#BTS: Our 10 Favourite Moments Filming Motel Makeover
Filming a Netflix series was nothing short of a wild ride, and honestly something we never thought we would experience. It’s still so surreal. But, when we look back at the last year of our lives, and watch all of the highs and lows unfold before us, we’re pretty damn proud and grateful to have had it all documented. From navigating a pandemic, trying to build our business, being in the thick of construction and filming everything, to dealing with plumbing disasters on camera, we really experienced it all. Here are some of our favourite moments from Motel Makeover, Season 1.
TAKING OUR FIRST SAUBLE BEACH SELFIE
This moment really solidified three things for us: First, that we were crazy enough to buy another motel. Second, that we were crazy enough we agreed to film a TV series about renovating it. Third, that we were crazy enough to move to Sauble Beach in the dead of winter.
TRANSFORMING THE RESIDENCE
When we moved into the property, it was in need of A LOT of love. It was built in the 70s and felt like nobody had lived there since! When we transformed the residence into the femme, maximalist space it is, we really believed in our ability to transform the rest of the property - it was just the ego boost we needed. Plus, it made our morning meetings in the kitchen way more enjoyable - and no, the kitchen was not always this clean when we weren’t filming ;).
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
The cabinet colour is Apricot Beige (our favourite blush) from Benjamin Moore
LEARNING THE ART OF THE SELFIE VIDEO (AKA JUNE DIARIES)
When the pandemic hit, filming and construction got shut down, but our work didn’t stop because of how tight of a timeline we were working with. We ended up having to film ourselves during meetings and other important moments throughout the project from our cell phones! We didn’t necessarily LOVE doing this, but it served as a great diary that we now look back on with laughter and slight cringing. Probably could have put in a little more effort for our looks those days... lesson learned!
Selfie videos and wine o'clock
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
REVEALING THE GUESTROOMS TO OUR FRIENDS
Having our best friends come to see the motel before anyone else was beyond special. They’re the ones who were laying flooring and putting furniture together for us at our first motel, so seeing their reaction to what we created this time around meant so much to us, and really made us believe in the power of The June - our motels really are more than just a place to stay. They’re a retreat to the good ol’ days, meant to be experienced with good company and good wine!
UNBOXING THE FURNITURE IN THE SHOP
Curating the design in The Shop was such a huge milestone for us because we were really working with a clean slate and got to stretch our creativity to imagine what this space could become. There was no previous layout to follow, so we had total creative control and freedom to bring our 70’s beach house dreams to life. We wanted it to feel like you arrived at a friend's amazing beach house. The space was a total dream to work with - all of that natural wood and light really allowed us to play with different colours and textures. All of our furniture for the space was from Article, and it had arrived weeks prior to us opening it, but we had to wait to unbox it all on camera. It was total torture to wait, so discovering the pieces that would make up our lobby space on camera was a big moment.
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
Courtney assembling the Article furniture, fun but a lot of work
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
PAINTING THE MOTEL
Choosing the colour of the motel was stressful to the max. It reminded us of when we decided to paint the doors of our first motel in The County pink, and everyone thought we were crazy. But, it was also a reminder of our roots and to follow our vision, which usually means adding a pop - or more - of pink. We ended up finding that perfect shade of pale blush which creates the most beautiful warm glow as the sunset reflects on the motel. We also almost painted the infamous rock wall, which was a huge debate between us. Thankfully we listened to Sarah and let this natural beauty shine!
SEEING THE FIRST UMBRELLA GO UP
The pool is a big point of drama in the show - it’s one area of the property where everything really does go wrong and we’re totally out of our element. But, seeing the first umbrella go up amongst the chaos was such a milestone, even without a finished pool. We were dreaming of these retro golden umbrellas for so long, and seeing our vision come to life on the property we revitalized was magical. It felt like everything was finally coming together, and we were actually onto creating a destination we would want to stay at.
Photo courtesy of Netflix / Proper Television
Photo courtesy of Netflix / Proper Television. We went with these vintage yellow stripe umbrellas by Business and Pleasure
THE HEYDAYS TASTING
Believe it or not, we agreed to work with the amazing restaurateurs behind Heydays without even trying their food. In true motelier fashion, we were really just following our instincts and trusting that it would all work out. So when we finally got to test their menu, it was a treat, literally. This was one of those filming moments when we really felt the excitement of what we were creating.
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
WATCHING OUR SIGN GET INSTALLED
This was a pinnacle moment of the entire redevelopment of the property. Although we had been working on the interior and exterior of the property for months, testing paint and putting together furniture, it didn’t really feel like The June had made it to Sauble Beach until we saw our name in all of it’s retro blush glory on the side of the road. Jackie, our graphic designer, created the perfect revitalized vintage motel sign to make our motel makeover vision really come true. We video called Jackie minutes after the sign went up, It was so fun to be able to share that moment with her frm afar (she's based in California).
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
SEEING IT ALL COME TOGETHER ON OPENING WEEKEND
The entire process of renovating this motel and making a Netflix series about it, amidst a pandemic, was a rollercoaster. But seeing our friends, family and trusted media experience what we had created for the first time on opening weekend was that reminder of why we’re so passionate about creating beautiful places for people to have memorable experiences in. And it made every second worth it. From the golden glow over the pool to the live music, it was the most perfect night we could have imagined.
We were absolutely exhauted going into opening weekend, but pulled ourselves together and popped open a very nice bottle of bubbly and cheersed to making it!
A private motelier moment before all the guests arrived #thiscallsforwine
Photo courtesy of Netflix/Proper Television
Have you watched Motel Makeover, Season 1 yet? Head to our Instagram and let us know what your favourite moments of the show were!