Multi-family house | Together, that’s all

Fred, Mistaya, Teo, Sacha, Carol, Tony, Nancy. Seven people, two families, but only one house. The unprecedented reconfiguration of this former triplex was orchestrated by the architects of the Suwa studio. Its inhabitants have agreed to open the doors of their extraordinary residence to us, as well as a window on their universe. Meet.

Sophie Ouimet
The Press

On this late sunny afternoon in early September, they are all there, in the yard, for the session with the photographer. Aside from the photo, there’s nothing unusual about these two families, who spend a lot of time together. And it shows: everyone is chatting, laughing, teasing, while the dog Stella and the cat Zach slip between each other’s legs.

Friends in life, they are first linked by the love of dance. They all got to know each other by evolving from near or far in this field. They toured together. Living under the same roof was just the next step.

But who are they? On the ground floor, there are Mistaya Hemingway and Frédérick Lalonde, parents of Téo, 13, and Sacha, 5. Then there’s Carol Prieur and Tony Chong, who occupy the second floor with Carol’s mom, Nancy. Their two superimposed apartments are linked by a large – open – spiral staircase. The basement serves everyone, as well as visiting friends. As for the third floor (closed, that one), it is rented to a tenant.

It was first Fred and Mistaya who acquired the triplex, before living there for a year.

The timing was good for Carol and her family; they joined the adventure.

The group then entrusted the architects of the Suwa studio with the complex and delicate task of realizing their common vision. “It’s a multilingual, multi-family and multi-generational project”, summarizes Marie-Eve Lamarre, architect at Atelier Suwa.

Even if there are several shared spaces within this house, each family has its own kitchen, its own living room, its own bathroom. “It’s not a town where we do everything together,” says the architect. It’s more about living together in one house. You know it when someone is there, you can leave your child downstairs and go to the grocery store, for example. It’s not a utopian project; we just tried to figure out what was going to work. »

Back to front

It is no coincidence that the meeting point was in the courtyard: since the vast residence is located in a noisy street in the Rosemont district, the entrance is from behind. There are still a few square brackets by the front entry, but this is rarely used, except by the author of these lines. “Even I went backwards! “laughs the architect, who is still a regular at the place.

It is therefore through the courtyard that you access the vestibule, equipped with a large integrated storage for boots, coats and accessories, which also acts as a railing for the upper floor. This is also where the beautifully crafted spiral staircase unfolds, which in a way represents the heart of the project. “The staircase leads to the two levels, which are devoted to each sub-group”, explains Marie-Eve Lamarre.

Moreover, the two apartments are divided in a similar way. The fact of aligning the functions serves in particular to facilitate the passage of the technical elements. The two kitchens are therefore superimposed, as well as the bathrooms, the fireplaces…

Since the living areas are located at the rear of the apartments, the bedrooms are on the street side. “The further you go, the more private it is,” emphasizes the architect. In any case, the rooms having to be provided with windows, this arrangement was a bit self-evident. “Once we placed the rooms, the other elements placed themselves a bit,” she continues.

The apartments still have their own unique character, especially since everyone is a bit of an artist at heart. For example, Nancy, Carol’s mother, is a painter and has set up her studio in her bedroom. As for the forest green living room on the ground floor, surrounded by wooden slats, it is undoubtedly a unique object. “On this floor, we wanted to make a living room that was a little more muted, enveloping,” says Marie-Eve.

The goal was also to create a slightly more intimate space. “We have a home in the winter. It’s like a little concentration hall here. I write there a lot at night,” says Mistaya, noting that sometimes people don’t even see her when she’s there!

“It really is like a cocoon. And in the evening, it’s like a light box, a night light in the house”, illustrates Marie-Eve.

family memories

The order was already a feat, but one more element came into play: Mistaya’s father, Peter Hemingway, was a well-known architect. In his memory, his daughter wanted the renovation to include reminders of his architecture, some echoing his childhood home.

Mistaya therefore sent photos and archival plans to Marie-Eve Lamarre, who studied everything. “I looked at the drawings trying to see what we could find, without making copies either. »

Finally, the reminders are everywhere, for who knows how to look, because they slip naturally into the decor. Curved shapes are a good example of this: they can be found as much in the porthole shaped in brick as in the rounding of the counters, as well as in the spiral staircase.

Now that they are well settled, the seven occupants have modulated their space over time. Moreover, Carol and her family regularly change the furniture to find the optimal configuration. Also, the two families took care of the landscaping of the courtyard, together.

“We always said we were going to try it, and if it ever doesn’t work for one reason or another, it’s a house, it sells,” explains Frédérick. But for the moment, there is no question of moving: they are together, and that’s it.