Building & Investment (Nov - Dec 2015) (Nov - Dec 2015) | Page 76
Design Feature
in Montreal’s Sud-ouest district, near the
Lachine Canal, leading to the gradual
gentrification of the area. The remarkable
transformation of this historic industrial
building won several awards, including one
from Héritage Montréal in the repurposing
category and the Wawanesa Award for
Heritage Enhancement.
In joining three separate units in the
unique structure, each on a different floor, Les
Ensembliers envisioned a coherent new space
with a complex personality. “We did not want
the new space to be the simple combination
of three different units. We also wanted to
leverage the visual power of the building’s
industrial character, while getting away from
the loft logic of the original conversion,”
Vandal explained.
With that vision in mind, the designers
opted for two bold architectural statements,
one vertical and the other horizontal. The
first is a central opening, creating an atrium
linking all three floors and bringing better
natural lighting to the third floor. The second
is a dynamic axis in the form of a floor raised
by three steps, linking the two staircases
on the fourth floor and, on the fifth floor, a
walkway bridging the living and guest room.
These architectural statements also
made it possible to create clear divisions into
distinct functional zones: between the foyer,
dining room and kitchen and the children’s
area on the fourth floor; between the public
areas on the fourth and fifth floors and the
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private spaces on the third and fifth floors.
In the process the original living areas were
entirely reconceived to create a fluid transition
between spaces with distinct characters, from
cozy retreats to spaces designed for exuberant
sociability.
The basic character of each of the zones
was defined by a particular treatment of the
space, in terms of the design of volumes, the
use of materials and the selection of furniture.
A perfect space for talking and sharing, the
dining room finds its expression through its
stunning central steel fireplace, high ceiling,
large oval table, generous windows, and
lighting fixtures consisting of small bulbs
hanging in a cubic frame made of metal rods.
Everything was designed to highlight the
impressive volumes of these old industrial
spaces. Meanwhile, the kitchen aligns with the
approach by being reduced to its essentials:
three minimalist islands, and all storage and
appliances concealed behind varnished walls.
In contrast, the master bedroom on the
third floor expresses warm domestic comfort,
with some nods to urban chic.
A marriage of the space’s industrial
origins and the occupants’ personality, the
interior spaces were built as an interplay of
contrasts between raw industrial character
and a taste for luxury comfort. In the living
room, the angular easy chairs, cut-glass walls
and broken lines of the carpet contrast with
the rounded cushions and mirror.
Comfortable materials alternate with
reflective ones: steel, polished concrete,
silk, glass and velvet. In the private areas on
the third floor, silk-covered metal curtains,
reinvented movable partitions and the
transparent acrylic legs on the bathroom
vanity echo the openness and fluidity of the
spaces on the upper floors.
This interplay of references, characteristic
of Les Ensembliers’ approach, is also seen
in the selection of decorative elements. For
example, the veins in the fireplace’s Verona
marble inspired the choice of the Japanese
painting over the bed. The legs of a chair
resemble the spike heels on some of the
owner’s shoes. In the bathroom, the walls
covered with pennies are a tribute to the
discontinued coin. “Each object was carefully
chosen for its personality and the way it fits
into the whole. Whether you are looking at
a vintage frame or a piece of custom-made
furniture, nothing is there by chance.”
Each room was designed like an artwork,
with impressionistic touches calculated
to inspire unique and complex emotional
responses.
Les Ensembliers is the product of a
partnership between an architect, Maxime
Vandal, and an interior designer, Richard
Ouellette. The firm is Quebec’s first to
integrate architecture, interior design and
construction.
More information at ensembliers.com