Rewind Design
Ontario Cottage Country is an endless expanse of natural beauty and pleasure activities, but do you ever stop to think about the history behind it all? Rewind Design is a podcast shining the spotlight on Ontario’s Cottage Country, design history and all that comes along with owning a cottage on the water. Join your host, local Interior Designer, Katy McNabb, as she navigates the waters and chats to guests about their unique cottage stories and researches the locales we call our second home. She brings her passions into the discussions about the environment, sustainable design and design history. Katy draws on her own experiences and those of her guests to discuss cottage country inside and out!
Episodes
Monday Jul 04, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | Intro
Monday Jul 04, 2022
Monday Jul 04, 2022
Hello! My name is Katy McNabb, and I am the creator of Rewind Design - A Cottage History Podcast. In honour of Canada Day weekend, I am releasing the first episode dedicated to my own personal cottage history story! I decided to create this podcast and associated blog because I am extremely passionate about cottage country and how everyone and everything ended up here! I wanted to create a space for cottages and cottage lovers alike to share stories of migration to cottage country over the years, childhoods spent on the lakes, stories of generations of fun in one of the most treasured areas of Ontarians (and everything in between). I love to hear how cottagers ended up where they are and most often the reasons why people end up where they are is full of mystery and serendipity.
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For example, How did a generation of farmers come to own 100 acres of land on a now very populated point in Parry Sound with the original 1894 farmhouse still standing. How did a family of loggers buy a lot in Dorset in the early 1900s for $100 and didn’t know there was an existing 10 x 10 cabin on the property until they walked the site? How did an island cottage on Georgian Bay end up being a Bootleg Gin Distillery for many years until WW2?… These are all stories I am going to share in upcoming episodes of Rewind Design!
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There are so many stories to share and explore and I cannot wait to dig deeper into Cottage Country History with you every 2 weeks. So stay tuned for upcoming episodes airing every 2 weeks on Mondays starting today July 4th.
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You can follow my instagram page at @rewinddesign.interiors, or you can send me an email at katy@rewinddesign.ca to be added to my email list for episode notifications.
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | E1 Beverly by the Bay
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Welcome to Rewind Design - A Podcast dedicated to discovering the stories of Cottage Country in Ontario. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey and for the first official episode with a real live guest! Today on the show we’ll be diving into a piece of cottage country I am very familiar with, the South Channel of Georgian Bay, home to my favourite place on earth. Our family cottage. And as I alluded to in my last episode, I will be speaking to a very important guest who happens to be one of the most influential people in my life - my mom! My mom is an amazing woman who is so passionate about the arts, is an amazing pie baker, and she is the world’s best gardener.
Links:https://southchannel.ca/ | https://georgianbay.ca/ | https://www.gbbr.ca/ | https://georgianbayforever.org/
--- There are so many stories to share and explore and I cannot wait to dig deeper into Cottage Country History with you every 2 weeks. So stay tuned for upcoming episodes airing every 2 weeks on Mondays starting today July 4th.
--- You can follow my instagram page at @rewinddesign.interiors, or you can send me an email at katy@rewinddesign.ca to be added to my email list for episode notifications.
Monday Aug 01, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | E2 Rick on Horseshoe Lake
Monday Aug 01, 2022
Monday Aug 01, 2022
To jump right into the water, today’s guest will be another member of the McNabb family clan, my dad, Rick McNabb. He shares his story of how the McNabb family ended up in Parry Sound. Everyone thinks we’ve been here forever, but we’ve really only been here for the last generation. My dad and his family are originally from Mississauga and eventually moved up to Parry Sound in his 30’s following his mom and dad and all his brothers. He has had a diverse past with many jobs including working in Advertising, Corporate Canada and owning and operating the Harvey’s Swiss Chalet in Parry Sound and now in his retirement he is a good ol truck driver, driving routes through Michigan and Wisconsin. He is a lover of vehicles, and has also been a recreational pilot since before I was born. So, today we are going to talk about how it all started with my grandparents purchasing a cottage on Horseshoe Lake and how one act of serendipity changed the lives of all future generations of McNabb’s forever!
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | E3 Sadie on Action Island
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
On this week's episode of Rewind Design, we have an incredibly captivating story, which just might be the most fascinating, intriguing and sexy one yet. Today I speak with lifelong cottager Sadie who has flipped my world upside down with her breathtaking cottage history. Sadie shares the history of her Georgian Bay Island, how her grandparents acquired the striking island property in the 60’s and how the whispers of this property’s true origins baffled her family for decades until they found out the seductive truth behind their 1898 original island cottage. There were unmistakable clues sprinkled around the property that took a lifetime to unravel. I won’t give any more away in this intro, this story is way too extraordinary! If you are dying to learn the meaning behind their Island’s colloquial name, it’s not just the island that was getting a lot of action… Without further ado, let’s jump into Episode #3 Sadie on Action Island
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Find me below!
instagram: @rewinddesign.interiorsemail: katy@rewinddesign.cablog: rewinddesign.ca
Monday Aug 29, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | E4 Jordan on Greenbough Lake
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Today on Rewind Design we have a special episode coming from much further north in Ontario than I’m used too. Today I speak to Jordan Fang, a designer, nature lover, reader + art lover who was a colleague of mine when we worked together at a commercial design firm in downtown Toronto (before I made the permanent move up north). Jordan’s family cottage, or should I say compound, is situated 4km down a logging route on the remote Greenbough lake, just south of the Ottawa River, and East of Mattawa. The compound consists of 7 family cottages, each owned by separate family members and the buildings range in age with original log cabins that Jordan’s grandfather built by hand from logs felled on their property, to cabins inherited from the boy scouts. Mattawa historically was a huge logging hub for Northern Ontario connecting Ottawa River + lake Nipissing and remains a important historic landmark.
