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      La Firme reorganises centuries-old Montreal loft with contemporary finishes

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      Montreal architecture studio La Firme has reorganised an apartment in a 1800s textile mill, using cabinetry to shape the new interior configuration.

      The Elmire Condo was completed for a young couple in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal area.
      “This project took a space in a mid-19th century building that’s been a textile mill, a Campbell’s soup factory, and finally a condo complex,” said La Firme, a local studio whose name means simply The Firm.
      The apartment is located Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal areaLa Firme left much of the original structure exposed, including tall, rough-hewn timber beams and brick walls with structural arches as passages between rooms.
      According to the studio, these original elements serve as a “counterpoint” to their intervention, which consists of a series of white oak cabinets that delineate that redefine the rooms, while offering an abundance of storage for the owners.

      La Firme left structural arches and brickwork exposed”These contrasting elements organise the space into a rectangular area for the kitchen and salon, and an L-shaped loft for the master bedroom and bath, with a combination gallery, conservatory and meditative space,” said La Firme.
      The studio was able to include two bathrooms as part of the renovation: one for guests and the other within the primary bedroom. Plenty of stone is used throughout the apartment, reflecting the owner’s passion for geology.
      The apartment features a raised salonWithin the ensuite bathroom, a wall is finished in Calcatta marble that was bookmatched to create a subtle geometric pattern with the veins of the stone. “Natural light comes in from the gallery space through a band of glass blocks, in a wink to 1980s condo design,” La Firme explained.
      The long kitchen countertop sits partially at bar-height, then transitions to table height due to a step in the apartment floor. “The kitchen embodies [the client’s] love of minerals and culinary passion,” said La Firme.

      Talo Studios introduces Japandi elements to historic Montreal house

      “Quebec’s geological richness is brought inside with the island countertop, a slab of Labradorite granite that extends into a table on a raised platform,” they added.
      Beyond the kitchen is the salon, which is raised a few steps higher, and enjoys clear views of the city’s Mont Royal. Within these steps, the architects included a concealed pull-out bed for guests.
      Contemporary elements contrast with the centuries-old buildingOpposite the kitchen is a counter with drawers offering flexible storage or a place to work from home.
      Through the brick arches is the conservatory, a secondary living area separated from the combined living room and kitchen.
      Two bathrooms are included in the renovation”The gallery/conservatory is the loft area’s raison d’être,” La Firme explained. “Bright and open, it puts on display the clients’ other great loves: an impressive collection of contemporary art and a space for playing music.”
      Besides the white oak cabinets and occasional stone accents, the architects kept to a relatively limited palette for the intervention.
      Other apartment renovations in Montreal include a 1920s unit that Naturehumaine renovated with curved walls and pale green cabinetry, and a residential extension wrapped in galvanised metal.
      The photography is by Ulysse Lemerise Bouchard.

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      Vives St-Laurent creates tactile Montreal home

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      Interior design studio Vives St-Laurent has remodelled a family house in Montreal, Canada, using a grey colour palette, quartzite stone and white-oak furniture to create an interior that highlights the building’s architectural elements. More

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      Ravi Handa designs his own wine bar called Stem in Montreal

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      Reclaimed materials found during demolition work have been preserved and used as decoration in this Montreal wine bar called Stem that’s designed and co-owned by Ravi Handa Architect.

      Named Stem, the wine bar was completed earlier in 2020 near September, a cafe and surfboard workshop designed by the same architect in Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood.
      A piece of vintage wallpaper now hangs by the bar’s entranceUpon learning that a vacant space near September cafe would be taken up by a big-box pizza chain, the architect teamed up with some partners to lease the space themselves.

      “There was an uproar in the community and we [September] along with other local businesses on the block didn’t want a multinational chain as a neighbour,” Handa told Dezeen.
      “There was a great deal of pressure to create something soulful and anchored to place since we had convinced our landlords to break with a brand that we felt was perhaps void of soul and rather generic,” he added.
      Materials found on-site during demolition have been turned into artworksHanda envisioned an establishment that would draw cues from the cafe, offering a casual place for neighbours to gather in a nighttime setting.
      “As a partner, and because the business is physically linked to an already successful business, I was more emotionally invested in the design process than usual,” he said.
      “While the spirit of the cafe is reflected in the wine bar’s fine lines and warm palette, the new space has an identity of its own, using the stem as a source of inspiration.”
      Slim slats of wood, intended to represent wine glass stems, are a recurring motif in the interiors.
      A privacy screen separates the tasting room from the back-of-houseDuring the demolition of the existing space, several finishes and pieces of various materials were found and repurposed as artworks for the finished space.
      “Scraps of wood and metal were collected in collaboration with artist and friend Jeremy Le Chatelier, who incorporated them into works of art,” the architect said.

      Montreal wine bar Vinvinvin by Ménard Dworkind takes cues from bottle labels

      The long, narrow space features some walls painted in a dark green colour that was chosen based on a piece of vintage, hand-painted wallpaper that was found on site.
      Elsewhere, the existing brick demising walls are exposed in a nod to the area’s industrial past.
      Thin strips of wood that line the space are meant to look like the stem of a wine glassThin wooden slats cover the bar itself, a motif that is also found in a privacy screen that separates the back-of-house spaces from the tasting room.
      “[The screen] conceals the washroom and dishwashing area, without alienating workers from the lively energy in the bar,” said architect.
      New finishes contrast the existing walls in the bathroomIn the restroom, a concrete wall was left in its original condition, contrasting the new tiles and fixtures that were installed during the renovation.
      In an effort to support local brands and designers, the architect sourced furniture and lighting from within the city’s tight-knit design community. The lights are by a Luminaire Authentik and the furniture was designed by Atelier Appareil, the furniture arm of Appareil Architecture.
      Other projects in Montreal include a newly opened coworking space by Ivy Studio and a retro coffee bar downtown by Ménard Dworkind.
      The photography is by Olivier Blouin.

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