Peace & Comfort On The Hill

STORY: SOPHIA LEMON |  PHOTOGRAPHY SANDY MACKAY

With 360-degree views, Sara Martin basks in the summer sun on a deck outside her innovative and eclectic home in Ravenna.

The custom home built on 50 acres two years ago has everything Sara – an ultra-organized style maven – needs to suit her country-living lifestyle.

“This is the perfect house for this next chapter of my life now that my children have moved on,” says Sara, a Red Seal chef and the managing editor of two OUR HOMES magazines.

Sara used to live in a home nearby with four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms on three floors, which was built by Rainmaker Estates Inc. When Sara was ready to build her new home, she tapped the same builder.

This time her design includes three bedrooms and two baths on one floor with more than enough space to entertain and accommodate her children when they visit.

Sara has everything she needs within reach, and everything she doesn’t is out of sight. “Having everything in its place gives me peace of mind.”

She credits her years at OUR HOMES for her laser focus in designing and building this home. “I knew exactly what I wanted because of OUr HOMeS,” she says. “It’s like my own, personal Pinterest. I get to see how things look and work in other homes, which makes a big impression.”

Sara clearly appreciates order. “I didn’t want upper cabinets in the kitchen, I wanted all of that tucked away so that when you’re in the dining room, you’re not distracted by cabinetry or small appliances.”

The pantry is where you find her fridge, glassware, coffee bar, cooking supplies and stacks of cookbooks from Sara’s previous life as the owner of Incredible Edibles. Instead of upper cabinets, the kitchen walls are decorated with shiplap and floating shelves filled with beautiful vintage blue-and-white china.

The remainder of the kitchen features white cabinets with long polished nickel pulls, stainless steel accents, quartz countertops from City Stone and simple, modern bar stools. The open-concept living space features antiques and comfortable white sofas with mustard pillows surrounding the propane fireplace from Chantico Fireplace Gallery.

The original plans for the home were found while Sara was on a photo shoot for a feature in this magazine a few years ago. She loved the layout of that home and found out the homeowners had used a design from the Beaver Homes & Cottages Design Book. She made a few changes, such as eliminating the basement and making the master bedroom and en suite larger.

The easiest decision was insisting on heated, concrete floors by Sandy Hamilton Plumbing & Heating. “It is so quiet and clean. I love it and so do the dogs.”

Altogether, it took Henry Gilas and his team of Paul Bistretzan and Gabs Close just seven months to build. “It was so fast because I was very focussed on what I wanted,” says Sara. “I knew the colour of the roof I wanted and what garage door (Advanced Door Systems Ltd.) I wanted. I knew the style and make of the windows from Cedarport Window & Door Centre Inc. and that I wanted the outside of the home to be finished in board and batten.” The builder never had to wait for decisions; Sara was on top of everything.

Like all the hidden conveniences inside, there is incredible order outdoors as well.

A drive up the lane, constructed by Fulford Haulage & Son Ltd., reveals an open farmer’s field through the trees, with Sara’s pretty white home and her ’84 Ford pickup in the centre of the acreage. The breeze, the birds and the trickling of a waterfall at the back of the property fill the open air. It was important for Sara to capture the feeling of leaving the hustle and bustle behind. She had the forethought to hide hydro underground to preserve the expansive views, calling on electrical contractor Clearlite Electric to take on the job as well as bringing electricity into the home.

Sara purchased her 50 acres 20 years ago. A year later, she planted snowdrops under the branches of an apple tree – exactly where she dreamed she would one day build. “I had forgotten about those snowdrops,” she says. The first spring in her new home, she was out walking the dogs and saw the snowdrops peeking through the last of the winter’s snow, just metres away from her new home.

Sara loves to garden. “This is only my second summer in this house, so the gardens have a lot of maturing to do,” she says. The property features garden beds around the home and two rows of raised beds for her vegetables and flower garden. She also raises chickens, housed in a coop near a chic board and batten office shed, which matches the house.

After a long day of gardening, Sara can walk her dogs through her garage and straight into the mudroom equipped with a dog-washing station before setting them loose to lounge around the home.

“This is my forever house – for now,” she laughs. “It satisfies everything I want to be doing.” She says her life has come full circle, and she has found her perfect place to cook and enjoy the food she grows and share this enchanting land with her pets and those she loves.