a t
home
in
the
hills
by Pam Purves
a European manor in the Erin Countryside The established trees shield the entrance to the house and provide natural shade where trillium, May apple and wild anemone flourish in the woodland garden. top right : The library is a more formal, English-style space with hundreds of volumes and pictures of family. inset : The living room flows through to the casual dining area and open kitchen – an ideal space for entertaining.
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IN THE HILLS Summer 2014
T
his lovely European-style house in the Erin coun tryside first took shape in the imagination of the owner, who works in the investment business. He is keenly interested in architecture and designing the house allowed him to exercise his dormant creative instincts. He and his wife also needed a place for their blended family of five grown children, assor ted spouses and a growing brood of grandchildren. When a 90-acre parcel of land became available up the road, they were off and running. Working with
architect Stephen McCasey, project engineer Gordon Currie and local builder Roland Reidman, they created a completely new environment that reflects both an English and a French Canadian heritage – with strong Eur opean references. The couple envisioned a home with a steeply pitched roof dotted with dormers, Georgian-inspired windows and courtyards at the front and back. For the cladding, they wanted a com bination of stone and stucco to reflect the colour of the local stone evident everywhere on the property. And they wanted a cedar shake roof to help the
building merge into the landscape. The home is large and includes a three-bedroom wing at the far end, well away from the master bedroom so that owner and guests can enjoy quiet and privacy. The great room in the centre comfortably seats the whole family for games or dining and has been the setting of many reunions, birthdays and parties. A long hall that extends from one end of the house to the other is an ideal place for running with dogs and cats. The great room, which is open to the kitchen and front entrance, is punctuated by floor-toceiling windows on the west side.
