Surreal Estate: $3.5 million for an ivory farmhouse in King City on five acres of land

Neighbourhood: Kettleby, King City
Price: $3,490,000 Last renovated: 2020 Size: 3,400-square-feet sitting on five acres of land Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 3 Parking spots: 9 Real estate agents: Khalen Meredith and Kim Nichols, Sotheby’s International Realty

The place

A three-bedroom, three-bathroom country home that looks like it was lifted out of a picture book. Located in King City, the 3,400-square-foot property is infused with the Finnish owners’ Scandi sense of design along with rural coziness. The place sits on five acres and comes with a stone bank barn, a carriage house, expansive gardens and an idyllic pond. It’s a short drive to the 400, Seneca’s King Campus and the Maple Leaf Cricket Club.

The history

The owners purchased the house in February 2017 and started renovations immediately: kitchen and electrical updates, new floors and roofs, as well as extensive landscaping.

Related: $6.2 million for an après-ski haven in the Blue Mountains with a CrossFit gym

The tour

The house is set behind a perennial garden surrounded by equine fencing. Its façade has two distinct looks: original notched log panels and modern white board and batten siding.

Here’s a closer look at the garden.

Every country home needs a proper front porch, and this wrap-around stunner, with its pine-beamed picture framing, sets the tone. It’s a great spot to sip wine or bourbon with friends. 

The interior is bucolic meets contemporary. To the left, a reclaimed picture frame archway leading to the log room; to the right, a white beamed entry into the dining and kitchen space.

Natural light penetrates all corners of the room, illuminating the new stainless steel appliances and their warm brass accents. There are also soapstone counters, oak floors and a huge farmhouse sink embedded into the eight-foot island. Note the walk-in pantry and servery just beyond the stove.

A reverse angle highlights the U-shaped banquette with built-in storage, which overlooks the garden.

Here’s that pantry.

Down the hall is the living area, which could be repurposed as a grand dining hall. 

A wood-burning fireplace sits at the helm of the living room.

The sunken log room is ideal for post-meal relaxation.

And it wouldn’t be a log room if it weren’t, well, a room made of logs. It has reclaimed pine–beamed ceilings, pine-panelled walls and pine floors. There’s also another wood-burning fireplace, this time with river rock inlay.  

The screened porch is sandwiched between the log room and the backyard deck. 

This hallway connects the kitchen to the laundry room.

If ever there was a place to enjoy cleaning and folding, this is it. 

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms. Here’s the entry to the main bedroom, featuring dramatic dormer ceilings and pine floors. 

It’s like sleeping in a luxury treehouse.

Now for the ensuite, equipped with porcelain checkerboard tiles, a dual-head shower, a clawfoot soaker tub and marble counters.

One of the secondary bedrooms. 

A return outside reveals the pond—like something out of a fairy tale.

The old bank barn was built in 1856. 

The current owners use the space for storage, but future residents could hold events here.

There’s nothing quite like barn-side alfresco dining. 

And if you’ve got horses? By all means.

Don’t forget the doggy door.

A strong candidate for Toronto Life‘s Dog House of the Week.

Finally, the property at dusk.

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