lumbering; meadow green for agriculture, blue for the coastal and inland waters — all tell the story of pride in New Brunswick’s provincial tartan that was commissioned by Lord Beaverbrook in 1959.

Pine-clad hills

The official tartan of Newfoundland and Labrador was designed in 1955 by St. John’s business owner Samuel B. Wilansky. The bold green, gold and white design was inspired by the poem “Ode to Newfoundland,” which references the province’s “pine-clad hills” and wintertime “cloak of shimmering white.”

Red sands

The P.E.I. tartan was selected by contest and adopted in 1960. The winning design by Jean Reed of Covehead featured red-brown to represent the province’s famous red soil, green for the grass and trees, white for the surf, and the yellow for the sun.

Surf and sea

Designed by Bessie Murray, the Nova Scotia’s tartan was officially adopted by the province in 1963. It contains blue for the sea, white for the granite rocks and surf, gold for the Royal Charter, (a document that decreed Nova Scotia as a Scottish colony on unceded Mi’kmaw territory) and red for the lion on the provincial flag.

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

29

A very vintage Christmas

BY CRYSTAL MURRAY PHOTOS BY BRUCE MURRAY, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

It was love at first sight for Karen Lee the first time she laid eyes on the vintage Lady Scotia stove.

30

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

IN DEPTH

Right: Floor boards and tin ceiling panels were salvaged in Ontario and shipped east for the renovation.

A former antique dealer puts a festive spin on her restored farmhouse in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley

W

hen Karen Lee started collecting holiday ornaments to deck out her little farmhouse in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, she didn’t walk the aisles of big box stores or order from the online giants.

She put on her hat as a connoisseur of vintage and salvaged items and curated a mix of antique and repurposed décor that brings a whole lot of merry to her old-fashioned East Coast Christmas.

“Vintage just sort of finds me,” says Lee as she unwinds the tale of how an antique dealer from Collingwood, Ont. ends up in Tupperville, N.S. Like a lot of people who find themselves meandering down the rural roads of the East

Coast, exploring the little nooks and crannies of the communities that make this place unique, Lee couldn’t quite shake the allure of the region once she’d been here.

For many years, the seasoned antique dealer would jump in her car for an annual adventure.

“It was my drive vacation,” she says. “I became addicted to Nova Scotia. There wasn’t any one thing, but I just felt the need to be here.

I couldn’t stay away.”

For eight years, Lee made the trip back and forth from Ontario. She wasn’t in the position to move to Nova Scotia on her first whim. Her antique and small salvage antiques business

“I had my opportunity to do what I wanted to do.

To be as outrageous as I wanted to be” — Karen Lee

Granddaughter Ryley Ayton-Lee snuggles up with a book in the living room that has been wallpapered with vintage maps.

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

31

An antique farmhouse table, vintage blow moulds and a century-old workbench make time stand still.

had a solid following, HGTV designer Sarah Richardson often used her as a source. Her partner John Kostick had a thriving business in demolition and larger-scale salvage, an operation he now manages remotely since the couple made the move to Nova Scotia.

But as Lee started to reach an age where retirement seemed more attractive every day, she wanted to make her dream of owning a little piece of Nova Scotia a reality.

“I would come here and scout out fun and funky properties,” Lee recalls. “It was the Annapolis Valley that really got me. I took a serious look at four properties but when I walked into the little farmhouse in Tupperville with the dormer bump out that is part of the local vernacular of old architecture here in this part of the province and saw the vintage Lady Scotia stove in the kitchen, I fell in love.”

Beauty was in the eye of the beholder when it came to Lee’s little dream farmhouse. The house was in rough shape.

“The house had been empty for seven or eight years before I bought it.

I don’t think anyone wanted to tackle it,” she laughs.

But John fell in love with the house just as fast.

“I was out West when Karen found the house,” he says. “I think she was a little worried, but I loved it when I saw it. It had good bones. The nice thing about this house is that it hadn’t been mucked with. It was still pretty much in its original state.”

Although she says the project wasn’t for the faint of heart, she had a vision for the circa 1860s home that once shared its property with a mink farm and orchard.

There were a few structural issues that needed to be addressed immediately.

“It needed a new roof right off the bat,” recalls Kostick. “We had a local contractor handle that. Then it was the other usual stuff of insulating all of the outside walls, everything except the front because it was south facing, and then we skimmed all the walls and put a second bathroom upstairs.”

