Urban Hip Hits the Countryside at Drake Devonshire Inn in Ontario, Canada

Project Name

Drake Devonshire Inn

Posted in

Hotels, Design, Interior Design

Location

24 Wharf St.

Welllington, ON K0K 3L0

Canada

Telephone

+1 6133993338

Email

[email protected]

Architecture Practice

+tongtong

Project Team

John Tong, Eunice Lam

Completed

April 2015

Rooms

11; plus 2 suites

Rates

from 299 USD

Visit Website

drakedevonshire.ca

More Info

Architects of Record: ERA Architects
Art Curator: Mia Nielson
Stylist: Carlo Colacci
Landscape Architect: Joel Loblaw
Construction: BLT Construction and Loyalist
Design Identity: Coolaide Design Field Office

Detailed Information
Project Name	Drake Devonshire Inn	Posted in	Hotels, Design, Interior Design	Location	24 Wharf St. Welllington, ON K0K 3L0 Canada
Telephone	+1 6133993338	Email	[email protected]	Architecture Practice	+tongtong
Project Team	John Tong, Eunice Lam	Completed	April 2015	Rooms	11; plus 2 suites
Rates	from 299 USD	Visit Website	drakedevonshire.ca	More Info	Architects of Record: ERA Architects Art Curator: Mia Nielson Stylist: Carlo Colacci Landscape Architect: Joel Loblaw Construction: BLT Construction and Loyalist Design Identity: Coolaide Design Field Office

Toronto-based design studio +tongtong was assigned to revive an old bed and breakfast in Prince Edward County in south eastern Ontario, transforming it into a hip inn that aspires to become a gathering point for art and culture-loving visitors and locals alike. Owned by Drake Hotel Properties, the new Drake Devonshire Inn is the sister property to the popular Drake Hotel in downtown Toronto, and as such now brings the brand’s well known love for art and mischievous attitude out of the city and into the countryside. Situated about two hours east of Toronto, the Devonshire occupies a c.1880 building that used to be a foundry sitting at the mouth of a small creek and boasting unobstructed views over Lake Ontario.

photo © Nikolas Koenig. Seen from the first and second floors, Cabin Fever, a site specific installation by New York artist Kirsten Hassenfeld is made from vintage papers.

For the renovation, +tongtong principal John Tong collaborated with ERA Architects in order to remove additions added to the original foundry building over the years and replace them with contemporary structures — one of which is the Douglas Fir dining area which is cantilevered over the creek. With traditional British country inns and Lake Ontario’s farmhouses in mind, the Devonshire’s rooms and public areas have been decorated with an idiosyncratic mix of old and new furniture, lighting and objects — meanwhile, an in-house curator has filled the spaces with colourful artworks that echo the local culture and character, including a site-specific paper installation suspended in the lobby.