Snapshot: In the small historic town of Wellington, in Prince Edward Country, design firm +tongtong was enlisted to reinvent a tired bed and breakfast and original, c. 1880 foundry into an 11-room and two-suite contemporary inn.

Perched over a meandering creek and a private waterfront, with sweeping views of Lake Ontario, the inn is the rural counterpart to its hip, urban sister, Toronto's Drake Hotel. The approach of the design team was to draw inspiration from the culture background and vernacular of the local community while also instilling a contemporary perspective to the mix.

The Drake Devonshire's aesthetic cues are blended with inspiration pulled from a lexicon of references including the stylistic characteristics from British country inns, retreats in the Hampton, summer camps, and Southern Ontario's farmhouses and cottages, with their tapestry of historical layers and styles. Particularly their practical ad-hoc renovations, readily available building materials and mismatched furnishings.

Both the guest rooms and the publish areas are teeming with doses of the Drake's brand of idiosyncratic and mischievous personality. Bright and contrasting tiles are mixed with patterned fabrics and straight materials in a deliberate, but seemingly ad-hoc manner that heightened the delicate balance of old and new.

Photography by Nikolas Keoing