Proudly owned and opperated by
Michael Rowland
He has opened Merrickville Guest Suites, offering a location that visitors can come to for relaxation and comfort while they enjoy the artistic creativity that Merrickville is known for.
The Guest Suites, like the leather bags and backpacks I make, are another one of my creations. As with the leatherwork I produce I was involved in every step along the way to bring these suites into the world.
Rowland’s newest venture reflects the same passion and attention to detail that is found in the line of handbags he produces. He designed the suites and worked with several local tradespeople and local artists to create a wonderful space for guests to spend a night, a weekend, or a week.
Rather than the country charm look that is popular here I wanted more of a European feel in the suites. I was wondering what to do about the gloomy staircase leading up to the suites so I went to see painter Joyce Devlin. She said paint the stairs bright yellow like the sun. We picked a combination of yellow and gold paints that I hand rolled onto the walls, adding and taking away the paint to achieve a cloud like texture reminiscent of a Tuscan sunset.
I have a collection of photos that I have taken of the canal system over the past few years. I printed and framed the best of them and hung them in the guest suites.
Guests can watch the village life out of the windows in the front suite that overlook the main street of Merrickville, while the back suite has a deck from which the guests have a scenic view of the village’s rooftop. A sign fashioned by the Village Metalsmiths hangs above the doorway, inviting guests to climb up to the two suites.
A sign fashioned by the Village Metalsmiths hangs above the doorway, inviting guests to climb up to the two suites.
We were trying to come up with an image for the sign, maybe something from the river . Then I thought maybe a bed. I remembered that Van Gogh had a bed in one of his paintings. I found a copy and took it to the Village Metalsmiths; they create wonderful hand painted metal signs. They were very excited and went about to create a raised bed on the sign with the colours that Van Gogh had used in his painting.
The sign is held up with a medieval hand-wrought bracket made by artisan blacksmith Randy Gill from Almonte.
Michael has been buying interesting art books and magazines over the years and has placed some of these in the suites for guests to enjoy. He also has a collection of DVDs. One guest was happy to find her favorite series, Seinfeld!
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