Room to Grow
STORY JULES TORTI
PHOTOGRPAHY DONNA GRIFFITH & RIC RIORDON
The Sunny TranSplanT of The fuSSy Gardener in Meaford.
On a serendipitous fall day in 2018, Ric and Shirley Riordon visited their future lakehouse in Meaford. The backdrop blaze of autumn colours mirrored on Georgian Bay helped paint the possibility for the original 1970s colonial. There was a solid sense of home, but the undoing that would be required as they processed the property seemed surmountable.
It was a typical build for the times with tightly parcelled, divided rooms. “The windows were so small, you had to go outside to see the view,” Ric laughs. “We knew we could leverage the inherent qualities of the existing house, qualities that can be uncovered or discovered with a little design innovation.” The startling panoramas of the marina, bay and Christian Island triggered their dormant Lake Huron DNA, having grown up in Bayfield and Goderich.
Shirley’s family initially connected them to the Meaford area and despite entertaining the notion of scaling down, the 4,500 sq. ft. “Scarlett O’Hara house” was a rare, attainable and precious waterfront offering. “This area feels like the closest thing to Kelowna in Ontario,” Ric concludes.
“The original house wasn’t practical for a modern lifestyle,” says Shirley. They were eager to replace yesteryear leanings with a transitional refresh. Working with their architect, William Hicks of Hicks Design Studio, the redesign integrated en suites for all four bedrooms. The blueprint for the addition included a second primary suite, sunroom with a walk-out deck and two-car garage. The layout revolved around the importance of the view – inside and out. “We love that when you walk in the front door, it’s the beautiful blue of Georgian Bay that welcomes you into the space,” says Shirley.
The transition from co-owning a design company for more than 30 years in the GTA to establishing their latest venture, Fussy Gardener Home & Garden Design, necessitated room to grow. The company’s mantra of “Dream it. Plan it. Create it.” applies wholly to their lives, as well.
Ric and Shirley’s career success has revolved around sound design principles, intuition and symmetry. Light, flow, scale and colour merge seamlessly at the Lakehouse. Their interior is a clean Benjamin Moore palette of Snowfall White, Dove Wing and Collingwood. The natural textures inside are subtle but consistent – stone, marble, glass. A wool herringbone runner from Dean’s Carpet One Floor & Home softens the stairs to the loft, and seven-inch, wide plank, oil-rubbed oak flooring from Fortune Hardwood Flooring reflects design choices that complement the surroundings.
The 40-foot Eramosa Tiger Stripe dry-laid retaining wall in their tiered garden is composed of stone from Wiarton. A dozen 20-foot Colorado green spruce from Clarke’s Tree Spade Services enhance the streetscape and provide privacy as well as “instant maturity.” Green velvet boxwood, Hicks yews and a stately stone fountain in the front courtyard are indicative of their passport stamps.
“We seek out gardens in our travels and both the simple and grand designs of Europe inspire us,” says Ric. Shirley arranged to have black-and-white giclee prints made of Ric’s flower photographs from a treasured time at Boath House, Scotland, to add tonal balance to the home. “It’s all about the personalization of space,” says Shirley. “We want our home to conjure up memories of places and reflections of the people in our lives.”
The couple feed off each other with symbiotic energy and shared theories. Shirley admits to being “antique crazy” in the past. “We’ve diversified and edited over time – it’s a process we feel is essential to evolving as designers,” she says. Ric agrees on the transitional nature of their home. “It was a colonial style that needed an infusion of fresh, modern sensibility.” It’s fitting that part of Ric and Shirley’s lifestyle transition included a new addition to the family – a local rescue kitten named Wren.
“We are people who like people and enjoy sharing our home,” Ric says. Their kitchen has all the “glory appliances” including a Wolf Range and Ric gushes over Shirley’s decadent brioche french toast with fresh peaches and clotted cream, saying, “It’s the request of all of our friends.” In the summer, the backyard grill menu is inspired by local produce and go-to favourites like gazpacho.
When asked about their best finds for the Lakehouse, they mention an English oil pastoral painting, pendant lights on either side of the primary bedroom’s four-poster bed from Lëuk and sophisticated en suite fixtures from The Nest.
Their top find? “It was Linc Metcalf.” They share the story in affectionate pieces, of meeting Linc at a Christmas dinner at Shirley’s sister’s farm just outside of Meaford. “He’s a seasoned carpenter with talent, a lifetime of expertise and a work ethic that is truly rock star.” The adage “it takes a village” becomes evident when they express their gratitude for local businesses.
The couple glowed when speaking of Jordan Rupp of Naturally Green Landscaping for his elaborate exterior stonework and landscaping. Design Electrical provided all the interior and exterior electrical work while Georgian Design Centre’s bathroom vanities found a new showroom at the Lakehouse.
Shirley and Ric laugh knowingly when asked if they have finally settled. “We’re designers,” Shirley says. “It’s an outlet for us, an expression. We do it for ourselves and our clients, translating the principles of good design to the spaces people live in.” Ric believes that Meaford is on the cusp of progressive change, given its proximity to Collingwood and Thornbury and the four-season lifestyle the area offers. “We love the brilliant entrepreneurial spirit of this place.”
Ric and Shirley are synonymous with reinvention and transition. And they know how to design a serene space wherever they land. Like Wren, they are happily settled in their new nest.
