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Chantelle McNeish Design

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St. Marys, ON
Chantelle McNeish Design

Chantelle McNeish Design delivers fresh, creative, functional & practical designs for your home.

Chantelle McNeish has a advanced interior design diploma from the School of Design at Fanshawe College, 2008 and has been practicing interior design, specializing in kitchen and bath design for 10 years.

10/23/2026

Project Dunedin Hall | The Isabella Bathroom

A little whimsy. A little old-world elegance. And a whole lot of personality.

If there’s one fact you’ve gathered about this project by now, it’s that we’re not particularly interested in playing it safe with wallpaper.

This bathroom is no exception.

We selected a beautiful blue and silver wallpaper featuring an intricate pattern of birds, bringing movement, colour and just the right amount of whimsy to the walls.
It’s bold without feeling overwhelming, playful without losing its sophistication and perfectly suited to a heritage home that has never been afraid of a little personality.

A statement wallpaper is only as beautiful as the details surrounding it:
To complement the pattern, we introduced a rich, deep blue vanity, soft blue shower wall tiles and polished chrome fixtures.
White plumbing fixtures and countertops keep the space feeling fresh and a white marble mosaic floor introduces another traditional material that feels right at home within Dunedin Hall.

The colour palette connects this room perfectly to the Isabella Bedroom across the hall!

One of the design challenges in this bathroom came with the construction of the new addition, which enclosed the original bathroom window.
Rather than accept a bathroom without natural light, we added a skylight which allows daylight to pour into the space from above.

For the tub/shower we opted for a fixed glass panel rather than a traditional shower curtain or sliding glass doors.
The simplicity of the glass allows the tilework to remain visible and keeps the room feeling open.

We love all the details in this compact bathroom, especially the flock of silver birds! 🕊️💙

10/22/2026

Project Dunedin Hall | The Isabella Bedroom

Named in honour of Isabella Ahrens, one of the women who once called this historic house home, this bedroom was designed to feel bright, fresh and quietly elegant, while remaining true to the traditional character of Dunedin Hall.
Isabella was a talented pianist and organist who shared her musical gifts with local churches and was an active member of the Perth County Music Teachers Federation. Her love of music and involvement in Stratford’s musical community became part of a family legacy, with her daughter Cora following in her footsteps as an accomplished pianist and music teacher. 🎶
I love knowing that these walls once belonged to a family whose contributions helped shape the cultural history of Stratford.

Now, let’s talk about the design!
We began by giving the walls a little more architectural presence. Applied panel mouldings were introduced throughout the room, creating depth, dimension and a sense of craftsmanship that feels entirely at home in a heritage property.
We colour drenched the walls, trim and ceiling in white so that the deep blue headboard and mirrored furniture popped!

The result is a fresh, light-filled bedroom with traditional architectural detailing and a pop of colour foreshadowing what’s waiting behind the Isabella bathroom door.

10/19/2026

When we first toured the second floor of Dunedin Hall, we discovered two tiny, back-to-back bathrooms tucked between the bedrooms. The bathrooms were located in what would have been the original bedroom closets. Each had a toilet and shower, with a sink placed in the corner of the bedroom.
Neither offered the function of a full bathroom.

And while it would have been easy to assume that creating a proper ensuite meant reconfiguring the surrounding rooms, we saw an opportunity to maintain the original layout of the house.

Every wall we preserve helps maintain the architectural story of the home. And sometimes, working within the existing footprint leads to a far more interesting design solution than simply starting over.

So, we reimagined the two small bathrooms as one.
By combining their existing footprints, we were able to create a functional ensuite for the Cora Bedroom, complete with a spacious shower, vanity and toilet all without moving the surrounding walls or altering the original bedroom and hallway layout.

As much as I love the finished room, I’m particularly proud that we were able to preserve the character, rethink the function and respect the architecture.

Swipe to see the before and after floorplan as well as the before and after photos!

