A change is as good as a rest.

March 2nd, 2008 · 11 Comments · Design, Web

Well, I got entirely sick of my site design.

So in order to give myself a break from seeing the guy with the old outboard motor I decided just to park the site under Chris Pearson’s fabulous Cutline theme, just until I get a chance to redesign.

It’s going to be another Cottage-inspired design, once I get around to it. I’m just trying to collect some inspiration about how to have a site that really suggests Old Muskoka. The last one was a reference to the old National Geographic magazines that are found at every summer place, complete with ads for Evinrudes.

But I need some fresh Cottage elements. Wooden boats, sunsets from the dock and … what else? What are some of the iconic elements that really define the cottage experience?

Leave your suggestions in the comments!

Tags: design muskoka cottage

11 responses so far ↓

1 Jesse, himself. // Mar 2, 2008 at 10:00 am

Canoes.
2 Tony // Mar 2, 2008 at 11:20 am

Bloodshot eyes.
3 Tony // Mar 2, 2008 at 11:22 am

I liked the last look!
4 Jesse, himself. // Mar 2, 2008 at 1:23 pm

The next one will be even better: this time the guy holding the outboard will have bloodshot eyes!
5 Rick Corbett // Mar 2, 2008 at 7:38 pm

Old Eaton’s catalogues in the bathroom! These aren’t for self amusement but rather to elevate the decorating standard in most cottage bathrooms.

Since you’re so smart, was it the Eaton’s catalogues that airbrushed out the navels in underwear images, or Simpsons ?
6 Jesse, himself. // Mar 2, 2008 at 10:39 pm

@Rick: Ah, yes! Two models wearing pajamas, pointing and one of them inexplicably holding a duck decoy. I remember those catalogues well.
As for the navels - I am going to take that question under advisement to Pub Quiz tomorrow night. One of those rounders will surely know the answer…
7 Jim Murphy // Mar 3, 2008 at 9:13 am

Whatever you settle on has to include a collection of never used fishing tackle. Cottagers are loath to part with any of it. We still have a couple of old steel rods at our place that predate me. They wouldn’t even make good skewers for the BBQ but they remain in the shed like prized family heirlooms.
8 Jesse, himself. // Mar 3, 2008 at 9:18 am

@Murph - man, you’ve got that right. I had an old steel tackle-box from my grandfather - it ended getting left outside one winter and became a rust-bucket. But inside I found a card for a reel that he had that listed the repair centre for it as Maple Avenue North in Port Credit, with a five-digit phone number.
Talk about a small world.

You’re absolutely right - tackle’s got figure into this thing.
9 Donnie Bowes // Mar 8, 2008 at 11:32 am

A weather-beaten rain slicker hung on a nail by an old screen door with an empty thread spool for a knob.
10 Donnie Bowes // Mar 8, 2008 at 1:19 pm

2 lawn ornaments that look like Katherine Hepburn & Henry Fonda
11 Jesse, himself. // Mar 8, 2008 at 3:10 pm

Donnie: The slicker sounds great–the lawn ornaments? Not so much :)

Jesse Collins, and then some.

A blog dedicated to those who would rather be at the cottage.