Future Simple Studio creates “brutalist and serene” sushi restaurant in Canada
Montreal-based architecture office Future Simple Studio has designed minimalist interiors with white oak and textured concrete for a sushi restaurant in Quebec City. More
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Diandra Maselli Architect renovates historic red-brick home in Montreal
Montreal architect Diandra Maselli has overhauled a century-old house in the city for herself and her family, modernising the residence while retaining some historic character.
The founder of Diandra Maselli Architect acquired the property a week before the Covid-19 pandemic caused global lockdowns, and faced an uphill battle during the renovation of the historic structure.
The 100-year-old home was fully modernised inside, including a new kitchen”The house had its fair share of obstacles – including structural decay, carpenter ants, mice, water infiltration, foundation holes, and asbestos abatement,” said Maselli.
“However, amidst these challenges, there was a silver lining – the extensive demolition and incorporation of a steel structure paved the way for a tailor-made renovation, envisioned to meet modern needs and newly unfolding realities.”
Architect Diandra Maselli played with boundaries and thresholds throughout the homeWith the structural work on the 3,512-square-foot (326 square metres) building complete, the architect was able to tailor the interiors to her family’s needs.For example, they needed two home offices – one on each floor – that could also transition into family areas during evenings and weekends.
A variety of custom doors were added, including a glass and steel design between the living area and home officeThe old building’s compartmentalised layout was restrictive, so Maselli explored playing with the public and private boundaries.
She did this by introducing a variety of custom doors, using different designs and materials so that “each threshold assumes a distinctive purpose”.
Although contemporary furniture was inserted, details like the fireplace mantles and bay windows were restoredA glass and steel door separates the ground-floor home office from the kitchen and living area, allowing light and views to pass between the two spaces.
To conceal the laundry room from the kitchen, a nine-foot-tall (2.7 metres), flush-mounted door was installed, while a large sliding partition was added to open the kitchen to an outdoor patio.
“By bestowing unique characteristics upon these transitions, the house’s dynamics shift responsively,” Maselli said.
Built-in furniture made from white oak is found throughout the houseUniting the majority of the spaces is the use of white oak for millwork, built-in furniture and other details, providing visual consistency throughout the home.
The most expansive application of the material is in the kitchen, forming a front for the cabinetry, a central island and a coffee station opposite.Atelier L’Abri renovates trio of apartments for a family in Montreal
White oak also wraps walls and closets in the primary bedroom, where it is detailed with rounded corners and almost invisible door pulls.
A half-height partition divides the sleeping and dressing areas, providing a view through mirrored double swing doors to the second-floor office.
Upstairs, the primary bedroom separated from a dressing area by a half-height partitionThe renovation also provided the opportunity to modernise the home’s heating, ventilation and electrical systems.
This included repurposing the original cast-iron radiators to support a dual-energy heating system.
White oak millwork is used for the closets and features rounded cornersAll of the window shades, lighting and under-floor heating are automated to sync with the family’s daily routines.
“The essence of the project is to blend the legacy of a century-old house with the needs of today, ensuring that its historic charm is retained while seamlessly integrating modern functionalities that respond to our new unfolding realities,” said the architect.
The red-brick home in Montreal also received a full exterior restorationMaselli founded her eponymous studio in 2020 and has since also completed a single-family house in Lasalle, Quebec.
Other recently renovated Montreal homes include a mid-century dwelling overhauled by Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture, and a triplex residence reimagined by Atelier L’Abri.
The photography is by Maxime Brouillet.Read more: More
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Atelier Échelle reimagines Montreal dental clinic with residential vibe
Canadian studio Atelier Échelle has overhauled an orthodontic clinic in Montreal to create a “warm and inviting, residential atmosphere” with medical equipment positioned among light wood features.
Clinique Monkland occupies the parlour level of a century-old building in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood.
The reception area at Clinique Monkland is designed to resemble a living roomThe 90-square-metre space was reimagined by local firm Atelier Échelle to make it feel less sterile and more homely.
