LA CASA CON LA HERMOSA VISTA

The House with the Beautiful View

STORY RICK SHURMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY SANDY MACKAY
STAGING MARJIE THOMSON INTERIOR DESIGN AND VAN ALLAN DESIGN CENTRE

Andrés and Maria José Tinajero have been enjoying Thornbury and the surrounding area for many years. Historically, they owned a townhouse, which offered a very comfortable recreational lifestyle with a modest view of the bay but no water access.

About three years ago they decided to find a property that reflected their tastes, comforts and all that Georgian Bay has to offer. It had to deliver the most out of their time away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

They contacted Paige Young of Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited to help them find a property with easy water access and a spectacular view of the bay.

It didn’t take long. The property most certainly had the view. The unfortunate hiccup, however, was the house itself. It needed work. They called Marjie Thomson of Marjie Thomson Interior Design, who they had worked with in the past and trusted, to get some perspective. Marjie strongly suggested they contact Ary VanderMeer of VanderMeer Homes Ltd. to take a look.

“It was reminiscent of a Brady Bunch home,” says Marjie. “Cramped, tired and dated. It had low ceilings and would likely never have met their stylistic requirements.” Marjie convinced them to rebuild from the ground up. VanderMeer would create the architectural design and build the new home and Marjie would complete the interior design.

“We wanted an open, airy space, but with a light Spanish influence,” says Maria of her new build. Andrés and Maria are both of Spanish descent and wanted a hacienda feel but making sure the water view was obvious from every corner of the home.

Marjie took the mandate, along with a myriad of pictures, postings, images and links and went to work with the Tinajeros and their builder. “Marjie made sure the build was fluid and seamless,” says Andrés. “She is extremely organized, detail-oriented and was totally aligned with our thinking. The best thing is that she offers a firm opinion.”

“I kind of help navigate the process and shepherd the homeowners through the process,” Marjie says, “from the big picture to the smallest nuances.”

The house has high ceilings and unobstructed views through large windows. “There was a collective decision to keep things natural,” she says. Natural wood doors and white-oak plank floors, a wood wall in the kitchen, a tongue-and-groove ceiling in the Muskoka room in earthy tones and exposed beams that grace the living room and primary bedroom tie the look together.

The furnishings, most sourced at Van Allan Design Centre, and paint colours are muted to keep the focus on the view beyond the glass surfaces. Art in the dining room offers a pop of colour.

“We built a home that feels comfortable and stylistically considerate to the community and the area, but honours the Spanish intention,” says Marjie. “It most definitely reflects our taste,” says Andrés. “It is not overwhelming in size. It is cosy and comfortable and just feels exactly how we hoped it would.”

“Because Andrés and Maria were not bringing much in the way of furniture or content to the house, we were able to really design and decorate from the ground up, right down to the patio furniture,” says Marjie. “This enabled a lovely continuity to the entire look and feel throughout the home.”

The wonderful water view was never compromised by the design and every room has been considered in terms of angle or attitude, as well as access to the shoreline.

For Andrés and Maria, it is exactly as it was meant to be. OH