A Retreat for Family & Friends

The assignment here for the experienced, creative design team at Black Tusk was to develop a weekend retreat for a young growing family to share with extended family and friends. The home needed gathering spaces, a large cooking area, a games area, entertainment room, quiet cozy spaces, as well as great views of the Bay and Beach.

The design approach had to accommodate 14 or more people at any given time. It would have a large open kitchen designed for entertaining, a timbered great room and connecting dining area. There is a sun room to retreat to for kids or privacy. The lower level would be designed for active kids and include sound insulation throughout. The approach also includes large porches and well thought out gear rooms for winter and summer activities. Amenities and bathrooms for guests are a priority, as well as a bathing area for the pups.

Black Tusk’s unique solution was to site the house to take full advantage of the views. This including carving out the shoreline bank to create a lower level walkout with easy access to the beach. This lower level features a games and entertainment area, bunks for the many kids, as well as plenty of storage.

A gourmet kitchen allows for many cooks, and focuses on an island bar. The custom cabinetry included a large pantry that folds out for a view of all contents, functional space for entertaining and specialty dishware and a “wine wall”. There are two gear rooms, an upper one for daily use including lockers with storage bins for winter gear, and a lower gear room for summer activities suited to water and sand activities, which includes change rooms and an extra dryer. The main gathering area is a large vaulted space with a massive stone fireplace and timber details. The loft offers quiet space for reading or viewing activities from above.