For 25 years, this three-gabled, Victorian-era farmhouse in Hockley Valley, about an hour’s drive north of Toronto, has been a weekend retreat for a family with three sons. Six years ago, a rustic two-storey addition was added to the farmhouse to entice the university-aged children back for regular visits. It is a cozy family room that has turned out to be the owners’ favourite spot in the house.
The dining table was designed from reclaimed local elm wood. Often, the owners will put out a buffet breakfast on the sideboard so that everyone can have breakfast together at the table.
The French doors are about eight feet high, making them somewhat contemporary. Through them the owners can see the valley, the pond and the forest. The hardware is from the French company Bouvet.
The fireplace is four feet by five feet and is the focal point of the room. It’s the right scale for sitting on the raised hearth and the view outside is reflected in the materials inside. The same local fieldstone was used for an outdoor terrace.