House Tours
House tour: Colourful contemporary home
It's all about indoor-outdoor living in this home.
House Tours
House tour: Colourful contemporary home
It's all about family, friends and indoor-outdoor living at Marina and Blake Farrow's residence near Collingwood, Ont.
Sometimes it takes a faraway place to remind us of what matters close to home. That was the case for custom-home builder Blake Farrow of Blake Farrow Project Management and his wife, Marina, a designer who co-owns design studio and retail store Farrow Arcaro Design. “Three years ago we took our kids, Kyle, Jake and Olivia [now 21, 19 and 12 respectively], on a beach vacation,” says Blake. “We spent every day outside, swimming, kiteboarding and hanging out together.” Not wanting the idyllic family time to end with the vacation, the couple decided to rejig their real estate. “We lived in Collingwood, Ont., where our businesses are located, but our trip reminded us that the long-term plan was to have some land where we could connect as a family,” he says. “As soon as we got home, Marina called our real estate agent and said, ‘Find us a place in the country.’” It was serendipitous, as a listing for a 1970s two-storey house on three and a half acres popped up while they were on the phone. “We put in an offer that moment,” says Marina. “The house is a mile from town but feels like a world away.”
It was also a world away from move-in ready, with a cracked foundation, rotted roof and wildly overgrown lot, but the couple was already envisioning a space that would reflect their lifestyle. “We like things simple, not over the top,” says Marina. “We wouldn’t be comfortable in a home where things have to be kept perfect.” Given their professions, they were able to parlay those laid-back preferences into bricks and mortar – or in this case, barnboard. “I immediately imagined a barn,” says Blake. “Its clean shape lends itself to casual living.”
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