Dream home: $3.9M Millefleurs property in Prince Edward County features a custom-built house with an on-site agri-venture

It’s a magical midsummer’s image to brighten a midwinter’s day: azure sky, rows of purple blooms, clouds turning mauve in the setting sun.

And sunrise is just as mesmerizing, says homeowner Wilma Vreeswijk.

“Having that first cup of coffee on the porch, looking at the lavender field, the colour is spectacular.”

Her husband Sylvain Segard describes the full sensory experience at harvest time, when buzzing bees and butterflies fill the fragrant air, as an “electric, almost magnetic feel.”

Welcome to Millefleurs — “a thousand blooms” — the couple’s lavender and honey farm overlooking Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County, about two hours east of Toronto.

Even with the lavender tucked under a blanket of snow, the property looks like a “picture postcard,” says Segard. “Last night we watched the full moon rise and we had a fantastic view across the lake.”

The former federal civil servants from Ottawa had long dreamed of owning a farm when they discovered the county’s food and wine offerings, and entrepreneurial spirit during a holiday in 2012, recalls Segard. “We said, ‘Wow, this would be really nice out here.’”

A few years later they bought an unused 5.6-acre green field on a limestone bluff and planted their first 2,500 French and English organic lavender plants, later adding sunflowers, dahlias and a rose garden.

Their two-storey, four-bedroom home, completed in 2018, delivered must-haves of “functional, open, airy, lots of light with a big kitchen,” according to Segard, who did the planning, designing and building in collaboration with professionals.

With its 18-foot ceiling and back wall of windows, the living room offers “absolutely spectacular” views of the lake, says Vreeswijk. “Sometimes it’s quiet and still, other times it’s crashing waves. It changes every day.”

A handcrafted wood staircase with iron banister leads to the second-floor mezzanine that offers up a similar panorama.

Segard, a sommelier and distiller, and Vreeswijk, a botanist and master gardener, rounded out their agri-project with a big barn for processing and a small retail boutique. In 2019, they opened for tours, workshops and sales of lavender products, honey and mead, a craft wine made with honey that are also sold online.

Last year Millefleurs welcomed 20,000 visitors.

“The first thing people say coming into the store is ‘Whoa, it smells terrific in here!’” Segard says.

The couple has hosted summer get-togethers for four generations of their family, he says, adding they planned the farm as a meet-and-sleep retreat for their three adult children and grandkids.

There are both “social and quiet spaces” including a separate second-floor guest suite in the 2,800-square foot home, Segard points out.

One of Vreeswijk’s favourite spots is the soaker tub in the primary ensuite where she can watch the sunset beyond the small orchard and red oaks.

Peter Lynch, a sales rep with Chestnut Park Real Estate Brokerage, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, commends the couple for their “amazing usage” of the $3.9-million property.