Rewind Design

S2 | Rewind Design | E1 - Georgian Bay Association with Rupert Kindersley

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

S2 | Rewind Design | E2 Restoration on Georgian Bay with David Ballentine

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

S2 | Rewind Design | E3 Heritage Conservation with Scott Weir, ERA Architects

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

S2 | Rewind Design | E4 Sustainable Cottages with Vanessa Fong, VFA - Architecture + Design

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

S2 | Rewind Design | E5 Passive Cottage Design with Christine Lolley - Solares Architecture

Welcome to Episode 5 of Rewind Design Season 2! If you are new to this podcast, my name is Katy McNabb and I am a registered Interior Designer working in Ontario’s Cottage Country. I am on a mission to share sustainable ways of building, promote green energy and document the history of the cottage country.
In this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Lolley, the visionary co-owner of Solares Architecture, along with her partner Tom Knezic. She takes us behind the scenes of her breathtaking Kahshe Lake Cottage project + reminisces about her century-old Muskoka island cottage project on Lake Joseph. Discover how they are transforming the world of sustainable architecture and cottage design in our interview below.
Here is a quick summary of Solares from their website:
Solares Architecture is a Toronto-based studio specializing in sustainable, low-carbon residential design. Since our founding in 2005, we have earned a reputation as experts in energy efficiency and building science. Fully licensed by the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), we focus on custom residential new-builds (both single-family and multi-unit) and major renovations across Ontario.
Our complete turnkey process guides you through every stage of creating your custom home, renovation, secondary suite, or multiplex, from the first ideas to the final move-in day. We believe the fundamentals of sustainability are passive solar design, all-electric/low-carbon energy, airtight and ultra-insulated building envelopes, and high-quality construction.

S2 | Rewind Design | E6 Green Roofing Systems in Cottage Country with Zinco

Welcome to Episode 6 of Rewind Design Season 2! If you are brand new to this podcast, welcome! My name is Katy McNabb and I am a registered Interior Designer working in Ontario’s Cottage Country. I am on a mission to share sustainable ways of building, promote green energy and document the history of the cottage country.
In this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jordan Hofstra dein Zinco Canada.
Here is a quick summary of Zinco from their website:
For over 50 years, ZinCo has been committed to incorporating nature back into the urban landscape through the manufacturing and supply of the most advanced green roofs available. Green roofs that will work to offset the environmental impact of building structures, cool micro-climates by up to two degrees, capture and manage storm water and alleviate noise pollution for decades to come.
IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
Green rooving systems in Cottage Country, will they withstand the elements?
What type of planting do you use for green rooves?
What makes a green roof so sustainable?
What is a sedum plant?

S2 | Rewind Design | E7 Off Grid Solar Power with Scott Mifflin

Welcome to Episode 7 of Rewind Design Season 2! If you are brand new to this podcast, welcome! My name is Katy McNabb and I am a registered Interior Designer working in Ontario’s Cottage Country. I am on a mission to share sustainable ways of building, promote green energy and document the history of the cottage country.
In this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Mifflin from Sustainable Cottages - www.sustainablecottages.ca
Here is a quick summary of Sustainable Cottages from their website:
Welcome to Sustainable Cottages, your trusted leader in solar pv design and installation. We supply industry leading Solar PV equipment and work with a team of engineers to design a system that meets all of your energy needs no matter how remote your location. We are a turn-key solution for all your Solar pv needs. Sustainable Cottages has provided Georgian Bay, Muskoka, lake of bays and The Kawartha Lakes with the highest quality Off-Grid, Hybrid, and Grid-Tie Solar PV equipment, system design, and installation since 2011
Kamryn Elkin works with Scott as a client liaison in Pointe au Baril + design assistant. You can find here here: www.instagram.com/kam.elkin !
 
IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
Solar installation on Georgian Bay’s off grid islands
The different types of solar design + batteries
How Scott founded Sustainable Cottages + his love of sustainable design

S2 | Rewind Design | E8 Julien LeBourdais on Isabel Island - Bonus!

Welcome to Episode 8 of Rewind Design Season 2! If you are brand new to this podcast, welcome! My name is Katy McNabb and I am a registered Interior Designer working in Ontario’s Cottage Country. I am on a mission to share sustainable ways of building, promote green energy and document the history of the cottage country.
In this week’s bonus episode, I have a cottage story to share! I had the pleasure of meeting with Julien LeBourdais, his daughter Lisa and his son in law Matthew. As far as his cottage history goes, Julien is a multigenerational cottager spanning back to the late 1800s.
In this emotional episode, we discover how each generation has enjoyed the wonder and solitude of Georgian Bay – through three different locations. He is now known in the community as the local historian, writing articles for the Sans Souci Copperhead association. We love to see his updates pop up online with a snippit from the past! Before his retirement he had an wonderful career as a photojournalist, photographing sports, celebrities and even royalty! He freelanced for the Toronto Star, then the United Press International to the United Press Canada!
IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
What is a Georgian Bay Girl? - Will you pass Lisa’s grandmother’s test?
An island that was purchased for $25
Lisa remembers returning retuning to L’Islet island decades later and discovering something her cousin had left hidden in the cottage…