Inside, it was a blank slate.

32

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

“A designer with a good eye could see the potential in the little house,” Lee says. “I had my opportunity to do what I wanted to do. To be as outrageous as I wanted to be.” She points to the old maps she used to wallpaper one of the walls in the living room.

Lee recalls the fun she had with the design process, but says if it weren’t for John, and on one occasion calling in his crew from Ontario to do some of the heavy lifting and keep some of the costs down, her little dream retreat would not have come together.

Because the couple had a home in Ontario and Kostick was still running his business, there were many trips back and forth to Tupperville to work on the project. When they started to spend more time in Nova Scotia, they realized that Lee’s farmhouse was going to become more of a retreat for her than their permanent home. The couple purchased another property a little further up the road that required a lot less work, while they picked away at what they now call Lee’s cottage.

While the cottage was mostly Lee’s passion project, the couple has each made careers based on preserving and honouring the past. Lee says it makes her heart ache to see heritage homes torn down without even an attempt to salvage beautiful historical elements.

“Sometimes I will go for a drive and see an empty old house and the next time you drive by it’s been bulldozed over. You just have to hope that someone removed the important stuff,” she says.

When the couple started to pull together the more decorative vintage elements of the cottage, they used salvaged materials they had collected in Ontario and had them shipped.

The tin panelling in the kitchen came from a building in Collingwood that was a drugstore over a century ago. Kostick discovered the sheets of tin in the basement.

IN DEPTH

A 1960s chenille bedspread gets a festive touch with a garland of gold ornaments.

“When they were building that drugstore over a hundred years ago, they must have over ordered the paneling and it just sat there for over a hundred years,” he says.

The flooring in the kitchen came from an old church that was being torn down. The light fixtures with opaque white shades came from an old community hall. On other trips East, they lugged a clawfoot tub and even a kitchen sink.

But when it came to decking the cottage out for the holidays, Lee’s vintage yuletide cheer was almost exclusively sourced in Nova Scotia.

“It has taken the better part of a year to find all of the holiday style décor that is here now,” she says.

Her finds all come from yard sales, flea markets and house lots that are being sold, and on occasion from homes facing demolition.

“Sometimes you have to be as bold as brass if you see an older abandoned home that is going for sale or maybe even slated to be torn down and you want in to look if there is anything really special that might just end up in the landfill. But you must follow the rules, be respectful and always, always have permission,” she says.

Her holiday collection is inspired by vintage maritime traditions. Blow moulds that were once very popular are now sought after by collectors. The window candelabras were also common on the East Coast but would be rare finds in Ontario.

One of her best Christmas finds was a tinsel tree she purchased at a garage sale in Bridgetown, N.S. The trees were all the rage in the 1950s and were mass produced at the time because they gave a modern atomic, space-age feel. Lee’s tree is tucked in the corner of her dining room surrounded by everything but those mid-century modern elements.

A piece of folk art made by Karen Lee.

She’s never found the holy grail of vintage on her picking adventures.

But that’s not what it’s all about.

“I am sure that I had something valuable in my hands at one time or other and just didn’t know it.” she laughs.

As for the Lady Scotia stove, that stole her heart at first sight, she used it every day. “It’s part of my childhood dream. I think I was meant to live in a different time. That’s why I am so drawn to things from other eras.

My old stove represents that dream, that fantasy.”

With the holiday season upon us, Lee will keep her eye out for anything special that she thinks she needs to add to her collection, bringing her own personal touch to the displays that embody the simple joys of Christmas from days gone by — fitting for a house on a rural road in Nova Scotia that she lovingly rescued. o

Protecting the ponies The love and care for a Newfoundland and Labrador heritage animal Three year old pony, Frankie comes in for a pat from Sherrylee Peckford and her young nephew.

“

34

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

IN DEPTH Frankie, Morley and Sherrylee Peckford out for a late fall walk around their property on Georges Bay, N.L.

BY CONNIE BOLAND PHOTOS BY ALYSSA GILLINGHAM

C

assandra Abbott leans into her Newfoundland pony, inhales its earthy scent and welcomes a deep feeling of peace and contentment. She nestles into Miss Mattea’s warm flank, after a long stretch away from her hobby farm in the Newfoundland and Labrador town of Wesleyville.

