Country Homes
These Idyllic Quebec Farmhouses Have Fresh Style and Classic Charm
Published on May 22, 2025
If you’ve dreamed of living in a farmhouse, Quebec has some standout examples. Discover the most inspiring country escapes from La Belle Province below (all from our archives) below. They share common elements of farmhouse style — antique furniture, quaint wallpapers, quilts, rustic farm tables — while proving one size doesn’t fit all. Whether it’s a working cattle farm, renovated century farmhouse or flower farm, the owners of these abodes embrace farmhouse style in a fresh way — even if their homes date back a century. Equally inspiring are the newer houses leveraging the rustic nostalgia that is a hallmark of this style. As a whole, these charming Quebec farmhouses manage to blend classic, European charm while playing up the area’s unique history and natural beauty.
A Working Wagyu Beef Farm
Historic Argyll Farm in Bolton, Que., is a working farm a little more than an hour’s drive from Montreal. Owners Alex and Sebasteien Gosselin raise Wagyu beef on the property. The farmhouse’s front porch is simple and welcoming with a classic oak door and vintage rocking chair.
“It’s not that I don’t feel at home in the city, but I really feel at home at the farm,” says Alex. The circa-1886 five-bedroom farmhouse is just down the lane from Humminghill Farm, the country retreat of their designers Richard Ouellette (shown with Alex) and Maxime Vandal of Les Ensembliers, plus Trooper the goose.
Alex and Sebastien in the front yard with one of their sons. The farmhouse Sebastien and Alex bought was in good shape, but it needed renovation and redecorating.
An antique table is balanced by a bright yellow cabinet and contemporary pendant. “There’s a beautiful chicness and simplicity to this moment,” says Richard. “It could be a Montana house or it could be English. I love that mix.”
Architecturally, the challenge was to keep the original charm of the farmhouse while reimagining it for modern family life. “Alex and Sebastien were sensitive to the soul of the place, so we decided to preserve this old lady with some of her wrinkles,” says Maxime. A large English roll-arm sofa dominates the L-shaped living room.
The kitchen has a serene vibe, with custom cabinets in warm oak and a cream-colored backsplash tile that envelops the space. Carefully curated open shelves flank the range.
Alex wanted an English-style country home that felt collected over time — nothing matchy-matchy. The result is an effortless mix of treasured pieces and modern classics, pulled together with thoughtfully chosen art and wallpaper. It’s farmhouse style, but fresher and more modern.
In the main-floor powder room, the children chose whimsical wallpaper, which is grounded by blue-green floor tile and touches of brass.
The principal bedroom is Alex and Sebastien’s hideaway. Playful wallpaper is the star of the show. “It gives the impression that the flowers are growing up the wall,” says Richard.
The idyllic property is studded with outbuildings, barns and paddocks for the horses.
A Village Farmhouse
“It was a dream of mine to have a farmhouse in Knowlton, Quebec,” says designer Luke Havekes. “I loved the village and the overall feeling. I told myself, when I was ready, I’d buy a house here.” Luke added New England-style architectural details to the interior. The house had builder-basic construction (it was built in 1989), and lacked any strong architectural identity. “A favourite game I play when people visit is asking, How old do you think the house is? And no one ever guesses right!”
“The home’s bones and centre hall plan were great, but the exterior of the house and the bathroom and kitchen were not. The main floor had a series of small, disjointed rooms, so I moved the kitchen from one side of the house to the other to create space for a large dining room and an open-concept den. Now the house has much larger, airier living spaces.”
The large eat-in kitchen is perfect for hosting casual get-togethers with friends.
A mix of colour and pattern creates the layered look Luke was after in the dining room. “I stayed away from trends and opted instead for a more intuitive sense of what I wanted my home in the country to feel like, which was more layered and enduring,” Luke says.
The living room showcases my collection of objets and antiques. “Many of these items were in storage because, although I loved them, they didn’t feel at home in my contemporary condo in Montreal,” observes Luke. “Bringing them to Knowlton made the house feel rich and collected immediately.”
The interiors are inspired by Wes Anderson’s film sets: imagine an atmosphere somewhere between The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom.
Stunning patterned tile creates a carpet of colour and clads the tub in the principal bathroom. “Throughout the renovations, I tried to make daring but timeless choices,” says Luke.
A Flower Farm
Humminghill Farm Knowlton, Quebec, is a 32-hectare working flower farm, with a substantial vegetable plot, honeybees, chickens and a sugar bush. It’s a labour of love for designers Richard Ouellete and Maxime Vandal, of Les Ensembliers (you can tour the farm here) who bought the property in 2016. The coach house is seen above.
In the sitting room of the coach house, the cube-like white oak cabinet incorporates a fireplace and storage niches, and divides the space from the bedroom.
