Humminghill Farm: Putting Roots in the Country

By purchasing a fallow estate in Bolton-Ouest, Maxime Vandal and Richard Ouellet had no idea of ​​the playground it was to become. After six years, the Humminghill Farm is a brand in itself and the embodiment of an art of living where simplicity, handmade and nature are available in small daily luxuries.

Isabelle Morin
The Press

“We knew that this property was a good investment, but we could never have guessed that it was going to transform our lives from top to bottom,” says architect Maxime Vandal, co-founder of Les Ensembliers with his partner, the designer of inside Richard Ouellet. Their farm in the Eastern Townships, surrounded by agricultural land to be reclaimed, has become not only a place of anchorage and a source of inspiration, but also a fertile creative laboratory.

Let’s go back to before the pandemic, when the duo had the wind in their sails and obtained international recognition thanks to prestigious contracts, including the signing of a range of fabrics and wallpapers for the luxury brand Brunschwig & Fils. COVID-19 has put a brake on this momentum and, by extension, on a life of jet-setting between two planes. “It forced us to stop, to question ourselves and to find a balance in life,” says the co-founder of Les Ensembliers. And quite naturally, life refocused around the farm.

The past two years have been an opportunity to tame relatively unknown territory that spans 80 acres, forge new relationships, and begin restoration of the estate’s buildings. The Humminghill Farm has become the narrative around which the Ensembliers embroider their image, especially on their social networks followed by more than 18,000 subscribers. It is also the standard-bearer of a way of life concerned with nature and imbued with beauty.

Showcasing local talents

The development of their vegetable garden is an architectural exercise in itself. “We knew very little about gardening,” says Maxime Vandal, who nevertheless had a clear vision of an ornamental and productive vegetable garden, structured to complement the volumes of the farm building. For the sake of aesthetics, rows of chives have been planted around the squares of vegetables and herbs “to make it look good”, agrees his gardener. This vegetable garden rich in textures, colors and scents has taken their social networks by storm, raising a question along the way: what are you going to do with all that chives? The answer presented itself in the melee: and why not a vinegar?

Thus was born the first production of the farm, a vinegar with chive flower produced in 300 bottles quickly sold, the success of which forced the creation of an agri-food company and generated three other flavors. Added to this collection is honey from the domain’s beehives and, to accompany it, a pot fashioned by the hands of a neighboring potter, Robin Badger. To meet the demand, Les Ensembliers sought reinforcement from the Bolton-Ouest Collective, grouped around the revaluation of land in the region. Thus, one thing leading to another, one more seed was planted for an exciting project. All it took was a momentum to make it all bloom.

This push came from an international decoration magazine which had targeted the bucolic setting of the farmhouse for a photo shoot on the art of hospitality in the style of Les Ensembliers. Rather than integrating accessories from elsewhere, the duo knocked on the doors of the surrounding area to offer this visibility to artisans here. In six weeks, the operation was set up. It was the lever to create a brand, La Ferme Humminghill, which is launching its online store this spring.

“A support network is set up and exchanges of services. It is a concept that we did not know, continues Maxime Vandal. We had to come back down to earth. It puts a lot of things into perspective about life, time, expectations. This place has changed our life. »

The art of living in the countryside

Around their international brand image and their vision of a simple and refined country life, Les Ensembliers have formed a collective of artisans from the Eastern Townships and Montreal, which they wish to promote in Quebec. and elsewhere by embracing this role as content editors (“curators”). In a desire to support local craftsmanship, all the objects overseen by the brand are purchased in advance from craftsmen who offer them, in return, exclusive creations imprinted with rustic and contemporary accents, which are so many jewels of interior.

“I am so proud to be a voice for these people! There is so much beauty and there is so much talent everywhere that we do not know exists, continues the architect. This is our contribution to our region. We are not able to make hay and we will not become tomato producers. That’s not what we know how to do. »

Creating beauty, on the other hand, the two artists have completely mastered the art. And it is this piece of dream and countryside that they offer us by sharing life on the farm with us, Les Ensembliers style.