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Is the schlep from Toronto really worth it? That’s what my travel companion and I wondered as we wandered warily down twisting country roads, two and a half hours’ distance from the big city. - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -If it weren’t for Jeff Stober’s involvement, we might not have attempt-ed this trip. But Stober has done amazing things in the past – most notably the revitalization of the Drake Hotel a decade ago that, in turn, led to the entire west end of Toronto becoming a boomtown for artists and hipsters. Since then, he and his band of hand-picked de-signers have opened the popular Drake One Fifty restaurant in down-town Toronto, as well as three locations of the Drake General Store, which specializes in “curated curiosities old and new.” Now, after two

Above The covered porch hugs the entry of the inn, offering a quiet place to relax and a clear view of the lake beyond. Opposite Beside the recep-tion desk nestles a micro–Drake General Store, handy for whenever one finds oneself in need of such trifles as an alpaca-covered bar of lemon-balm soap or the complete collection of New York Times Sunday cross-word puzzles. (Other signature pieces from the Drake Hotel’s inaugural incarnation scattered throughout the inn’s three storeys include clear-plastic-topped ottomans and one-armed bar stools.) The site-specific installation Cabin Fever is by New York artist Kirsten Hassenfeld.

Exquisitely composed and effortlessly quirky, Drake Devonshire Inn – a manageable drive from Toronto – has proven to be worth the hype

Photography by Nikolas KoenigBy Leslie C. Smith

&d reaNea r&years’ work, the Drake Devonshire Inn, a.k.a. “Drake by the lake,” is ready for its closeup; thus, the car ride to the small town of Wellington, in Prince Edward County, on the stony cusp of Lake Ontario. - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -We are greeted in the lobby of the small, 11,000-square-foot bou-tique inn by John Tong, principal of the lead design firm, Toronto’s +tongtong. Actually, we are greeted before we reach the lobby by the sight of a gorgeous, polished bronze “dumpster” crafted by New-foundland’s Zeke Moores, one of the inn’s several Plein Air artworks curated by Mia Nielson, head of cultural programming for the Drake chain. This Dada-esque piece signals what’s ahead for us: the brand’s signature blend of artistry, surprise and whimsy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Clockwise from opposite bottom The screened, east-west Pavilion (host to musical performances, farmer’s markets and guests seeking protection from the sun or bugs) boasts a huge custom mural by Brooklyn collective FAILE; with its white walls, floors and furnishings contrasting with dark Douglas-fir vaulting and blackened steel overhead, the barn-like dining room evokes many associations, from camp mess hall to ferry boat to family cottage; inspired by utility and a theme of old-and-new, custom-designed dining-room tables integrate floor-boards and Corian panels into a painted-steel frame; the Pavilion’s hydraulically hinged “barn door” shutters double as a unique porch awning, while tempered-glass barriers leave the lake view unimpeded; opposing glass walls of the Glass Box (whose amenities include a Ping-Pong table, a trunk full of board games and a wet bar), allow a throughway for light and sightlines from the entryway’s pea-gravel lot on one side to an intimate stone patio on the other.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Next to reception, an exposed-brick living room is practically all that’s left of the site’s original structure – first an 1849 steel foundry and later transformed into a bed-and-breakfast lodge. The room cer-tainly catches the eye, with its crazy-quilt floor tiles jostling each other for visual supremacy. Like the inn’s jumbled tongue-and-groove wainscotting and flashes of floral wallpaper, this a nod, says Tong, to the “architectural archeology” of working on old houses: “I’ve reno-vated so many houses over the years. I wanted to capture those dif-ferent levels of wallcoverings and linoleum that you find.” - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -The living room acts as a junction, linking past and present, as well as the new Glass Box meeting/games room and patio to the rear and pub-licly accessible restaurant on the lakefront. Philip Evans, principal of ERA Architects, has created a building envelope to suit this chrono-logical convergence, with olde-tyme, tin-gabled roofs surrounding a central peak set atop ultramodern glass curtain walls that allow unex-pected light and sightlines into the interior. Perhaps as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Wright’s Falling Water, he cantilevered part of the dining room over the tiny creek that runs past the property. Fittingly, for the site’s foundry origins, this entailed the use of a great deal of steel. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Comparisons to summer camp mess halls are inevitable within this barnlike space, with its broad Douglas-fir vaulting and picture win-dows overlooking water and woods. Echoes of cottage life come from the purposely mismatched chairs and white-washed, engineered-pine flooring. Yet, given the room’s custom marine lights, wood-slat banquettes and “infinity pool” view of Lake Ontario, an even stronger sensation is that of being aboard some beautiful, becalmed ferry. In one swoop, Tong has engendered nostalgia, longing and peace, a perfect setting for chef Matt DeMille’s locally sourced wines, sea-sonal ingredients and cozily upscale comfort food. - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Beyond the restaurant proper, the entertainment area stretches to-wards another rafter-and-truss room – the screened Pavilion – and spills out into the open air via a huge, connecting cedar deck and bleacher/steps facing the beach. Landscape architect Joel Loblaw has assisted nature here as elsewhere with a variegated selection of na-tive plants and trees. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Amidst all these elements of communal relaxation and refreshment, however, one must not forget that Drake Devonshire is au fond an inn. Eleven cleverly quirky bedrooms occupy the second floor, and two unique suites comprise the entire third storey. All rooms are decorated with custom touches plus a mishmash of vintage and mod-ern furnishings, sourced from antique shops and flea markets by Tong and Drake stylist Carlo Colacci. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Setting the Loft Suite and Owner’s Suite apart are both their size and their vantage points. The Owner’s Suite in particular offers a spec-tacular, A-framed view of the lake that simply screams Canadiana. This panorama extends through sliding glass doors onto a private, glass-parapeted deck. An adjacent box-room, perfect for a kid or two, has been dubbed the Stargazer for the large skylight directly over its queen-sized platform bed – perfect for falling asleep under the stars. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -So, was our trip to Wellington worth the time and trouble? If all of the above is not enough to answer that question, we leave it to New York’s annual Hospitality Design Awards. This June, out of an inter-national field of 560 entries, the Drake Devonshire was accorded Best Boutique/Lifestyle Hotel, Best Boutique/Lifestyle Guestrooms or Suites and, the most coveted prize of all, Best of Show. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - •

Above Like one’s private chalet in the sky, the Owner’s Suite features a magnificent lake view from the fir-lined, A-frame interior and secluded, glass-parapet deck beyond. Custom furnishings, such as rope-crochet ottomans and a picnic-table “desk,” rub elbows with mid-century-mod-ern accoutrements sourced from antique shops and flea markets. Left The inclusion of a large skylight turns the small box-room adjacent to the Owner’s Suite into the nighttime-spectacular Star Gazing Room.

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