Sunday Sep 11, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | E5 Janet on Five Mile Bay
Sunday Sep 11, 2022
Sunday Sep 11, 2022
Today on Rewind Design we have a special episode coming from very close to home, Five Mile Bay - in the South Channel of Georgian Bay! My home territory! Janet and her husband Dave have been kind enough share their story of how their family landed in a renovated 1962 cottage on McLaren Island. There have been many additions and changes over the years, but the heart of the home has been passed down, generation after generation. Janet reached out to me on Facebook after I had shared my idea on the South Channel Association Page, and I was so grateful for her, because she was one of the first people to show interest in this venture, so thank you so much Janet + family! Janet and her family are cottage lovers, like me and I’m sure everyone listening agrees, there truly is no better feeling than that of boating up to your cottage on the Friday of a long weekend, and staring deep into the water while sipping on a cold drink and sharing laughs with your family. I hope all of you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer, and soaking it all in before winter crushes our spirits until spring comes around just as quickly as is always does!
Monday Sep 26, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | E6 Dianne in Dorset
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Welcome to Rewind Design A Cottage History Podcast with your host + Local Interior Designer, (me!) Katy McNabb. Today we will be putting the spotlight on a historical Dorset cottage. Join me, as I navigate the waters and chat to my guests about their unique Dorset cottage and their family history over the last 100 years.
To start off this captivating story, I though I’d give a short little personal anecdote. I am lucky enough to work with an incredible design firm and each day I come into work, I sit next to a designer named Danielle. Months ago we were talking and I brought up my idea for a Cottage History Podcast. Her eyes lit up - in a flash she said “you have to speak to my mom!”. Excitedly, I typed out an email to her mom, Dianne, explaining my ideas and how I’d love to interview her. I anxiously clicked send and closed my laptop. A few days later she replied with an email, and what followed was an incredible cottage history story.
Dianne’s cottage property faces North West with an uninterrupted view of a wooded ridge lot on mainland across the narrow channel. The lush and wooded property feels especially private as you drive in through the u shaped driveway to reach the cottage just off the road. There have been many debates when entering which is the front door and which is the back… Dianne and I agree that the front door is the door facing the driveway, whereas some guests are determined the front door is the lake facing door! We am not convinced. The property was bought by Dianne’s grandfather who was in the lumber business in Dorset. Her father subsequently bought the lot from her grandfather when he returned from the war for $100.00. It wasn't until he physically walked the property that he discovered there was already a cabin in it. The cabin belonged to one of the old lumber camps that the family still uses today as a sleeping bunky. It's about 130 years old… The current cottage was built in addition to the sleeping cabin in 1958 and the new room (Dianne still calls it that) was added in 1975.
Dianne’s dad was in the lumber business so the cottage is all wood interior, cedar walls and ceiling, brilliant red pine floors. Most of the furniture is hand me downs and whenever they acquire something new at home the old item goes to the cottage. Dianne has a lot of old dishes that came from gas stations which she would now consider antiques.
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
S1 | Rewind Design | E7 Patty on the Point P1
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
The story begins in a similar fashion to my own history, with Patty’s ancestors hailing from Scotland and Germany, the same mix of cultures I am also from. Curiosity compelled me to read further and further into the pattern of emigration to Cottage Country, how did Patty’s family find their way here? How did they end up in a Farmhouse on the undisturbed Rose Point in the most beautiful protected part of the South Channel? How did they end up on the infamous Waubano Paddle Steamer which transported passengers across the rough seas of Georgian Bay from Collingwood to Parry Sounds before there were railways or roads. The story dates back to 1894 when Patty’s now summer cottage was built by her great, great grandpa (Frank + Mary Hogg) to use a a year long home while he was working for the Midland and North Shore Lumber Company from 1894-1916. This original farmhouse was the first house on Rose Point in Parry Sound. (also known as Parry Harbour at that time). He purchased approximately 150 acres of land stretching from the neighbor's property to the girls' camp. Frank Hogg bought the land from Annette Rose, who was the widow of Martin Rose, picked a nice spot, and built the house. His oldest daughter Wilhelmine (Patty’s great, great aunt) wrote about how Rose Point got its name in her autobiography: "...the prettiest point we called Rose Point. It attracted the eye of W.F. Thompson, a hotel man, who bought it and built a summer hotel on it. He wondered what to call it, and Dad said, "We call it Rose Point," and Mr.Thompson said, "Good. Rose Point it is," and there it is today on any map of the vicinity..." Patty’s ancestors lived in this home until around 1916 when they moved south to the states and landed in Cleveland, and then to Florida, using this Rose Point home as a summer residence from then on.