The couple chose hardworking materials, savvy storage solutions and unfussy decor. The main floor’s concrete floors and kitchen area allow for seamless indoor-outdoor entertaining, while the light-filled second floor encourages rest and relaxation.
“I’m obsessive about clean lines and a simple bed,” says Richard. The art over the bed comprises 56 photographs of a car pulled out of the Seine.
Dark terrazzo tiles amp up the contrast of light and dark in the shower; the window perfectly frames the view.
For the designers gardening has become a way of life. “Humminghill is about creating a place with purpose, where we can grow flowers and vegetables, enjoy a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, entertain and share good times,” says Richard.
To give the farm pool a natural look and help it blend more seamlessly to the garden, grass was substituted for hardscaping.
A guest bungalow poolhouse is a frequent hideaway from the designers’ day-to-day lives which is surrounded by mature trees, from oaks, pines and maples to lilacs and cherries.
The pool house got a fresh coat of paint, and then Richard “threw in odds-and-ends furniture to make it cozy and fun,” he says. Now the pool house is an unplugged spot to nap, relax and enjoy.
The pool house also includes a small bar so it’s easy to fix drinks during an afternoon of swimming. Watch a tour of this bungalow bedroom hideaway here!
A Farmhouse in the Treetops
The hilltop farmhouse owned by artist Ronda Diamond and Richard Cherney, a lawyer, is a quintessential Knowlton, Que., charmer. “It’s in an area that’s more Hamptons than mountains, with pastoral fields, farmland and horses,” says designer Luke Havekes, who bought the circa-1977 house as an investment, then gutted and decorated it.
For owners Richard and Ronda, the idyllic setting was just the cherry on top. “We’re outdoorsy, country people; we spend time skiing and biking,” says Ronda.
“This house is layered and eclectic in a pared-down way, not packed to the rafters — it feels full and cozy,” Luke says.
Vintage block-printed wallpaper on the ceiling has a swaddling effect, making the space especially inviting. Maple counters, leather cabinet pulls and the vibrant green paint give the kitchen rustic appeal.
All that colour and texture is set within an unusual layout. “It’s like you’re in a tropical jungle that’s very lush because of all the beautiful bright green leafy trees,” says Luke. Bookshelves fill in a dead spot beside the stone fireplace and, for an eclectic flourish, the mantel is lined with vintage clay cacti from Arizona.
Unlike a traditional country house, the great room isn’t on the ground floor — it’s in the treetops, a cool vantage point for when the family gathers at the dining table.
The sectional is loaded up with a mix of throw pillows while a graphic rug adds warmth underfoot. There are wraparound balconies on three floors, with connected staircases leading to verdant grounds and a saltwater pool.
The largest guest bedroom has a well-travelled, bohemian vibe. An African textile is framed in a shadow box above the bed and the rug is Turkish.
Tongue-and-groove walls and a pair of vintage pedestal sinks are quintessentially country in the principal ensuite.
The cosy principal bedroom has vaulted ceilings and casual country furniture.
The existing saltwater pools was overhauled and is now an inviting outdoor space.
The property includes a forest of ash, maple and cherry trees.
A Century Farmhouse
When Anne Côté, former design director for H&H’s Quebec-based sister publication, Maison & Demeure, first saw the house that would become her country home, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. The 111-year-old farmhouse had pretty white siding and grey shutters, but it was otherwise unremarkable. There was originally a shed just outside the back door, but it was torn down and replaced with a frequently used deck.
The garden was another story. Set at the foot of Mont-Orford, not far from Lake Memphremagog in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, the two-acre property was a well-maintained hideaway. As much as Anne loved the property, she was well aware of how much work would be necessary to update the interior infrastructure, all the while preserving the quiet charm of the exterior.
Anne moved the main entrance to the south-facing veranda, where she added storage closets along one wall and a Persian rug to give the space some colour and contrast.
To create the sunbathed, galley-style kitchen, Anne introduced new French doors and stole 18″ from the footprint of the neighbouring bathroom. Throughout the main floor, inexpensive pine floors were white-washed for a simple, rustic look. Raw wood shelves supported by wrought-iron brackets add storage and charm.
Anne varied the scale of the dining area’s seating, incorporating a bench on the living room side so that the space wouldn’t feel closed off. Barn doors made of recycled cedar are a rustic focal point.
White beadboard ceilings contribute to the home’s country feel. In her bedroom, the bed is tucked into the low eaves and bookended with art, giving the impression of a headboard.
Anne covered the principal bathroom walls in inexpensive 2″ sq. white tile, an affordable way to give the small space a European feel. A quartz ledge feels elegant and adds space for display.
In the old foyer at the front of the house, crisp 1″ shutters and a dip-dyed wicker trunk have a classic appeal.
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