You know you are in for a great Canadian chat when renowned design expert and co-host of Great Canadian Cottages, Colin McAllister, starts off by sharing a fascinating story that includes some shenanigans about he and his partner, Justin Ryan.

After a very staid, very British evening at the British High Commission here in Ottawa, the night turned into a night of shenanigans –  or as Colin put it – “Colin and Justin’s Bad Behaviour”. The result? The pair ended up having to spend the night in the Margaret Thatcher room.

That sounds fun to me!

I think I might just love Colin and Justin even more after that story!

Colin and Justin first appeared on television over 15 years ago on a Scottish TV programme called Summer Discovery. From there they hosted a BBC show called Trading Up. Since then, they’ve hosted some of the most popular design shows on TV including:

• The Million Pound Property Experiment
• Colin and Justin’s Home Heist
• I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here
• Colin and Justin’s Cabin Pressure

Colin and Justin are red carpet reporters for the Toronto Film Festival, resident design experts on Cityline, and they’ve written at least three books.  This fabulous duo are newspaper and magazine columnists, and they even have their own product line.

Whew! I could go on and on.

Colin and Justin are the very definition of multi-taskers!

Great Canadian Cottages On Cottage Life TV

Their newest venture, Great Canadian Cottages, premiered last week on Cottage Life TV. Filmed on location this past summer, Great Canadian Cottages features several Ontario lake regions. Locales include Muskoka, Haliburton, the Rideau Lakes region, and the 1000 Islands. Viewers will follow Colin and Justin as they interview the owners of unique and architecturally interesting cottages – 24 cottages in total.

“In each 30-minute episode, Colin and Justin travel to unique cottage country locations in Canada, giving viewers a personal tour of distinctive cottages with architectural flair.”

With the design duo’s trademark humour and wit, audiences will meet the owners and architects to analyse each home’s significant design features, while learning more about specific cottage country regions in Canada.”

Questions, Questions, Questions

Colin and Justin took time out of their very busy schedule for an (almost) half-hour great Canadian chat with me about their new show, their life in Toronto, their own cottage in the Haliburton region of Ontario, and their home in Glasgow, Scotland – built in 1833!

There were no questions that Colin wouldn’t answer, and he provided tons of great info and advice during our chat, including:

• a glimpse into the life and personality of former Toronto Maple Leafs great, Wendel Clark (there’s a whole other side to Wendel you may not have known about!)
• expert answers to friends, family, and reader’s questions
• a wonderful shout-out to “a great little diner” – the Kosy Korner in Haliburton, Ontario.

Colin and Justin’s damaged mobile phone almost grounded our chat before it even started, but the guys managed to save the day and get it working so we could chat.

Thank goodness!

Colin was such a delight to chat with he made me feel like I was sitting around a Canadian campfire with he and Justin, talking about great Canadian cottages, and ready to break into a Canadian rendition of Kumbaya.

And on that note…live from inside their Chevy Silverado, outside the Fall Cottage Life Show at the International Centre in Toronto, I bring you…

A Great Canadian Chat About Great Canadian Cottages With Colin And Justin

Hope you enjoy it!

A special thanks to Colin and Justin for taking the time to chat with me on their busy Saturday morning!

Be sure to catch the next episode of Great Canadian Cottages on Cottage Life TV, Thursday at 10PM ET/PT.