“The way they react when you’ve been away for a while, you know they care about you and they missed you,” Abbott says. “The love is there, and you can feel it. I used to have mental health issues. The ponies calm me down. They are the first thing I want to see in the morning, and the last thing I think about at night.”

Along with two-year-old filly Miss Mattea, Abbott and her husband Devon are raising Flint of the Rock, an eight-year-old gelding. “We wanted a horse for a while,” she says. “We researched the Newfoundland pony and discovered there are a few ponies in our area. We decided we would do our part to help save the breed.”

The sturdy Newfoundland pony is an important heritage animal with a storied history in Canada’s most easterly province. Intelligent and hard working and known as the engine of rural Newfoundland, the pony helped settlers carve out a living in rugged rural areas. Families set their ponies to work ploughing fields, pulling fishing nets onto beaches and hauling wood to build homes and wharves.

“We heard how hardy they are compared to other horses, but the main reason we wanted them was for their wonderful temperament, especially towards children which we hope to have soon,” Abbott says.

“Our ponies are pretty sweet,” she laughs. “Like I always tell my husband, if it were an option between you and the ponies, I would pick the ponies.”

According to the Newfoundland Pony Society, the official organization responsible for the preservation and protection of the Newfoundland pony, there are an estimated 500 in Canada and the United States, and fewer than 100 on the island of Newfoundland. Under the Heritage Animal Act, the society is mandated to protect and maintain the official Newfoundland Pony Registry.

Caption WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

35

Sherrylee and Morley Peckford grew up around horses and were keen to raise their own. They brought two-year old Frankie home to George’s Bay in the fall of 2020. “I made a small, two-wheel wagon to try Frankie on and he loved it, Morley says from the couple’s home in Gander Bay South.

When the snow came, I made a slide with one seat on it, and he loved that too. I can’t wait to work with him in the woods.”

The couple’s grandchildren love being around the Newfoundland pony and neighbourhood kids often visit. “We spend a lot of time with him,” Morely Peckford says. “He is very gentle and has a wonderful temperament. Frankie is a very loving animal, and he can sense your mood. I had to go away for a couple days. When I come around the corner, he didn’t see me, but a long whinny came out of him, like he heard my voice.”

Once numbering in the thousands, the breed is one of the rarest in the world and one of only two equine breeds native to Canada. As of May 2021, the society was aware of just two foals born in the province this year.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, lack of community pasture for grazing is one of the things jeopardizing the future of the Newfoundland pony.

Community pastures would help owners with the cost of feed. Turning the ponies out to graze means an owner would only have to purchase hay for part of the year.

Peckford estimates the cost of feeding Frankie, now 14 hands high and almost full grown, is about $1,000 a month. “I would like to have another one, mostly for company for Frankie, but the feed is expensive,” he says.

To create a permanent home and a showcase area for the Newfoundland pony, the society launched an effort to develop a Newfoundland Pony Heritage Park in Hopeall, Trinity Bay. Local

Top right: Cassandra Abbott and her pony Flint on her hobby farm in Wesleyville, N.L.

36

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

“The way they react when you’ve been away for a while, you know they care about you, and they missed you” — Cassandra Abbott

author and actor Greg Malone is the honourary chair of the fundraising campaign.

Libby Carew, volunteer councillor-at-large with the society, says a new generation of Newfoundlanders is taking up the cause of the Newfoundland pony. “We want to see this trend continue,” she says. “We have a natural connection with this animal which worked alongside us for years to help build our communities. It’s time for us to ensure it will be here for future generations to enjoy. I can’t imagine future generations learning that we had this incredible animal with such a rich history, but we let it disappear.”

She’s hoping more people take up the cause and get involved.

“We need government policies that are more supportive of this animal and protecting its habitat.”

In George’s Bay, Sherrylee Peckford watches Frankie frolic in the fall sunshine. The gelding raises its head when she approaches, and neighs softly. “Frankie is my dream come true,” she says. “He is everything.” o

Morley and Flint out for a stroll on the beach. Newfoundland ponies are now one of the rarest breeds in the world.

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

37

Holy Bannock Cannoli!

BY CHEF STÉPHANE LEVAC PHOTOS BY STEVE SMITH, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS

W

e’re heading into those winter months, and I must say this is my favourite time of year to get into the kitchen and cook up a storm. Whether it’s making a hearty soup for those cold winter nights, entertaining family and friends during the holidays or simply indulging in some sweet treats, winter to me spells COMFORT. I can’t help but feel nostalgic and inspired by my recent trip to Italy, where food is all about comfort and joy.

