Dutch Dreams

Set against a picturesque rural Erin backdrop, a formidable structure, all straight edges, metal and wood defies easy categorization. Is it a very stylish barn or industrial space? A sleek modern home? An ode to a fierce artistic vision? For owners John and Cheryl Leenders, the answer is yes – to all these questions.

A striking rusted Corten steel roof extends down the east and west sides of some of the oblong building – in sharp contrast to the unfinished look of the weathered grey hemlock that clads the remaining exterior walls. 

More surprising, a large section of that exterior slides open to reveal a breezeway through the centre of the building. An open-air living and dining area during good weather, this space can be enclosed when temperatures drop.

To the east of the breezeway is the main home with a kitchen and living area, bedroom suite, and den. A catwalk high above the breezeway links the upper floor to a loft, currently used as a workout room, on the west side of the breezeway.

The vision for the home came largely from John, who worked on much of the build himself, with the help of Cheryl and subcontractors. In addition to being a second-generation chicken farmer, John is also a designer and maker of rustic-yet-industrial tables created by combining wood pieces with cast-iron legs poured at Tiffany Metal Casting, a local foundry. And then there are the lights made from chicken feeders turned upside down.

“If I’m inspired to create it, I’ll build it myself,” he says. An example of this creativity is a one-of-a-kind table John made about 10 years ago from a Goodyear sign. It was snapped up by Canadian business magnate and TV personality Arlene Dickinson. “She loved that it says Product of Canada on it.”

Some materials for the house project were custom aged before being installed. The exterior hemlock came from a Mennonite supplier, who wire brushed the boards to expose the grain, and then left them to bleach in the sun for 18 months. John prizes the look, as well as the sleek installation, which reverses the common board-and-batten method. Here, the boards are laid on top of the battens. The carport on the west side of the building is lined with larch that was charred using the Japanese shou sugi ban method. 

Other elements were chosen for their propensity to age well. The Corten roof and siding, for example, is designed to weather the elements without needing to be painted or treated. John says its rusty hue will change colour over time, developing a more purple hue, he says. 

In addition to feeling a deep affinity for the materials themselves, John now realizes the final look draws from a niche architectural trend: Dutch farmhouse. A pair of the Leenders’ friends from the Netherlands were the first to pinpoint this design aesthetic, equal parts rugged and refined, after viewing images John posted on social media. When John’s parents were children, both their families emigrated from the Netherlands, and John and Cheryl have numerous family and friends there. So it’s no wonder Dutch farmhouse was a common, if subconscious, theme in John’s inspiration boards for the build. He notes the long, narrow shape is similar to traditional farm dwellings in the Netherlands, where the living quarters are often at one end and the cattle and animals at the other.

A more intentional design influence was American architect Tom Kundig, known for rugged Pacific Northwest buildings that work with nature, not against it. But in late 2014 John and Cheryl tapped a Dutch architect for help. They visited Eindhoven-based Frank Goorts, owner of FG Architectuur. “Frank took the time to review my Kundig-heavy Pinterest boards to see the types of houses and design we liked,” says John. “Cheryl and I went skiing in Austria for a few days, and when we came back he had the concept sketch ready – and it was perfect.” He adds that it was important to have a simple structure with a single roofline, but “I needed help to get the proportions correct.”

The house took about two years to build, from 2015 to 2017. Nicolas Auger of NA Structures in Quebec provided the pre-built and insulated wall panels, and installed the basic structure. The floors are ground and polished poured concrete, a finish John refers to as “funky patina.” He deliberately chose unpolished steel for the interior doors to mimic the look of well-used shop doors with their accumulated fingerprints and other marks. The ceilings are reclaimed barn board, punctuated in many places by steel I-bars left in primer red.

The unheated breezeway is the couple’s favourite room, especially when hosting family gatherings with their adult daughters, Morgan and Shelby. The space is perfectly comfortable in spring, summer and fall, featuring cozy leather seating and a spacious dining area under a set of retractable lights. The lights can be raised by a pulley above the catwalk to, say, create a dance floor, as the couple did for Morgan’s summer wedding to Chad Bryant.

John says the wedding was the deadline he needed to finish a few jobs, including the concrete pad out front, which served as the seating area. (The family catered the event themselves, with help from local bakery Holtom’s, which provided a tower of fresh-from-the-oven doughnuts.) He also installed the cool “aGoGo” lightbulb sign in red on a breezeway wall – another dance floor must-have. The family is unsure of the provenance of the sign, but hope it came from the famed Los Angeles rock club Whisky a Go Go, not the Concord, Ontario club of an … um … different nature.

Behind the house is a fully equipped outdoor kitchen nestled into walls made of reclaimed local barn foundation stone – “I’ve been collecting them for 20 years,” says John – and a long deck lined with red Muskoka chairs.

Indoors is a treasure trove of more reclaimed and repurposed antiques, and salvaged items. One of the cornerstones of the interior fireplace bears the stamp of the year 1891. John rescued it from the old Braden farm around the corner on Erin’s 9th Line. The sink base in the powder room comes from an old dental cabinet, and the large stuffed ram standing sentinel at the top of the stairs to the second-floor primary suite came from a local garage sale. “I saw it but left without buying. Two minutes later I was back,” says John. “I had errands to do in town afterwards, so I drove around with the ram in the back of the truck. I got a few funny looks that day.”

After all the wedding fun, it was time for John to finish a few last details, including Cheryl’s favourite luxury in the house: a handcrafted deep tub made from stainless steel and wrapped in quartz that looks like white marble. “It’s actually so comfortable,” Cheryl says of the otherwise spaceship-esque soaker.

John says everything in the house was designed with functionality in mind. When the family disperses, the couple closes off the breezeway to reduce upkeep. On the main floor that leaves them with John’s collectible-crammed office, the powder room, a cozy living area and a low-key kitchen – covering about 1,300 square feet.

Very few items in the house have been purchased from a store, save for the basic IKEA kitchen cabinets. Reclaimed A&W stools – in bright Dutch orange – meet an island built on an iron base made in Alton in the 1800s. (John has been researching the name inscribed on it, “A. Dick,” and would love to hear from readers who may have leads for him.) “I like to take an antique and add on, seeing how I can put my personal touch on it,” he says. 

Continuous improvement and unrelenting creativity are hallmarks of the couple’s approach to putting the final touches on this unique project. “Honestly, if I felt I was finished with the house, I might have to sell it,” John says. “And we rather hope this is our last house. But it’s more that the house is constantly evolving, and provides the opportunity to respond and design new solutions. That’s perfect for a creative maker like me.”