“[The project] reimagines the typical orthodontic clinic experience as a warm and inviting domestic environment,” said the studio.
A compact walnut desk features a ridged front and curved cornersIn the reception area, a compact walnut desk with a ridged front and rounded corners is positioned in front of a white-painted brick fireplace.Millwork surrounds the brick, covering the full wall with storage and display space for styling books and artwork.
Green velvet benches are provided for waiting patientsOn either side of the room are green velvet benches – one straight, and another that angles to fit within a large bay window – for waiting patients.
“The reception was conceived as a living room by preserving an existing brick fireplace and adding long, custom velvet benches along the side walls,” said Atelier Échelle.
Fluted glass panels provide privacy for the consultation roomsFluted glass provides privacy for the adjacent consultation room, which is accessed through a doorway that connects to the remaining spaces.
“A corridor echoes the original layout of the building, distributing the technical apparatus on one side and consultation rooms on the other,” the studio said.
Pale mint green cabinets and leather chairs add to the contemporary aestheticThe consultation rooms are warmed using white oak flooring and trim, as well as a coffered ceiling that hides electromechanical and dental equipment above.
“This bespoke design also offers something for the reclined patients to observe as they receive dental care,” said Atelier Échelle.Appareil Architecture designs Montreal dental clinic to feel like “someone’s home”
Cabinets are coloured pale mint green and the patient chairs are upholstered in brown leather, adding to the contemporary feel throughout the clinic.
“The nuanced minimalism of the place blends period accents with comforting wood tones and domestic touches, transforming the orthodontic clinic experience through heightened design details,” Atelier Échelle said.
A coffered ceiling hides mechanical and dental equipment aboveSeveral designers have rethought the experience of visiting a dental clinic by creating interiors more akin to residential or hospitality spaces.
Also in Montreal, Appareil Architecture took a similar approach at the Maxillo Tandem clinic to help patients and employees feel relaxed, while Studio Author modelled Toronto’s Paste Dental on a hotel lounge.
The bespoke ceiling provides a view for reclined patients during consultationsClinique Monkland is longlisted in the health and well-being interior category of Dezeen Awards 2024, along with 15 other projects around the world.
These include a massage parlour in Shanghai, a dermatology clinic in Tokyo, and a spa and hammam in Dubai.
The photography is by Maxime Brouillet.
Project credits:
Architect: Table ArchitectureInterior designer: Atelier ÉchelleMillwork and furniture: Mesure, Arrebeuri, Foutu TissuRead more: More
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Studio Jean Verville Architectes adds “graphic dimension” to brutalist apartment
Bright yellow accents stand out against concrete and metal surfaces within this “creative laboratory” that architect Jean Verville has created for himself inside a residential tower in Quebec City.
The Canadian architect, who is currently dividing his time between practice and teaching at the School of Architecture of Laval University in Quebec City, designed the 79-square-metre apartment as a space he can both work and reside in.
A pair of bright yellow lamps extend over the commercial restaurant furniture in the live-work apartment’s kitchenVerville, founder of Studio Jean Verville Architecte, describes the project as “an architectural experiment orchestrating a space with a graphic dimension”.
The 1970s tower in which the residence is located was designed by architect Marcel Bilodeau and faces the Plains of Abraham Park in front of the St Lawrence River.
The stainless steel furniture blends with the raw concrete shell of the brutalist building”Like an observation post offering breathtaking views of the Laurentian Mountains, the urban landscape, and the St Lawrence River, the interior comes alive with an immutable body-to-body relationship between transparency and reflection, while transforming realities through distancing and multiplication,” said the architect.The residence was completely gutted to leave a raw concrete shell, with windows on the north and south sides ushering light into the deep space.
Verville inserted a series of glass and mirrored partitions to divide up the space, allowing for various layout optionsInstead of solid walls, Verville installed a series of sliding partitions so he could open up or close off areas as desired.
