With a view to both entertaining a crowd and casual family living, a dramatic new contemporary home takes shape on the shores of Georgian Bay.

In 2024, we need our homes to be more multifunctional than ever. Recently added to the roster of required rooms: office, gym and outdoor entertaining spaces. When planning the interiors for the home Stephanie Anevich and Brian Robertson were building in Thornbury, Ont., designer Tracy Kundell addressed even more key functions while also imbuing an aesthetic that would delight her clients.

For Stephanie and Brian, entertaining was a priority. “It’s an active community up here. They’re all skiers, pickleballers and golfers,” says Tracy, who responded by outfitting the public rooms to accommodate big groups of friends. Overnight guests were another consideration. Stephanie’s children and grandchildren visit often. For them, Tracy crafted welcoming guest suites and ensured the elegant main spaces were also rugged enough for busy grandkids.

Aesthetically, the couple naturally wanted the view to be the star of the show, “but to also create a warm sense of shelter inside,” Tracy says. Infusing that coziness was critical because both the vistas and the architecture here are expansive, so she added alluring seating clusters and softened walls and floors with plush rugs and dynamic panelling.

Today, the house offers a trove of inviting hangouts: from the laid-back poolside deck to the moody kitchen that conjures chic NYC eateries to the loungey living room where a TV rises from the floor for movie nights. Multiple functions, in the case of this 21st-century home, also means multiple assets.
 

Homeowners Stephanie Anevich and Brian Robertson are passionate entertainers, so on top of planning spaces in the couple’s new house to embrace the expansive views of Georgian Bay, designer Tracy Kundell outfitted the deck with a spacious sectional and lounge chairs to fit a crowd. The coffee table doubles as a firepit – great for shoulder seasons. The deck is made of specially treated Thermory ash, which is a rugged and sustainable alternative to tropical woods.
 

While the living room is designed to take in the vista across the infinity pool and out to Georgian Bay, it also has a natural snugness, thanks to the cozy seating area. When desired, a fireplace or a TV can be summoned from below: “They both recess into the floor when not in use, so the views are uninterrupted,” Tracy says. The slatted metal bench that slides over the ottoman can be moved around for extra seating when needed. 
 

On cooler days and nights, a sitting area tucked in beside the house is a favourite hangout. Tracy’s design for the architectural screen was inspired by the angular paintings of Modernist artist Piet Mondrian. It does double duty tempering the wind and obscuring views of neighbouring houses, all without cutting light.
 

The jumping-off point for the moody, layered kitchen was the orange quartzite topping the island. “The walnut cabinets and the patina on the steel hood and shelves tie in with its warm tones,” Tracy says. The designer (left) assured Stephanie (right) that the deep charcoal coloured tile on the feature wall wouldn’t make the kitchen feel too dark because the house gets so much natural light. Roomy stools with leather seats and quilted chenille backs let guests and grandkids hunker down here. The “indestructible” main-level floors are concrete finished with epoxy. 
 

From the front door, a commanding staircase leads down to the dining and living rooms, and up to the second floor’s four bed- rooms, media room, home office and gym. “You know immediately when you walk in that this is a house geared to entertaining,” Tracy says, pointing out the tall colourful dining room chandelier that’s visible from the front entry. Warm, natural white oak flooring and Thermory ash ceiling panelling ground the towering space. 
 

With its organic stone sink, boulder- like vanity, and quirky mirror and sconces, the powder room has a slightly other-worldly feel. “I wanted it to feel organic and moody,” Tracy says. “The dark walls, unusual shapes and baseboard lighting add to the overall mood.” The wall behind the custom-made vanity is clad in patinated riveted steel panels. 
 

Perched at the top of the stairs above the living room, this sitting area – dubbed the “nest” by the owners and Tracy – has an innate coziness, thanks to its enveloping armchairs and tight, circular layout, but also affords breathtaking lake views. “I chose the materials and textures to give intimacy and to counterbalance the vastness of the lake outside,” Tracy says. A barely-there chandelier keeps the focus on the lake. 
 

The dining room chandelier is a focal point. Says Tracy, “I wanted the dining room to have impact but still feel intimate, despite the soaring 25-foot-high ceilings. The resulting 14-foot-high chandelier really is dramatic, yet still allows the view to the exterior to shine.” A custom rug pulls the orange and purple hues from the light down into the room. The impressive marble wine cellar wall is backlit for even more drama; at night, when lit, the marble takes on a subtle orangey hue. 
 

This is a spacious and dramatic house, boasting high ceilings and expansive rooms, so Tracy introduced warmth in the primary bedroom with a feature wall panelled in white oak slats, which also ties in with the white oak flooring in other rooms. Likewise, she layered the bed with cozy textures: velvety upholstery on the custom headboard, silky throw pillows and furry lumbar pillows, and a plush quilted bed- spread – all in mauve, a colour that’s complementary to the tawny wood tone.
 

Tracy’s layering of materi- als in this ensuite feels almost like a chiaroscuro artwork. The fea- ture wall – brightly lit by the clerestory window and double- headed sconces – is panelled in porcelain tile that looks like Stat- uario marble. The ebony to that ivory is the floors, which are fin- ished in huge tiles designed to approximate rusty corten steel.

The vanity Tracy designed for this ensuite has the long, low lines, simple hard- ware and warm finish of Midcentury Modern teak furniture, and that ethos is echoed in the retro-look sconces and mirrors. The vanity and the Thermory ash panelling on the ceiling are a warm contrast to the black and white finishes. Treated for outdoor use, Thermory ash is a smart option for damp bathrooms.
 

Large, lushly patterned porcelain tile – inspired by old rugs – brings the look of wallpaper to one ensuite, “but with the advantage of being able to run it into the shower,” Tracy says. “I love how this tile looks both old-world and modern at the same time.” Double sinks and roomy showers mean the guest suites work nicely when the children and grandchildren visit.
 

Working from home hits differently when one whole wall of your home office is windows overlooking spectacular Georgian Bay. To anchor the space and add visual interest on an otherwise empty wall, Tracy designed a panel installation built from lay- ered wood boxes with integrated LED lighting. (The same treatment is used in the home gym, across the hall.) Along with the Thermory ash on the ceiling, the whitewashed, sandblasted stone that wraps the corner column is an architectural element used on the home’s exterior that extends inside.

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