This Breezy Country Home Comes Complete With its Own Nordic Spa

The design is perfectly simple. The bedrooms are situated on the left side of the home, while the kitchen and living space are on the right. A breezeway separates the home in the middle, and acts as an open-air sitting room.

The exterior is made of unfinished cedar. Joel and Michelle considered painting it black, but the designer recommended going au natural to allow the home to weather with age. The roof is made of steel.

Joel and Michelle call this “the quiet side” of the home. This hallway connects the bedrooms, and the walls are finished with a golden birch veneer.

Having a quiet space to unwind was important for Michelle, so the designer included this little nook area. Michelle and Joel’s two sons, 12-year-old Cooper and 9-year-old Emerson, have coopted the nook as their TV room. The moody artwork is a painting by Peter Rotter, and the little porthole window in the corner casts a beam of light across the wall as the day advances.

One of the home’s most remarkable spaces is the bathroom. The room was outfitted with black penny tile, and an ultra-deep sink adds a farmhouse-inspired touch. The soaker tub is tucked beside the tall windows, offering a view of the (neighbour-free) 10 acres of land. “You can be naked as a jaybird in there, it doesn’t matter,” Joel said.

The master bedroom is kept warm by a tiny wood-burning stove from Jøtul, a Norwegian company. The vintage bedside lamp is a relic that Joel’s parents bought in Chicago in the 1960s. On clear nights, the moon is visible through the little square window above the bed.

Fireplaces can be messy, but Joel and Michelle don’t mind. The ashes and soot prove that the space is well-used. “To be precious about it is out of the question,” Joel explained.

The breezeway that divides the home is one of the most popular hangouts in the summer. The furniture is from Fresh Home and Garden in Toronto, and the couch has been topped with a cowhide from Ikea.

Joel and Michelle are constantly rearranging the furniture to suit their needs. The space isn’t used much in the colder months, but the couple is seriously considering adding glass walls to cut the winter wind and increase the room’s functionality.

The birch veneer extends into the kitchen, which Joel and Michelle chose to keep simple with a number of pieces from Ikea. Two stylish pendant lamps add a modern flourish to the otherwise low-impact space.

Joel and Michelle opted for open shelves to reduce clutter and keep the space open. The idea was inspired by a similar kitchen philosophy common in France. The plywood shelves play on the home’s black-and-tan motif.

The door leading outside was given a coat of kid-friendly chalkboard paint. Michelle and Joel often use it to leave little notes to each other. Behind the door, Joel keep a collection of hats.

Here’s a wider look at the kitchen, including the ultra-high ceilings. The boys often eat breakfast or finish homework at the island, which is topped with a birch veneer countertop.

The living room captures a distinctly 1970s vibe thanks to the vintage furniture that Joel and Michelle found on the side of the road in Meaford, Ont. Michelle is a master upholsterer and used a variety of textiles, including a warm caramel leather, to give the furniture a second life. The wraparound windows offer a broad view of the gorgeous landscape.

The forest surrounding the home was dense, and Joel and Michelle decided to keep it that way. The trees nearly brush the windows and create the sense of bringing the outdoors inside. For birders, it’s an enviable perch.

A poster of local birds next to the window helps curious onlookers. The wood-burning fireplace keeps the living space warm and toasty in the chilly winter months.

The outdoor sauna mirrors the home’s two-winged design. The electric sauna is on the left, and a change room is on the right, divided by a mini-breezeway. In the winter, they use an axe to chop open a section of the pond and dive into the frigid waters post-sauna. Voila, a private Nordic spa.

The pond is a popular hangout for Otis the dog, who spends plenty of summer days chasing frogs.

The house is situated atop a hill, and Michelle and Joel often keep their windows open to let the wind pass through. The breezy location helps mitigate Ontario’s sweltering summer temperatures.