10/15/2026

Project Dunedin Hall | The Cora Ensuite

A little pattern + A little colour + A little gold

When designing a bathroom within a heritage home, I love finding ways to introduce modern comforts while selecting materials and finishes that feel connected to the architecture and character of the house.
And this little ensuite is a beautiful example of just that.

We began underfoot with a penny tile mosaic floor, featuring a delicate mix of grey tones. It’s a classic flooring choice that feels right at home in a historic property, bringing texture, pattern and a subtle nod to bathrooms of another era with a modern twist.

We selected a beautiful lotus leaf wallpaper which introduces an organic, almost whimsical quality to the room. This graceful botanical motif softens the space and adds a layer of personality without overwhelming the smaller footprint.

To complement the wallpaper, we introduced a soft blue accent through the shower tile. The pale blue brings a fresh and calming quality to the room.

Warm gold faucets, hardware, light fixtures and the mirror add just the right amount of jewellery, bringing a little understated glamour to the overall palette.

Each element has its own personality, but together they create a space that feels beautifully layered and entirely at home within Dunedin Hall.

I love designing bathrooms for old houses that have all the function and comfort we expect today while still celebrating the patterns, materials and decorative details that make heritage interiors so special.

10/13/2026

Project Dunedin Hall | The Cora Bedroom

Sometimes, the most beautiful changes are the ones that feel as though they should have been there all along.

But first, a little history lesson.
We named this bedroom in honour of Cora Ahrens, one of the women who once called Dunedin Hall home.
Cora was an accomplished pianist and music teacher who helped shape Stratford’s musical and cultural history. She co-founded the Perth County Music Teachers Federation (now known as the Kiwanis Music Festival) and spent more than 50 years teaching private piano lessons in Stratford.

Naming this room after her felt like a lovely way to acknowledge the people who lived within these walls long before our current homeowners . . . and to ensure that a little piece of their story continues into the home’s next chapter.

While other spaces in Dunedin Hall required extensive work, this bedroom received a refresh, enhancing its existing character while introducing a fresh layer of elegance.

We applied panel mouldings to the walls to create depth, dimension and a sense of architectural refinement. It’s a relatively simple addition, but one that can completely transform the character of a room.
The mouldings bring rhythm to the walls and give the space the kind of traditional detailing that feels right at home in a heritage property.
New flooring brings warmth underfoot, while a fresh paint palette creates a cohesive backdrop that allows the architectural details to shine.
Soft, velvet window coverings frame the windows and add that finishing touch that makes a room feel inviting and complete.

Welcome to The Cora Bedroom.

10/09/2026

Project Dunedin Hall | The Family Room

New room. Old soul.

The family room is part of the new addition at Dunedin Hall, but from the beginning, we wanted it to feel as though it belonged to the original house.

Rather than placing a television on a blank wall, we designed a full built-in entertainment wall to give the room the kind of architectural presence you might expect to find in a home with this much history.

Warm stained wood cabinetry stretches nearly the entire width of the room creating a substantial focal point opposite the seating area and kitchen.

Open shelving gives the homeowners space to layer in books, artwork and collected objects.

Concealed lighting was integrated vertically into the shelving, providing a soft glow on each shelf.
Below, closed cabinetry hides away all the things a family room needs but no one particularly wants to look at.

Those gold mesh panels? They’re not just pretty!
They conceal the electronics while still allowing components to function properly - a practical requirement turned into a decorative element.
At the centre, a framed TV is a beautiful piece of artwork when not in use.

This room is beautiful enough to belong in a grand heritage home while also practical enough for real family life.

Design Chantelle McNeish Design
Cabinetry Woodecor Ltd.
Photography Tosha D
Construction Denham Construction
Flooring The carpet place

10/07/2026

Project Dunedin Hall | The Dining Room

A little reminder that sometimes the most important thing you can add to a room isn’t furniture.

The dining room at Dunedin Hall already had beautiful bones, including the large original arched opening connecting it to the lounge, French doors leading to the alcove and side porch and a beautiful bay window. But we wanted to give the walls a little more presence to create a room that felt finished and architectural even before the furniture arrived.