It was the first time overseas for my wife Sarah and me. It did not disappoint.

Our journey started in Naples, a city known for its pizza, most notably the Neopolitan “Margherita” made with San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. This style of pizza gave rise to the

New York-style pizza that was first made by Italian immigrants to the United States in the early 20th century. Funnily enough, pizza is not what we were there for.

We had a reservation at Il Comandante. A one Michelinstar restaurant located on the 10th floor of the Romeo Hotel overlooking the Gulf of Naples. The menu showcased local, creative and refined gourmet cuisine by executive chef Salvatore Bianco. The dishes also showcased his former position as souschef at the world renowned Nobu. The eight-course meal was fantastic, as was our conversation with their master sommelier, who instantly recognized Nova Scotia as the home of our famous Vidal ice wine.

EATING IN

After an inspired trip to Italy this fall, East Coast Chef Stéphane Levac is back in his own kitchen reimaging a few Italian classics with his signature Indigenous flair.

Herbed Ricotta Gnocchi with Three Sisters Stew. In Indigenous mythology, squash, corn and beans are crops that are considered the “three sisters” and ingredients in celebratory dishes.

The following day we headed to the Amalfi Coast, a stretch of coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea, located in the Gulf of Salerno in Southern Italy that’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Limoncello spritz? Yes please!

I could talk about how great the cafés were, all the decadent baked goods, the pastas, the perfect little sandwiches, the frutti di mare, the fresh fruit growing on the mountains, yes. But there’s one thing that really and truly was an experience of a lifetime.

We had been making quite a few Instagram posts of our trip and received numerous messages from friends and strangers on how they were living vicariously through our adventure. And then I received a message from chef Michael Howell, executive director of Devour

the Food Film Fest, asking if we were actually on the Amalfi Coast. I replied, “Yes we are!” Michael, having been to Italy numerous times with his “Tempestuous Culinary” adventures, was quick to make some suggestions on what to see and do. The one that really stood out for us was a mozzarella cheese-making class in Ravello.

Caseificio Staiano is located in the center of Ravello, in the Piazza Fontana Moresca. We met master cheesemaker Biagio Staiano a couple of days earlier when we were simply trying to find the place.

He didn’t speak English, so we had to communicate with him via email for translation reasons. Our class was booked. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Biagio and his wife, who is also his translator.

She gave an overview of what we were about to experience, as well

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

39

as walking us step by step through Biagio’s rigorous daily and all-manual routine to make mozzarella. The lesson was followed by a buffet of cheeses that we made, some of his cheeses such as ricotta and provolone all paired with local wine. We had a great conversation; we had some laughs, and the evening created a lasting memory.

Biagio’s delicious ricotta that we tasted that day, creamy and smooth, needing nothing, but all the more amazing with a touch of balsamic, is the inspiration for these holiday recipes, with my own special touches from a foraging chef that I hope you’ll recognize. Enjoy and Buon Natale! o

View chef Stéphane Levac’s recipes for Herbed Ricotta Gnocchi with Three Sisters Stew and how to make your own fresh ricotta at eastcoastliving.ca

Black Currant Bannock Cannoli with Ricotta Filling & Rosemary Honey Ingredients Cannoli 2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt ½ cup dried black currants 1 tbsp. vegetable oil ¾ cup water

Rosemary Honey ½ cup liquid honey Sprig of rosemary 1 tbsp. water

eastcoastliving.ca

Step 1 (make the cannoli) Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed.

Add water and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork in order to form a dough. Using your hands, knead until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 2 Place dough on a lightly floured countertop. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch. Using a 4-inch diameter circular shaped bowl or cup, cut out rounds of dough with a knife. When all the dough has been used up, wrap each round of dough around stainless steel cannoli molds and seal the edges with a little water or egg white.

Step 3 Fill a deep heavy bottom pot halfway with vegetable oil. Using a thermometer, bring the oil to 350-375 degrees ferenheit. Fry 3 or 4 cannoli shells at a time until golden. You may have to hold them down to ensure that all sides are evenly fried. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Let the cannolis cool for a bit and carefully separate the cannoli molds from the shell. Repeat until all the dough has been used up.