These glass and mirror panes are mounted on metal tracks and bounce the natural light through the apartment, allowing the compact unit to feel larger than it is.
An area furnished as a living room contains a rust-coloured sofa and a black-lacquered chair”By addition or subtraction, this flexible system fragments the plan into six layout alternatives with undetermined functions, offering up to seven distinct sub-spaces,” said Verville. “Meanwhile, flexible blinds with a metallic finish allow the option of openwork borders, as well as total privacy.”
Beside the south-facing balcony is a kitchen, which features stainless-steel commercial restaurant furniture that blends with the grey concrete shell.
The partitions are mounted on metal tracks and can be opened and closed as desired to alter the layoutA central island is fitted with two sinks, each with a large balanced-arm lamp in bright yellow mounted on the wall behind.
The lamps can be adjusted into position above any area of the kitchen counter to aid with food preparation.
The concrete bedroom is solely furnished with a low bedRooms suggested by the partitions include a sleeping area furnished only with a simple low bed and a study where a simple metal desk faces a window.
The living area is populated by a rust-coloured sofa and a black lacquered chair arranged around a pair of mirrored coffee tables.Jean Verville converts backyard shed into minimalist studio in Montreal
“The strategic positioning of domestic equipment maintains constant physical and visual permeability to neutralise the compactness of the unit,” Verville said.
Services, pipes and ductwork are all exposed throughout the apartment, demonstrating how it operates as a functional space.
Verville considers the space a “creative laboratory” in which he can experimentOther eclectic items peppered through the residence give the feel of a creative laboratory, in which its occupant experiments with space and the act of living within it.
“Glass vials of all kinds, models and various explorations, utilitarian objects, and plants rub shoulders on the shelves, revisiting the spirit of the cabinet of curiosities in a playful presentation of everyday life,” said the architect.
Verville frequently inserts himself into the photo sets of his projectsVerville is known for its minimalist material-focused projects, as well as for playfully inserting himself into the photographs of completed – as evidenced in this set.
He can also be seen wandering around in a cape through a Montreal apartment designed for a music composer, hanging out of a loft in a shed he converted into a workspace and balancing on the roof of an A-frame forest cabin.
The photography is by Maryse Béland, Maxime Brouillet and Antoine Michel.
Project credits:
Studio Jean Verville Architectes team: Jean Verville, architect – lead designer; Gabriel Ladouceur, studio coordinator, professional and scientific MA architecture candidate; Guillaume Turgeon Solis, technical specialist; France Goneau, artistic advisor; Tania Paula Garza Rico, architectSpecial collaborations: Loïc Bard, art furniture; France Goneau, ceramic sculpturesContractor: Nomad ConstructionRead more: More
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Ménard Dworkind outfits Montreal restaurant with custom wine storage
Canadian studio Ménard Dworkind has created an intimate French restaurant in the Villeray neighborhood of Montreal complete with warm interiors and a custom white oak wine cellar.
Known as Casavant, the 850-square foot (80-square metre) brasserie-style restaurant was completed in September 2023 on the ground floor of a 1920’s residential building, replacing a sandwich shop.
Ménard Dworkind has created a restaurant in a 1920s Montreal buildingMénard Dworkind (MRDK) designed the small restaurant – which seats 45 patrons – to bring diners together in a space that combines art deco influences with Montreal’s vibrant culinary scene. It was designed to “blend timeless elegance with a contemporary twist”.
Located on the corner of the block, the guests enter the rectangular interior through a white brick facade. Natural light comes in from multiple directions through large, black-framed storefront windows.
Large windows let in plenty of lightThe floor is speckled with 3D-patterned matte tiles by Daltile arranged in a custom mosaic, while beige tile climbs up the walls.Burnt orange corduroy banquette seating wraps around the two outside walls with two linear high-top tables floating freely in the space. The vintage French bistro chairs were acquired from another restaurateur.
Vintage furniture was usedThe party wall serves as the focal point with the bar and custom white oak wine cellar and displays a selection of natural wines in raw wood cabinetry with rounded corner glass-front doors.
