Summer Cottage Living
Life in the city
can get overwhelming, which is a reason why many people in Canada have summer
homes or cottages. Summer homes in rural Ottawa can provide a peaceful and
relaxing experience, just the thing your family needs to rejuvenate from the
bustling city. If you have a home in
rural Ottawa or perhaps rent it out to people for their summer holidays, you
may want to consider adding tranquil and natural stone touches to the exterior
of your home, to help it blend into the peaceful surrounding environment. Granite is a hard and durable natural stone
that can be used in both interior and exterior decorating. If you are
eco-conscious, you may opt for reclaimed and salvaged granite stone from the
quarries located in Quebec. Add a touch of romance to your country home in
Ottawa with
granite
tiles in your backyard or with reclaimed pieces that lead up to your home.
Interior Granite Versus Exterior
Granite stone
that is used in the interior of the house tends to be highly polished to reduce
absorbency and to give a chic and finished look to the home. Granite tiles are
often used in flooring in bathrooms, sometimes in kitchens and slabs are
commonly used for
countertops. Granite stone that is used for decorating the
exterior of homes tends to be in a honed or flamed finish. A honed finish gives
a matte or satin-like appearance to the stone and flamed is more grooved and
texturized.
Exterior Décor
The exterior of
your home is just as important as the interior if you plan on spending time in
your garden. Given the function of your
home, opt for a more naturalistic style of decorating, incorporating many
natural stones, pebbles, reclaimed wood accent pieces and items that blend into
and emphases the lush beauty of your property. Some ideas for installing
granite tiles to the front of your home are:
- Have them cut in unusual or
rounded shapes: a square or rectangular tile is too structured to blend into
the unusual shapes and forms that nature provides. Rounding the tiles will give
the natural stones a softer appearance to complement their intrinsic beauty.
- Leave space in between tiles:
allowing one to two inches of space between the tiles will allow for the grass
to grow in between. This will give your
entrance a more traditional cottage feel. If, however, you are laying them in
an area or walkway that receives a lot of traffic you may want to put them
closer together so the surface is more even when transporting items inside and
out of the house.
- Choose grey or dark stones: though
it may be unique to use pink or red coloured granite, these may impose on the
environment. Also if you are going for reclaimed granite stones and tiles from
the quarries, you will most likely only have the option of grey! The lighter
gray flamed granite has the colour and texture to match the earthy and homely design
of your summer house.
Integrating salvaged granite from Quebec is a
great way to add some beautiful Canadian flair to your Ottawa summer home.