Ricotta filling 4 cups ricotta cheese, drained ¾ cup powdered sugar, plus more for sprinkling Dash of cinnamon

40

Preparation

Step 4 (make the ricotta filling) In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the ricotta, powdered sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Fill a pastry bag with a star tip with the ricotta filling. Pipe filling into cooled cannoli shells. Sprinkle powdered sugar over top.

Step 5 (make the honey) In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup of honey with 1 tbsp of water and sprig of rosemary. While stirring, bring to a quick boil and turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Drizzle rosemary honey over cannoli and serve.

···

WINTER 2021

Fabulous decorating, renovation and entertaining ideas…with a uniquely Atlantic Canadian twist.

get inspired

Treat yourself to East Coast Living for just $17.99+ HST* a year!

in life me g ho irin Insp

(4 issues per year.)

PROMO CODE: ECLAD2021-ECL

Subscribe

eastcoastliving.ca/subscribe 833-600-2870 | circulation@metroguide.ca

eet rations w S eb l Ce

I’S SK AM T AD EAS N AF HA AG ARE S R ME KES WE CA FLO OF

a anad cC anti Atl

OR EF IM E E T IN TH ST W .L. W’S OA IS N O NO ST C P TH REN OUT EA AK U OM L AB O SO THR DEA BA BIG MES E TH Y HO TIN

*Contact us for US pricing and shipping

FOLLOW US CONNECT with East Coast Living wherever you are

East Coast Living is a Metro Guide publication.

Making do with the doyenne of DIY

BY ALEC BRUCE

DIY Mom Rebekah Higgs bevelled and sanded a second-hand table top, fashioned legs from some oak dowels, and made herself a dining room table for just over $90 in materials.

PHOTO: REBEKAH HIGGS

Inset: Nail some oak strips to a piece of finish ply and Higgs says you have the makings of terrific sliding door for home or office.

I

f you’re like me, offered the notion of building a barn-style sliding door with old wood and a second-hand steel runner, you’d say: Why would I do that? But if you’re like Rebekah Higgs of HGTV, Forbes, Chatelaine and Centura magazines fame, you’d say: Why wouldn’t I? “It’s a great way to stay creative this winter and to really make your home unique and individual,” Halifax-based Higgs says. “It just makes sense to use any and all leftover wood and reno materials around your home, or build furniture yourself.”

What’s more, she says, with supply chain shortages continuing into 2022, and the cost of construction materials and labour continuing to rise, it’s a great time to start building your DIY repertoire. “I encourage people to try. It will be worth it in the end.”

Certainly, Higgs has walked that particular talk. The Nova Scotian singer-songwriter spent time in Toronto before she realized she was becoming just another face in an already crowded industry. “Once I had a baby, I didn’t want to be sleeping on floors, and traveling anymore,” she says. “I wanted to change careers.”

42

eastcoastliving.ca

···

WINTER 2021

And vantages. “So, when my daughter was one, I moved back to Halifax because the quality of life was better. I always loved to decorate and do creative things on a budget. So, I came up with DIY Mom and I ran with it.”

That was 2014, and since then she’s been happily running her own show from her home (which she’s been renovating) in the Rockingham area of the city. She’s currently wrapping the fifth season of DIY Mom for Bell TV on Demand. Her message to viewers is cheerfully clear.

“It’s actually a lot easier than it looks,” she says.

Take that sliding door, for example.

“I had a barn-door hardware kit sitting around from my previous home renovation and decided the entrance to my mudroom would be the perfect place to hang one,” she says. “As I didn’t want my midcentury-modern home to have a traditional or farm house style door, I decided to build my own. Using oak, I cut equal strips on a table saw and secured them with a finishing nail gun to a piece of plywood.

When laying out the wood for my tambour (slatted) pattern, I used scrap as a spacer.”

PROJECTS

Top: For her glass partition, Higgs says: “I reached out to East Coast Specialty Hardwood on milling the white oak wood, and then had the glass cut locally.”

Bottom: Higgs used scrap from a previous reno to make this tambour-styled panel for her kitchen island.

Higgs also put together a glass wall.

“I wanted to create a separate office and music room space in my bungalow without affecting the flow of light in my home,” she says. “I was inspired by gallery images I saw on Pinterest to design and build my own glass wall. I reached out to East Coast Specialty Hardwood to partner with me on milling the white oak wood and then had the glass cut locally to the dimensions needed between each wood frame. Here’s a tip: if you get the glass cut without a polished edge, it’s much cheaper.”

There’s also her kitchen-island panel.