“The wine cellar has been the focal point as soon as we started discussions with the clients,” said partner Guillaume Ménard. “It was important to be able to see it from everywhere you sit or stand.
“Since it’s wall mounted, it attracts the eye pretty quickly with action going on behind the bar as well as the light coming out of it,” he said.Restored Book Tower in Detroit features hospitality venues by Method Co
The compact kitchen – with an open pass-through window into the dining space that shows off the lively action of cooking – and the dark blue restroom corridor are tucked at the back of the restaurant.
“The ceiling boasts a unique, funky patterned alcove made from colorful acoustic panels, contributing to the restaurant’s eclectic and inviting character while helping with the acoustical comfort,” the team told Dezeen, referencing the tray-like inset with a blush, maroon and peach abstract graphic.
It has a ceiling clad with acoustic panels”We really like the addition of the patterned acoustical panels on the ceiling,” Ménard noted.
“It adds depth, comfort and colors to the space. It also acts as a lantern since it is lightened up by a dissimulated LED strip.”
A custom wine cabinet was installedIn addition to the locally crafted and sourced materials, artistic details occur throughout the space like a painting from local artist Nicolas Grenier and a vintage Medusa pendant light by Carlo Nason, which displays the restaurant’s charm through the glazing to passers-by.
Two of Ménard Dworkind’s previous restaurant interiors in Montreal include the Italian 1960’s-inspired design for Tiramisu with a chrome service counter and large leafy plants and the retro-themed design for Caffettiera Caffé Bar with a checkerboard floor and teal accents.
The photography is by David Dworkind.
Project credits:
Team: Guillaume Menard, Fabrice DoutriauxContractor: Avodah ConstructionCeramic floor and wall tile: DaltileLighting: humanhomeStools: UlineUpholstery: Bisson BruneelAcoustic panels: AkustusRead more: More
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Ivy Studio renovates fire-damaged Piatti restaurant in Montreal
Dark green marble, glossy black tiles and sculptural lighting contrast the rough stone walls of this Montreal restaurant that has been resurrected by local Ivy Studio.
Located in Rosemère, on Montreal’s north bank, Piatti opened 15 years ago in an old stone building that was previously extended to accommodate a larger commercial space.
A pizza oven wrapped in green marble forms a focal point at PiattiAfter a fire ripped through the Italian restaurant over a year ago, damaging the roof and the interior, the owners chose to renovate and update the space.
“From this tragedy rose the opportunity to give the space a much-needed facelift,” said the Ivy Studio team, who took on the project.
Entrance to the kitchen is through an arch set into a pistachio-coloured wall”While the overall aesthetic is very contemporary, the decor was inspired by traditional Italian design and includes textures, materials and colours that project clients directly to the Mediterranean,” the studio added.The two-storey building is entered on the lower level, where the preparation kitchen, a private event room and the washrooms are situated.
A sienna-toned banquette is installed beneath a mirrored wallUpstairs are the dining areas, each with a distinct atmosphere. When entering past courses of glossy black tiles, customers are met by a “monumental” pizza oven wrapped in green Saint-Denis marble.
A black stained-wood and marble structure in front acts as a dining and service area, across from a hand-plastered pistachio wall with an arch that leads to the closed kitchen.
The bar area is located in the old stone buildingAbove a sienna-toned velvet banquette, a mirrored wall helps to make the dining space feel larger – reflecting its cream walls and sheer curtains.
Bistro chairs with green seats and caned backs are placed around tables.
Lighting and stools were custom designed for the barA circular wood-topped table sits on zig-zag black and white tiles below a central bespoke chandelier.
The bar occupies the old stone aspect of the building. Here, a U-shaped counter is clad with vertical oak boards and topped with a four-inch-thick travertine slab.Jack Rose is a grungy “tropical themed” restaurant in Montreal
Custom stools made from velvet, steel and wood are lined up against the bar, colour-matching the banquette upholstery in the dining room.
