When Teresa Wiwchar, owner of Toronto decor shop Châtelet, envisioned a weekend getaway for herself, husband Hamid Samad and their two kids, Macy, 8, and Finn, 6, the typical woodsy cottage wasn’t top of mind. Instead, she looked to her past and found her ideal summer house on Lake Erie’s Long Beach, near where she grew up in Southwestern Ontario.

The 1,100-square-foot cottage met all of her criteria: close to Toronto, near her mom’s house, swimmable water and a cottagey feel ‒ beach cottage, that is. Think sun, sand and style ‒ way more Malibu than Muskoka.

Her inspiration came from a Vanity Fair spread she’d seen years ago of actor Dennis Hopper’s Malibu home. The vibe was 1970s surfer/boho chic and Teresa couldn’t wait to interpret the look in her own beach style cottage. It would be a departure from her Toronto home and the Hollywood-glam-meets- shabby-chic-meets-Parisian-flair of her Châtelet store. “In the city, I have greys, pale blues and greens – there isn’t the same riot of colour I have in the cottage,” she says. “I wanted the place to be fun and lively because it’s a weekend home.”


Beach house
The cottage is perched above Long Beach, a public beach on Lake Erie, cozily sandwiched among other similar traditional family cottages. But homeowner Teresa Wiwchar doesn’t mind the accessible setting – she loves watching families set up for a day in the sun and seeing Jet Skis whiz by.
The deck
The deck takes on a classic motel-chic look with the addition of a trio of Solair chairs in a green and blue colour scheme.
Family-friendly living
Teresa’s daughter Macy (right) takes a break from the beach to enjoy a snack on the deck with a friend from a nearby cottage. Patterns from the chic sunroom forge a link between the indoors and out.
Living room
Sophisticated touches, such as the classy secondhand chairs reupholstered in a tailored stripe, coupled with black decor accessories, including a sexy chandelier, challenge traditional concepts of cottage decorating, yet the dressed-up style looks right at home beside the original stone fireplace.
Artwork
Simple black and white frames unite a display of the kids’ creative masterpieces.
Kitchen
The old kitchen “was awful” says Teresa – dark and cramped. The new kitchen interior is its antithesis – breezy, modern, bright and roomy enough for husband Hamid Samad to cook up a storm while entertaining guests at the island.
Sunroom dining
The family spends a lot of time in the super-casual screened-in sunroom that Teresa coated with white paint. She also painted the picnic table that the previous owners left behind for relaxed summertime dining.
Table setting
Turquoise and green linens and a graphic lattice pattern continue the cheerful retro vibe in the screened-in porch.
Cottage accessories
A slammer screen door says summer accessory loud and clear. A turquoise rattan wall-mounted coat rack is perfectly positioned to catch bright-orange beach towels. Vintage jars filled with small stones set a cottage-style mood.
Vintage chair
Teresa bought the vintage gilded “bamboo” cottage chair from a picker she knows. “It’s great to be in the trade,” she admits. Whenever she’s looking for a particular piece, it eventually shows up.
Textiles
Teresa uses a curvy Hollywood-glam vanity from her shop as a writing table. Despite the touches of glamour, the cottage vibe is kept from getting too frou-frou thanks to Teresa’s fun, even audacious use of textiles.
Bedroom
Teresa purchased the seascape artwork from one of her favourite antiques spots in Florida. She fashioned a one-of-a-kind pendant light from an elaborate ceiling medallion found at one of her regular haunts, Captain’s Treasures, and a flea market find chandelier. The bedside table lamps were also secondhand finds spruced up with custom shades – they don’t match, echoing the contrasting window coverings.