“I repeated the same tambour effect of the barn door on the back panel under the kitchen island,” she says. “But this time I used leftover material from my renovation and painted all the scraps a lovely shade of green.

You can have so much fun playing around with patterns and colour. The possibilities are endless. A battery-operated finishing nail gun makes quick and easy work of this kind of project.”

Once mastered, how big a leap from there is a dining room table?

“Now that my mid-century-modern bungalow was complete, I needed the perfect place to sit under my gorgeous Eurofase chandelier,” Higgs says. “With furniture prices on the rise and stock low, unavailable or delayed, I decided to take it upon myself to DIY one. I searched Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace and found a solid wood oval-shaped table for $90.

I sanded it down to the natural maple colour, removed the old bevelled edge and, using a router, gave it a reverse-angled edge. I then built ribbed, racetrack legs using half-round oak dowels and my trusty nail gun. The overall effect is perfect with my open-concept.”

Higgs says a barn door and back island panel are even better winter projects (the more ambitious might also want to try a portion wall and dining table before spring), when you add a DIY holiday touch to the results.

“You’ll have your friends wondering where you picked up the beautiful holiday décor,” she says. “I incorporate a mixture of faux and real evergreens in my wreaths, fireplace garlands and staircase rails.”

If you still think DIY sounds too costly and complicated, Higgs says, think again. “I’ve actually reused every piece of wood in my house. I even reused old two-by-fours because I didn’t want to waste anything,” Plus, she adds with a laugh: “I haven’t drawn out a single thing.”

In the end, the trick is not letting the fear of failure stop you from starting. “I think some people are intimidated by putting holes in their

walls,” she says. “You have to be willing to try. I often fail on camera and I let people watch. I think it’s part of the charm of my show.

And maybe of life?

As it happens, I do have a barn-style door kit in my basement just begging to be built. But before I start, I might ask my wife to visit the grandchildren in Dartmouth for an afternoon. Rebekah Higgs may be a star, but I’m not ready for my close-up just yet. o

PHOTO: REBEKAH HIGGS

PHOTO: REBEKAH HIGGS

DIY Mom Rebekah Higgs has a few words for East Coast Living readers who get a chill thinking about taking on home projects this winter: Do it anyway

WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

43

LIBATIONS

high spirits at wildly popular and deep roots Once banned for a century, absinthe distillery is enjoying a resurgence

BY JANET WHITMAN

a

bsinthe isn’t everybody’s drink.

The green-hued spirit was the alcoholic beverage of choice, a muse even, for bohemian writers, artists and intellectuals in Paris from the mid-1880s until the outbreak of the First World War. A widespread belief that it induced hallucinations fuelled its popularity and eventually led to a nearly century-long ban that only added to the potent drink’s notoriety.

“People are anxious to try it and then they’ll make faces,” says Mike Beamish, who started distilling absinthe in 2015 at his family-run Deep Roots Distillery in Warren Grove, P.E.I. “They have to know it’s a strong alcohol. Ours is 72.5 per cent. And it’s got a powerful flavour. When you take a sip, it explodes in your mouth.”

Black licorice is the primary flavour. “Not the candy kind,” Beamish adds. It’s a real licorice flavour from fennel, aniseed and star anise.

Beamish says a slight bitterness on the tail end is because his recipe uses wormwood, the ingredient that garnered absinthe its reputation.

The plant includes a psychoactive chemical called thujone, which is toxic in high doses.

“Absinthe became extremely popular in the mid-1800s in Paris once they found out the herb has traces of a hallucinogenic compound,” says Beamish. “Once that idea hit the art community, it spread like wildfire.”

They developed rituals. “It wasn’t just a matter of throwing it in a glass,” says Beamish.

Ornate fountains with taps dripped ice water on to sugar cubes on slotted silver spoons placed on the rims of specially designed absinthe glasses with a hollow stem that would fill with the spirit. The sugar would dissolve into the absinthe and combine with the water into a milky blend, a process called La Louche.

Beamish maintains the rituals don’t affect the taste. “They could have easily taken a teaspoon of sugar and a cup of ice water, poured it in a glass, stirred it and you’d have the same drink,” he says. (That’s how he enjoys the beverage at home unless he’s got guests.) “But they’d be sitting around these smoky cafés. It was an experience.”

Modern lab-testing techniques revealed wormwood doesn’t live up to its hype as a hallucinogen, and only trace amounts of thujone get through to the end product. The prohibitions were lifted in 2007.

