Her background in “everything to do with decorating” left Alea with a passion for decorating, especially with a historic twist. She has had to turn down more than one decorating job that patrons offer on seeing her work in McKinney’s Pub, and the hotel’s prime suite.
The Rodmay Hotel, built in 1909, has presided over a century of Powell River’s past. Alea fell in love with the historic “old lady” when Henri invited her along on his electrician’s assignment there. Once she spied the inglenook (fireplace corner) in the lobby, she was hooked, ready to take on the immense job of restoring the pub. Black, cream, and green, she decided—those were the right colors.
With twenty-seven years of homemaking behind her, Alea wanted McKinney’s, to bespeak comfort above all. ”I knew that if I am comfortable here, then everyone will be comfortable.” Alea has created a cultural viewpoint halfway through Powell River’s historic era as Canada’s earliest lumber-and-paper-making town.