Ode to understated design | The Press

A good design knows how to be discreet, at least that’s what the architects of the firm Le Borgne Rizk say. In the house that the two partners have renovated, we sometimes look for the interventions that have been made there… and even if we don’t find them right away, the eye immediately understands that a harmony has been created. .

Sophie Ouimet
The Press

The house had obviously seen better days. Many layers of paint had been applied, the moldings were gone, the interior was dark. It was under these circumstances that architects Amani Rizk and Sophie Le Borgne began working on the project, mandated by a couple from New Jersey who wanted to be closer to their children living in Montreal.

Built around 1925, the residence nevertheless had great potential thanks to the cachet it had. It is part of a set of townhouses in the city center, just behind the Museum of Fine Arts, arranged around an interior courtyard. A somewhat exceptional situation for the district, confirms the architect Amani Rizk. “We have the impression that we are not in the city center,” she says. Suddenly, the hubbub stops and we are in a small garden, a little English. »

Most of the houses in the complex located north of Sherbrooke Street West have two floors and a basement, including the one that interests us. To restore it to its former glory, the architects—together with contractor Construction Ville-Marie—focused on the little details that, when taken together, make all the difference.

Decompartmentalise, but not too much

“What we wanted to do was highlight the architecture of the place, summarizes Amani Rizk. The volume is very simple, but really effective, very beautiful. »

Their interventions, although numerous, they wanted them discreet so that they seem to have always been there. They began by reviewing the divisions, but without breaking down all the partitions.

For example, the passage has been enlarged between the living room and the entrance hall, to better link the two rooms; or again, the hinged door that separated the kitchen and the dining room has been removed. Each of these small gestures aims to accentuate the fluidity, but without distorting the original space. The idea is also to let light flood in.

Rework the moldings

Over time, the moldings had lost their unity, and some had even disappeared. The designers decided to unify everything by fashioning semicircular moldings and replicating them throughout the house, while creating a hierarchy according to the floors.

The only place to find these curved moldings was in the small bathroom in the entrance hall, which had kept its old-fashioned charm. The architects based themselves on these to recreate similar ones, everywhere in the house.

“The moldings just soften the line between the ceiling and the wall. They are also typical of the houses of those years in Montreal, adds Amani Rizk. And for us, they are so beautiful, so discreet, that we decided to extend them to the rest of the house. »

Ingenious storage

Storage in all its forms has also been added wherever possible: under the stairs, in the basement entrance… “Closed storage allows us to have the rest of the space more airy, with fewer things lying around, emphasizes the architect. All these storage spaces are functional, so it’s even easier to classify your belongings. »

The hallway wardrobe, which adjoins the bathroom, has also been converted into a superb linen room. The space was not very functional, so it was redesigned, and you can now even enter it. “It’s so cute, it looks like a doll’s storage,” says Amani Rizk’s partner, Sophie Le Borgne. You want to open the handles with your fingertips, it’s so adorable! »