Beamish developed the recipe at his small-batch craft distillery along with one of his sons, who first tried the infamous liquor out west. They tried it out as a novelty, but sales have been surprisingly strong. It’s one of the distillery’s best sellers and Beamish is boosting production with plans to sell to other Maritime provinces.

A 120-litre batch takes 1.8 kilograms of fennel and buckets more of other herbs.

“The volume of herbs we put in is quite substantial. You have to have enough that the alcohol can suck out all the oils and essences,” says Beamish. “We feel pretty confident that we’ve got an original product of what it really used to be. We’re quite proud of that.” o

PHOTO: SARAH DAVISON MEDIA

The Absinthe Drip

44

eastcoastliving.ca

···

Ingredients 1 ½ ounces absinthe 1 sugar cube Ice-cold distilled water, to drip Instructions Pour the absinthe into an absinthe glass.

Lay a slotted absinthe spoon over the rim of the glass and set a sugar cube on top of the spoon.

Using an absinthe fountain, slowly drip 3 to 5 parts of ice-cold distilled water on to the sugar cube to dissolve the sugar into the cocktail.

When the mixture “louches” (turns cloudy), the drink is ready. Stir, taste for strength and sweetness and adjust with more water or sugar as desired.

WINTER 2021

No slotted spoon and absinthe glass handy?

Try Mike Beamish’s easy, informal at-home method: pour some absinthe in a glass, add sugar and ice water, stir and serve.

Got money to burn? Pour the absinthe over the sugar cube on the slotted spoon, then light it aflame. Once the sugar melts into the absinthe, snuff out the flame. Add ice-cold water until desired louche. Warning: this could be dangerous given the alchohol’s flammability.

BUYING GUIDE

Buying guide

Now that you’ve seen all the quality products and services available in Atlantic Canada, here’s a guide to help you find them for your own home.

ART 1274 Hollis Gallery (p.16) art1274hollis.ca

East Coast Living (p. 41) eastcoastliving.ca

Luvo Life (p.27) luvolife.ca

Red Door Realty (JM) (p.15) reddoorrealty.ca

Atlantic News (p.25, 27) atlanticnews.ns.ca

Glubes sound studio (p.47) glubes.ca

Metro Building Supplies (p.7) homehardware.ca

Region of Queens (p.8) regionofqueens.com

Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association (p.6) atlanticbooks.ca

Goose Lane (p.25, 26) gooselane.com

The Newfoundland Tea Co. (p.26) thenewfoundlandteaco.com

Grand Banker Wine (p.25) grandbankerwine.com

Nimbus Publishing (p.7) nimbus.ca

Rosedale Manor Bed and Breakfast (p.7) lindasofiagrimm@gmail.com

Inglis jewellers (p.25) inglisjewellers.ca

Northern Watters Knifwear & Tartan Shop (p.27) nwknitwear.com

attica (p.20) attica.ca Bearloom Teddies (p.25) bearloomteddies.com Bosch Home Appliances (p.4) bosch-home.ca Cineplex (p.26) cineplex.com/holiday Doodle Lovely (p.26, 27) doodlelovely.com

Interhabs Homes Ltd. (p.16) interhabs.ns.ca Ivan Camera (p.25, 26) ivanscamera.com Jost Vineyards (p.26) jostwine.ca Kubota (p. 48) kubota.ca

The Little Shop Box (p.26) thelittleshopbox.com Scotia Stone Ltd. (p.20) scotiastone.ca

Our Children Magazine (p. 8) ourchildrenmagazine.ca

Shelby Ranch (p.27) shelbyranch.ca

Pleasures N’ Treasures (p.25, 26) pntcanada.com

White Point Beach Resort (p.15, 27) whitepoint.com

Postech Metal Foundation (p.45) postechpiles.com

Unravel Halifax Magazine (p. 2) unravelhalifax.ca

SERVICING ALL OF ATLANTIC CANADA! Check our website for the dealer near you.

POSTECH THERMAL PILES ARE: • Cost efficient • No mess or excavation • Guaranteed not to move

• Time efficient • Accurate • CCM-C Approved

POSTECH THERMAL PILES CAN BE USED FOR: • Decks • Sunrooms • Fences

• Home additions • Cottages • And much more

Postech has a network of 75+ certified dealers across Canada.

