A boutique salmon lodge at the tip of the Gaspe

By Marni Andrews

GASPE, QC—For the high-end redesign of an ultra-elite private fishing camp in the Gaspé, the owners were specific about what they wanted. Dudley Hughes of Jackson, Mississippi, and Roger Baikie, of Ste.-Agnesde- Dundee, Quebec, have owned the camp jointly for about 30 years and know their clientele very well.
The main lodge of the previous camp, a boutique salmon lodge known as Middle Camp with a history dating to the 1860s, had burned and they had wasted no time in replacing the building with one that reflected the architecture of the three other buildings at the camp. For the interior of the seven-bedroom lodge, the owners knew they wanted luxurious appointments in a camp-like setting with a sense of exclusive tradition.

“It's a very famous fish camp,” says Baikie. “We have a 54-pound fish on the wall that was caught by Lord Stanley in 1896.”

Middle Camp is located on what's been called the world's “grandest salmon river,” Quebec's Grand Cascapedia, at the easternmost tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. Even among the elegant private lodges of the area, Middle Camp is in its own class. Its first guest was Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise, and the illustrious guest list includes early Governors General of Canada, King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, and Jimmy Carter. Camps nearby are owned by the likes of Montreal steel magnate Brian Jones and the families of various U.S. titans of industry, both former and current. Guests frequently fly in on their own jets.

Coincidentally, the owners of the 25-year-old Toronto interior design firm that ended up being chosen for the project, Bartlett & Associates, were experienced fly fishers and long-time guests of the camp who happened to be staying there while the owners were visiting. A chance meeting between Inger Bartlett, founder of the firm, and Marshal Stearns, managing partner, with Hughes and Baikie sealed the deal.

“Our vision was to provide a design solution with the character of a wilderness lodge and the modern-day comforts of an exclusive boutique hotel,” notes Inger Bartlett, whose firm specializes in corporate, hotel and restaurant interiors.

Her own fly fishing experience proved invaluable as she was able to realize design elements that someone else might have missed. For example, she knew the value of the porch and verandah as a place where fly fishers gather to tie flies and share stories. Consequently, the expansive verandah facing the river features traditional, comfortably-sized wicker chairs and tables to encourage anglers to stay awhile.
Bartlett's luxe yet classic and contemporary design exceeded expectations and recently won an award for “Best of Competition 2008” from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).
Beginning with the architectural framework of the new lodge, Bartlett's mandate was to supply all interior architectural detailing, design and selection of furniture, bedding, linens and bathroom amenities. Materials and fabrics had to be able to withstand the mud and general wetness that accompanies the sport of fly fishing as well as substantial temperature changes as the lodge is not heated during the cold Gaspé winters.

The two-storey living room features an impressive stone fireplace built with local stones, a colourful Persian carpet and leather sofas and chairs to convey a sense of old-world luxury. Antler chandeliers sourced from upstate New York speak clearly of the wilderness character and create interest in the two-storey atrium space. All bedding, linens and bathroom items are top quality. And on each bed, cushions featuring a fishing theme were produced by the same company that prints Hermes scarves.

“We custom designed many of the furniture items, which were then manufactured locally by Gaspé craftsmen,” explains Bartlett. “Each bedroom has a unique character with slightly different headboards, unique fabrics on the window seats that coordinate with cushions and area carpets, and Quebec folk art lamps featuring roosters, crossed canoes or duck decoys.”

Owner Roger Baikie, an experienced woodworker, built two of the living room tables himself from Bartlett designs, while local craftsman Bruno Babin built the night tables and headboards, and many other items of furniture for the new interior. Cherry wood washroom vanities with louvers to equalize temperature and humidity were built by another local woodworker, Robert Poirier. Folk art lamps and an antique wall hanging in the stairwell provide a “made in Quebec” feeling.