A supermodel could spend her vacations anywhere – at least that’s what people assume. Anywhere, yes, but not just any way. Cindy Crawford has been finding peace for years in a part of Canada called cottage country, the favorite getaway spot for Torontonians who have built simple shingle houses on the lake shore and painted them an intense black that blends into the sea of pines.
Everything in pursuit of a rustic refuge where time forgets itself at least a little.
The view is stunning with its secular, comforting beauty. Anonymity and simplicity are highly prized these days, remarks Cindy. The property has a total of 28,329 square meters and when it was first purchased, there was only a fishing cabin with linoleum flooring.
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After studying the local architecture of two-story shingle floating houses and rustic hunting cabins, Cindy and her husband opted for a wooden cabin. They chose a type of dark timber to blend into the native palette and over time they understood the comfort that this material provides.
Alfredo Paredes, designer for the Ralph Lauren brand, provided them with consulting on the vacation home's interior design. The couple owns a total of 7 residences (including one in the select Upper East Side neighborhood and one in the exclusive resort Cabo San Lucas) which they have decorated to their liking.
In this case, they opted for natural materials which they accented with copper lanterns, miniature canoes, and dream catchers (dreamcatchers) made by the Ojibwa tribes.
Everything is natural and tasteful: a vintage armchair was enhanced by upholstery with a Pendleton blanket and a cabinet that once belonged to a bar in Aspen keeps company with a sofa Cindy brought from the house she grew up in. A thank-you message from the neighbors across the lake, inscribed according to local tradition on a rounded birchwood slab, takes pride of place.
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The result is so beautiful that every spring all family members eagerly anticipate the blueberry bushes and the pontoon where they will spend their summer afternoons. Cindy's children – Presley, a 16-year-old teenager, and Kaya, her 13-year-old daughter, are the first to jump into the water as soon as the seaplane touches down on the lake.
This is the only time of year and the only place on earth where my children don't turn on the television and aren't interested in their cell phones, says a happy Cindy.
The whole routine changes here, miraculously – Cindy makes her famous banana bread every morning, and daily activities alternate between boat rides, outdoor dining, and water sports. Evenings are dedicated to relaxation on the veranda, accompanied by music that subtly envelops the space – a mix of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Pearl Jam.