Please visit our website for more information or contact us today for a free estimate.

1-888-333-7453 (PILE)

www.postechpiles.com WINTER 2021

···

eastcoastliving.ca

45

LAST LOOK

The softer side of glass Kiln glass artist Urve Manuel celebrates the movement of life with colour and light

PHOTO: URVE MANUEL

BY AMEETA VOHRA

Artist Urve Manuel brings her passion for the wilderness into her kiln glass creations.

U

rve Manuel was destined to be an artist.

Her Estonian grandfather was a fisherman and a farmer. Her mother sewed and knitted most of her clothes and her father did lots of woodworking.

“Back in the day, everything was made by hand, like the baskets to wooden vessels or chests to store food and clothing in and all that stuff,” says Manuel. “I do come from a very strong background, making things by hand, so that’s always been part of our lives.”

Manuel fell in love with working with glass with no formal education or training while attending the University of British Columbia.

At the time, her roommate convinced her to take a stained-glass class at a local high school.

Once Manuel took her first class there, she never looked back.

“I would amass a bit of glass and then make some traditional leaded glass panels,” she says.

“I’ve always been attracted to it because the glass is so beautiful, and it changes all the time.

One piece will look so different from morning to noon to nightfall, and I really love that about it.”

After her parents and two of her brothers emigrated to Newfoundland, Manuel followed suit. Manuel has been in the province for the past 20 years.

46

eastcoastliving.ca

···

Her gallery and studio, The Glass Station, is in Gros Morne National Park in Rocky Harbour.

It has been the perfect backdrop for Manuel to incorporate her lifestyle and passion for the wilderness into her art pieces.

“In my work, I try to bring or show people the joy that I find, or the appreciation for the wild countries, animals, plants, all that kind of thing,” she says. “If you came into the gallery, you would immediately get it. I try to bring that joy that I feel in those environments into my work so that other people can appreciate the two even if they can’t get out to the top of the mountain or they’re not going to paddle across the ocean or whatever.”

Manuel finds a lot of pleasure in kiln glass work, a process where heat is applied to melt the glass together as opposed to traditional stained glass where pieces are held together with lead channels. The kiln glass process creates different textures but also a movement in the material that is embraced by Manuel’s creative methods.

She loves to create storytelling with her glass panels. An event this summer, where a house was floated from one community to another, inspired her to create a panel depicting floating houses and children on the shore.

WINTER 2021

Among her other glass creations are bowls, plates, suncatchers and ornaments that bring some colour into people’s homes. One of her most popular items is glass fish, especially cod and salmon, because Newfoundland is surrounded by the ocean and plays a significant part in the history and culture of the region.

During the holiday season, Manuel will be crafting panels with trees and snowmen, along with star-shaped ornaments, suncatchers and seasonal Mummer panels that are generally colourful and playful.

Ultimately, Manuel wants to share her love of colour with people.

“Whatever I make hopefully will brighten someone’s living space or office space, wherever they choose to put it,” she says.

“I don’t have any urban influences. I don’t get influenced by other people’s work, or an environment that someone else might be familiar with. Her influences are very local.

It almost doesn’t matter whether someone goes home with a fish, an Arctic hare or a little a bird plate with some snow bunny on it,” she says. “These are all flora and fauna from here, but they’re also presented in a way that’s unique to my take on what is out there.” o

TV when it’s on, art when it’s off Modern design with a customizable bezel.

The Frame’s minimalist-inspired design blends flawlessly with your interior. It’s redesigned to be slimmer with a monochrome finish on the back to create a sophisticated look from every angle.

Customize to your space with two styles of bezel options in a variety of colours. A simple-to-use magnetic application makes it easy to switch between colours and styles and find the right look for the mood you’re in.

Available in sizes from 32”-85”.

1 (902) 706-9951 100 Main Street, Dartmouth, NS, B2X 1R5

Shop now at glubes.ca

WINTER JOBS HAVEN’T GOTTEN ANY EASIER. WE JUST MAKE IT SEEM THAT WAY. Reliable and powerful, Kubota’s L60 Series tackles winter’s toughest jobs with ease. Keep warm in its luxurious cab specially designed to handle our harsh Canadian weather. The front and rear window defoggers and the front and rear wipers allow for clear, efficient work all season long. Benefits like outstanding lift capacity and height mean these tractors can do it all and then some. Winter, meet your match.

Kubotao OBC

kubota.ca |