Great Spaces: Farmhouse Edition Four urban families who reinvented their lives in the country
Eight city-to-country converts who’ve traded in their blazers and rush-hour commutes for expansive vistas and creative pursuits
WHO:
Deenah Patel, senior HR director for a financial services company, and her husband, Daniel Patel, a former chiropractor and hobby app developer, and their daughter, Miah, 13
WHERE:
A seven-bed, four-bath farmhouse on 1.8 acres in Sandbanks Provincial Park
Before the pandemic, Daniel and Deenah had been living in a roomy twobed, three-bath St. Lawrence condo for about 12 years. In 2019, Daniel stepped away from his chiropractic practice to spend more time with Miah. When Covid hit a year later, Deenah began working from home, and Daniel was able to help out with Miah’s virtual schooling. They took a day trip to
P.E.C. in October, fell in love with the County’s charm, and found this renovated, fully furnished farmhouse soon after. By December, they’d bought the place, and a month later, Miah joined in-person classes at a school a 20-minute drive away. There’s a Via Rail station nearby, which will be convenient for Deenah when in-person meetings resume downtown, but they’re also keeping their Toronto condo.
Daniel and Deenah are looking forward to hosting family and friends soon, but in the meantime, they’re making the best of their slower-paced lifestyle. “At one point, I took a work call outside, and I found my daughter painting under a willow tree and Daniel doing some gardening,” Deenah says. “Life is very different here.”