An hour north of Toronto lies Friday Harbour Resort, a year-round community centered on indoor-outdoor luxury living, complete with amenities, restaurants, hiking trails, and a sought-after golf course. Here, two top Canadian designers—Alyssa Papa and Natalie Chong—collaborated on a vacation home. 

“The clients are repeat clients of Natalie’s, having worked on their primary residence in Toronto and a previous Friday Harbour property,” Alyssa explains—noting that the latter home had sold quickly,fully furnished, when the family decided to look for a bigger property. “They are young and have two teenage daughters. They frequent Friday Harbour on weekends, as well as during summer and winter holidays given its close proximity to the city, and all the amenities offered during the four seasons we experience in Canada.”

The couple wanted the new space to be comfortable, embrace a subtle coastal aesthetic, and welcome guests to comfortably come for weekends away. “In short, we took a builder-basic townhouse unit and renovated it,” Alyssa notes. “We redid the kitchen, bathrooms, added a walk-in pantry, installed a fireplace, and created a third-floor loft space. We fully furnished and decorated the unit, so it was turnkey for our clients.” They used a calm and neutral palette highlighted by beautiful materials, including light oak, natural marble, and linen.

Aside from the hour-long distance from the city, Alyssa says there weren’t too many challenges. “These were dream clients who trusted us from beginning to end,” she smiles. “Every design element we presented was welcomed, with very little pushback.”

From a construction point of view, the tile layouts required the designers be on site for a dry fit with the tiler. “But he was so understanding and excited to work on it,” she recalls. “The countertop edge profile on the kitchen island also took some time to get right. But we had an amazing contractor who was supportive of all our ideas, and very thorough at understanding our drawings to relay to the trades!”

The result is a relaxed yet refined getaway, perfectly suited for family weekends and holiday gatherings—proof that thoughtful design can elevate even the most builder-basic spaces into something truly special.