This Designer Reupholstered IKEA Armchairs to Take a Motel From Tacky to Cottagecore
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When interior designer Ashley Montgomery was tapped to renovate an eight-room motel in Canada’s lush Beaver Valley, she knew the property was brimming with potential. Which is another way of saying it needed a major design overhaul.
Giant waterfall murals adorned the walls of the guest suites. An oddly shaped faux stone fireplace dominated the common area. The kitchen (“I would use that word very loosely,” she explains) was a complete mess. There was a lot of wood, and not in a good way. “The setting was magical!” says Montgomery. “The space just needed new life.”
Montgomery partnered with owners April Brown and Sarah Sklash—BFF “moteliers” who have a track record of turning dingy old motor inns into revamped havens of boutique hospitality (and the Netflix series to prove it)—and developed a renovation plan that combined old English and Canadian lodge vibes with modern comforts and vintage finds.
The resulting June Motel is a gorgeously layered accommodation that can be rented out completely by a single group or serve as a destination for individual travelers in search of a cozy getaway. Here’s how the team made it happen without blowing up their budget.
Keep—And Repeat—What You Can
The property had been functioning as a motel up to the point when Sklash and Brown bought it, but the guest suites, though habitable, weren’t exactly charming. The waterfalls were nixed immediately, as were the fake fireplaces. To create a sense of cohesion from room to room, Montgomery developed a repeatable design concept with painted paneling, wallpaper, and built-in headboards. She sourced vintage art to give each space a unique spin.
In the en suite bathrooms, they were able to leave the tiling as is. “We didn’t want to start moving plumbing, so we kept the layouts pretty much the same,” says Montgomery. An archway was added to the shower and echoed in the entry door design. “We ended up finding the sinks on Etsy and working with the vendor on those colorways, so we were able to customize those as well,” she adds. A skirted base conceals storage and adds a touch of softness.
Keep Your Common Areas Flexible
“Even when we’re working on commercial spaces, I think of them as residential, like an extension of somebody’s home,” says Montgomery—a lens that’s absolutely reflected in the ground-floor lobby.
In the main room, she tweaked the points of entry, adding double doors where there were once windows to the left of a large stone fireplace. The hearth itself got an update, too: The old faux stone was swapped for natural materials and an expanded mantel, which features a set of vintage snowshoes as decor. “We knew that would be the focal point,” says Montgomery. From there, she carved out additional seating areas: the sofa zone, a pair of comfortable side chairs, a built-in window bench, and breakfast table seating. Upstairs, a pink-paneled space can host anything from yoga classes to elaborate dinners to wedding festivities.
Underfoot throughout, Montgomery added luxurious woodlike vinyl planks, which are highly durable and easy to clean. The walls were paneled, while the ceiling woodwork was stained in a dark hue. The lighting plan was developed for glowy warmth: Montgomery didn’t include spots in that mix, instead sticking with flush mounts and sconces instead.
Never Underestimate IKEA
“We knew we wanted a party of statement fabric chairs in the lobby, but the price tags on those can get a little crazy,” explains Montgomery. To keep the cost down, she sourced two Tullsta chairs and had them re-covered in a fun floral fabric by Lulie Wallace.
Design a Kitchen That Can Get “Dirty”
In the new kitchen, Montgomery combined industrial necessities with homey touches and finishes intended to develop patina with time. The two-tone cabinetry mixes easy-access open storage with enclosed cupboards and a paneled fridge. A curtain conceals a commercial dishwasher on the lower shelving.
“The countertops are marble and it’s going to stain. The brass faucets are going to tarnish,” says Montgomery. “These spaces aren’t perfect—they’re meant to live.” Recently, she visited the now-completed project with a group of girlfriends for the weekend. “It was just so cozy and comfortable,” says the designer. Mission accomplished: a home away from home.