We applied moulding to the walls, creating a series of traditional framed panels that bring depth, rhythm and just the right amount of formality to the space.
It’s a relatively simple architectural detail, but one that completely changes the way a room feels.
They give large expanses of wall dimension and provide structure for artwork.

Perhaps most importantly, in a heritage home, they can make a room feel as though it has always had another layer of craftsmanship even when that detail is completely new.

We painted the walls, trim and mouldings in a soft, warm neutral, allowing the play of light and shadow across the panels to become part of the design.
It’s intentionally neutral to allow for the adjoining lounge to the star. When viewed from the dining room, the deep blue wallpaper and millwork of the lounge become a piece of artwork through the arched opening.

Can we also have a moment for the vintage floral curtains that came with the house? Because I actually kind of love them!

Were they staying? No.

Did I briefly consider building an entire design scheme around them? Maybe.

In the end, we opted for solid velvet drapery, a choice that gives the room softness and richness without competing with the wall mouldings or the drama happening next door.

10/05/2026

Why do I love old houses?

Give me the slightly crooked floors.
The strange little rooms.
The oversized casing and baseboards.
The staircase that’s been touched by generations of hands and feet.
The heritage protected architectural elements.

I love old homes because of the history, the craftsmanship and the architectural design details that are at the forefront of each design.

I’m passionate about making old houses work for today’s modern living without losing what makes them special.

When I first toured Dunedin Hall, I wasn’t looking around thinking about everything I wanted to change.
I was cataloguing everything I hoped we could keep.
The staircase. The double front doors. The stained glass. The millwork. The marble fireplace. The French doors.

That will always be my favourite part of designing a heritage home:
Figuring out how to move a house forward without erasing where it came from.

10/02/2026

Everyone loves a good before and after and this kitchen doesn’t disappoint! ✨

At first glance, the before may seem simply dated.
But look a little closer and the real design problems begin to reveal themselves.

The sink was squeezed toward the inside corner to sit beneath a window.

The cooktop landed at the very end of the cabinetry with no countertop to the left for safely setting down a hot pan. It was also next to the patio door . . . I can just see the door swinging into a pot handle on the cooktop and spilling everything, everywhere!

Open upper shelving offered plenty of places to collect things, but very little practical concealed storage.

The island was narrow, with no room for seating, and a dropped section of countertop made it feel even smaller.

The cabinetry stopped well below the ceiling, leaving valuable vertical storage unused.

Individually, they were small frustrations.
Together, they created a kitchen that wasn’t working nearly as hard as it could.

And aesthetically, it felt disconnected from the rest of Dunedin Hall. Orange-toned wood cabinetry, white sheet vinyl flooring and blue tile each spoke a different language and none quite belonged to the heritage home surrounding them.

So we didn’t just update the finishes. We upgraded the layout!

Continued in the comments . . .

09/30/2026

The kitchen details we’ll never stop talking about . . .

A beautiful kitchen is made up of little design choices that build into a cohesive and detailed space.

The high-arc bridge faucet that feels perfectly at home in a heritage house.

The countertops that run right into the window sills adding countertop depth and beautifully blending the windows into the kitchen.

The built-in step stool hiding inside the cabinetry, ready for those very tall uppers.

Three different styles of cabinet hardware add character to the cabinets.

Statement wall sconces that flank the range hood, making it the focal point in the kitchen.

A quartz backsplash with a soft curve above the range, making it a standout feature in the design.

An island designed to feel like a piece of furniture, complete with decorative panels, legs and those little brass feet.

Individually, these are all small design details and decisions.

Together, they’re what make a kitchen feel custom and unique to this home.

That’s one of my favourite things about designing a kitchen like this.
You might walk in and simply think, this feels beautiful.
But look a little closer and you’ll discover there are hundreds of tiny reasons why.

Which Dunedin Hall kitchen detail would you steal for your own home?

Address

St. Marys, ON
N4X

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.chantellemcneishdesign.com/

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