Minimal, custom cream-painted lamps are spaced along the length of the counter, while a steel structure suspended above holds bottles behind fritted glass panels.
A pendant light hangs above a table in the corner of the bar area”The entire room has recessed lighting going around the ceiling to properly highlight the original stone walls in the evening,” said Ivy Studio.
Montreal is home to a wealth of Italian restaurants with notable interiors, several of which have opened over the last few years.
Ivy Studio based the contemporary decor on traditional Italian designThey include pizza spot Vesta and Tiramisu at the city’s Hilton hotel – both designed by Ménard Dworkind.
Among Ivy Studio’s other hospitality projects in the Quebec capital is Jack Rose, an eatery in a former auto body shop.
The photography is by Alex Lesage.
Project credits:
Team: Gabrielle Rousseau, David Kirouac, Guillaume B Riel, Philip StaszewskiConstruction: Groupe FircoRead more: More
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La Firme reorganises centuries-old Montreal loft with contemporary finishes
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.Read more: More
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Warm beige hues update Résidence Esplanade in Montreal
Design pair Michael Godmer and Catherine Lavallée created a sequence of meditative, beige-tone spaces in the partial renovation of this home in Montreal. Résidence Esplanade is situated in Mile End, a trendy area of Montreal host to various eateries, coffee bars and vintage stores.
The property was originally built as two separate apartments, but five years ago was converted into the two-floor house it stands as today.The colour beige has been applied throughout Résidence Esplanade
Much of the property’s unique decor details were eliminated during the renovation works. Its new owner, a young professional who collects furniture and works of art, tasked Michael Godmer and Catherine Lavallée with designing a slightly more distinctive interior.
“We wanted to add identity to the house’s soul,” Godmer told Dezeen.Michael Godmer and Mathieu Turgeon renovate their Montreal design studio and home
He and Lavallée have, for now, overhauled the home’s upstairs landing, study and one of its bedrooms – the rest of the rooms will be worked on at a later date.
Walls in the bedroom have been loosely limewashed
The three revamped areas have been completed in various shades of beige, a colour that the design pair says is “reminiscent of the soft winter light” that they saw on the first day they visited Résidence Esplanade.
In the bedroom, walls have been loosely rendered with lime paint that leaves behind an eggshell-coloured finish.
A tall wardrobe inlaid with cane panels has been set towards the rear of the room, while a white-oak sideboard has been set beneath the window so that the owner can display personal trinkets or ornaments.
In the corner of the room is also a blush-pink slouch chair.In the study, a work desk has been set into a niche in the wall
Limewashed surfaces continue into the home’s study. An oak work desk has been built within a niche in the wall, accompanied by a simple black tub chair and a spherical pendant lamp that dangles from the ceiling.
Textural interest is added by the corrugated panelling that has been set at the back of the niche.
Finally, fluted glass doors with buttermilk-coloured framing have been fitted in front of each of the rooms on the first floor.The back wall of the niche is corrugated
Godmer and Lavallée say they plan to apply a similarly calming aesthetic throughout the rest of the home when they start the second phase of the renovation.
“We are also looking at adding a mezzanine and a rooftop terrace for [the owner] to enjoy summer days having views of Mont-Royal mountain,” added Godmer.Fluted glass doors have been installed on the home’s first floor
Résidence Esplanade is one of several homes that Michael Godmer has designed in his home city of Montreal. Others include Elmwood Residence, a Victorian-era townhouse in the Outremont neighbourhood which Godmer updated by creating a sequence of monochromatic living spaces.
Earlier this year, Godmer also made over the Montreal home that he shares with his partner, Mathieu Turgeon and their two poodles. Inside, it boasts fresh white walls and an array of wooden fixtures and furnishings.
Photography is courtesy of Catherine Lavallée.
Project credits:
Design: Michael Godmer and Catherine LavalléeConstruction: Frédéric LalondeCabinetmaking: Il FabriqueRead more: More
