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 Parry Harbour cottage. Join me, as I navigate the waters and go back in time to explore this whimsical farmhouse on the bay.

This episode of Rewind Design is so exciting for me: not only is it close to home, but Patty’s family history dates back to the 1800’s when Parry Sound was only accessible by steam paddle boat. This story of perseverance and adventurous spirit is so compelling, true to this area and the generation of people that came here. This episode will be split into 2 parts, as after I met with Patty, I realised just how much history this property held and how there would be no way to fit all into one hour! Patty initially reached out to me via email with the following message:

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 Parry Harbour cottage. Join me, as I navigate the waters and go back in time to explore this whimsical farmhouse on the bay.

This episode of Rewind Design is so exciting for me: not only is it close to home, but Patty’s family history dates back to the 1800’s when Parry Sound was only accessible by steam paddle boat. This story of perseverance and adventurous spirit is so compelling, true to this area and the generation of people that came here. This episode will be split into 2 parts, as after I met with Patty, I realised just how much history this property held and how there would be no way to fit all into one hour!

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.

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 great 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.

On this week's episode, 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… further ado, let’s jump into Episode #3 Sadie on Action Island!

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. 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!

Cottage Country is awash of beauty and pleasure, but do you ever stop to think about the history behind it all? Rewind Design is a podcast putting the spotlight on Ontario’s Cottage Country, cottage design and all that comes with owning a cottage on the lake. Join your host, local Interior Designer, Katy McNabb, as she navigates the waters and chats to guests about their quirky cottage stories, adventures and researches the area we call home. Host and industry insider, Katy McNabb, draws on her own experiences and those of her guests to discuss their cottages inside and out!