Moving to the Country
STORY GISELE WINTON SARVIS | PHOTOGRAPHY SANDY MACKAY
Brad and Fiona Nicol were city dwellers, renting a spacious Queen’s Quay waterfront condo from a Toronto Raptor. “One Saturday morning as we were enjoying coffee on the very nice terrace, even though we were sitting close to each other, we could hardly carry on a conversation because of the unbelievable noise from the street below,” says Fiona.
Fiona grew up in Oakville when it was a small town of 10,000 people, so she missed that quieter lifestyle. So, after looking at more than 30 properties north of Toronto, Fiona and Brad fell in love with Oro-Medonte and purchased a 98-acre estate near Mt. St. Louis Moonstone ski resort with a winding driveway and a grand view of a valley and lush-treed ridge.
The two-storey home, built in 2000, had good bones but needed updating. “Before, it felt closed off from the outside,” Fiona says. “There were so many windows but because of the mullions on the glass, you didn’t get a sense of what was around you. The vista is so beautiful. In the summer the gardens, designed by Stefanie Naumann Gardens, are spectacular. I really wanted to see them and be connected to the nature outside.”
The first thing the couple did when they moved in 2019 was call Randy Fielding from Slippery Slope Roofing to replace the roof and Jason Gurman of Paragon Wall Finishings to resurface the house because there was too much nature – bees were getting in. Next, Kempenfelt Windows & Doors installed bright new mullion-less European tilt-and-turn windows, which brought the view into the home. Now Fiona says they have so many windows, there isn’t much wall space for art.
Both Brad and Fiona love to cook and found the configuration of the kitchen difficult to work in. In collaboration with PRF Custom Kitchens, Michele Bowman Designs and contractor Smiley’s Homeworx, they embarked on a major renovation.
"The biggest impact from the existing kitchen is the addition of a spanning window over the farm sink for the view, light and breeze that wafts in most days,” says Michele. “This window overlooks rolling hills, trees, the meditation garden and pool. It would be a shame to limit this view.”
The wall just under the ceiling had to be reinforced to make way for the heavy three-panel window. Fiona says they tried a few kitchen designs before the team came up with one that worked. She definitely wanted a natural look, so PRF Custom Kitchens constructed solid hickory cabinetry, with all its fabulous natural grain and variation of colour. The brass hardware reflects the warmth of the wood. All counters are from Elegant Solutions. As Brad loves blue, he was happy with the textured teal backsplash and Fiona loved that the tile had colour variation.
The induction stove from Barber & Haskell built into the island was Brad’s idea so he could cook for guests while facing them and the dining room. He never liked having his back to family and friends while working at the stove. There are all kinds of innovative features in the kitchen thanks to Michele and Neil from PRF, including a hideaway cupboard for hanging dishtowels, an appliance garage, a second sink made of hand-hammered copper for washing fruit and vegetables and even a built-in dog bowl station that Michele designed for Blue, their black Lab.
“I love the kitchen,” says Brad. The biggest challenge was “imagining what it was going to look like in the end.”
One of the spectacular features in the dining room, which is an extension of the kitchen, is the custom built-in hutch that Michele designed. Smiley’s built out the existing wall and PRF built the hutch out of the same hickory with rippled glass, which mirrors the kitchen cabinetry. All lighting was selected and purchased at CORSI Lighting & Design in Barrie.
The second major renovation was the primary en suite, a difficult room to work with as it has an alcove with nine wall angles.
“This room took a lot of thought as the shape is unusual,” says Michele. The walk-in shower is outstanding with an extra-large vertical window to the exterior, a feature that was added when Fiona and Brad replaced all the windows. You can have a shower and watch nature, but the angle of the window together with the large property keeps it private. Crownhill Custom Woodworking built the oak vanities and dressing table. “We were fortunate to add the dressing table space for Fiona, which wasn’t something the original en suite had,” says Michele. There are lights and windows and mirrors everywhere. The large tiles look fresh and clean and the floors are heated. Gold-toned hardware carries through to the en suite as well.
The third area of renovation was the powder room. The layout was kept the same, but the new design was built around a lovely vessel sink that Michele had chosen. Formerly a dark room, Fiona chose light, natural fibre, grasscloth wallpaper. They maintained the existing wall cabinet but refinished it and put in a black hexagon floor tile.
“It’s stunning with the black countertop and brass finishes,” says Michele. And not at all dark anymore.
The great room features a two-storey ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows looking out the back and a floor-to-ceiling cultured stone, wood-burning fireplace that Brad and Fiona use nearly every night in the winter. Fiona says their next interior project is to rework the great room and repaint the whole interior of the house.
But she is turning her attention to the outside at the moment. Looking out the back window, you see the Japanese-inspired meditation garden that Fiona envisioned and was brought to life by Stephanie. They are all looking forward to the plants growing more mature this summer.
Finally, Brad wants to replace the deck out back so they can enjoy the view over the landscape and have their Saturday morning coffee with no noise but the sounds of songbirds in the background. OH