77
WINTER
2017
|
InspiredbyHawaiianarchitecture,
KatieandChris
Horanhadadefinitedesign idea inmindwhen theymade
the decision to leave the rat race of theGTAbehind. To-
gether with their two children Jerett and Tori and dogs,
ChewyandKona, theymade themovenorthandbuilt their
dreamhome inSimcoeCounty.
AsVPGeneralManager ofGroupRossignol Canada,
Chris travelsextensively,andaccessibility toPearson Inter-
national isparamount.“Whenwe lived inTorontowewere
always jonesing togetoutof thecity,” remarksChris. “I’m
at theairporta lotand Iwould flyhomeonFridayevening,
thenwe’dwake up early on Saturdaymorningand rush
up to the cottage to ski. Our ‘city’ house was approxi-
mately20km from theairport,butonanygivenday itcould
takemeanhour togethome. I thought tomyself, ‘Whyam
I doing this?’ From here, it’s an hour and twentyminutes.
Thisproperty feels likewe’re in themiddleof nowhereyet
we’re10minutes to townand10minutes to thehill.”
TheHoransenlisted thehelpof JerryPattenof L. Patten
&Sons Ltd. The spacious yet privatewooded lot allowed
for a bungalow style design, and due to the highwater
table, the house is built entirely above ground, with no
basement or crawlspace.
“Wewere inspiredby thehouseswesaw inHawaii,”ex-
plains Katie, who runs a sales rep agency from home.
“Bothof us aredrawn tonatureandwe loved the lookof
thehomeswhere therewas no ‘break’ between structure
andnature.”
*
{
According to a traditional southern hostess, pineapples are a sign of
graciousness and gratitude towards guests.When youwant to hint at your
guests to leave, one should cut the pineapple as a sign to ‘hit the road’.
As it happens, I was doodling a pineapple on the back of a cocktail napkin
whenChris and I decided tomake a permanent move north,
hencewe’ve named our homePineappleHill.”
~KatieHoran
