Decorating & Design
Step Inside This Quirky Country Home In Prince Edward County
Published on September 9, 2019
Jeff Stober, the brain behind some of Toronto’s trendiest addresses, has a knack for sniffing out exactly what the culturati is craving. He has earned a stable of restaurants and bars (Drake One Fifty, Drake Mini Bar and Drake Commissary, among others), multiple Drake General Stores, plus the original Queen West flagship hotel. In 2014, the list expanded to include Drake Devonshire, a low-key, 13-room outpost in the heart of Prince Edward County, Ontario.
“I didn’t realize how much I would love it,” says Jeff of spending time in the county. Which is how the avowed city slicker found himself on the hunt for his own perfect PEC retreat. The winning property is a two-storey traditional country home once owned by a local doctor. Scroll down to peek inside!
The porches that often adorn Prince Edward County homes were a strong pull for Jeff to invest there. “There’s an idea that Canadian leisure looks like a dock in Muskoka, but to me it’s a porch,” he says. “When we saw this property, we jumped on it.”
In the eclectic living room, a generous sectional invites guests to sink in and get comfortable. Multiple upholstery fabrics deliver a boho vibe.
Jeff leans into the laid-back lifestyle of time spent in the county. “It’s kind of The Drake gone residential,” he says of the country home’s aesthetic. “It’s completely consistent in terms of our style guide and design pillars.”
A generous island and comfortable stools mean friends can keep Jeff company in the kitchen while he’s whipping up dinner.
Jeff’s elephant figure collection is displayed in the dining room against a backdrop of groovy, vintage wallpaper.
Just off the dining room, the Annex room is an ideal place to entertain friends and workmates from The Drake. Eclectic furnishings, large-scale wallpaper and a vintage storage unit create a look with serious wow factor.
An edited color palette helps create a principal bedroom that’s spare yet cozy.
Mod navy chairs are a vibrant contrast to the pale panelled walls of the principal bedroom.
Stacey Brandford
House & Home August 2019
Jeff Stober, Joyce Lo and Carlo Colacci