Recomposed past | The Press

To take advantage of abundant light without distorting the century-old house they had just bought in Outremont, a young couple opened it on one side and hoisted the dining room above the garage. Thanks to a dialogue between old and new, the architects of Microclimat have created an interior where life is good.

A narrow staircase once led to the basement of the semi-detached house acquired in 2018 by Shawn and Danielle on Rockland Street, Outremont. It no doubt betrayed the past presence of servants. His succession of rather dark rooms also evoked another way of life. “The hierarchy between the occupants of the house was still very visible. It did not correspond to the more convivial way in which we live today”, reports the architect Olivier Lajeunesse-Travers, of Microclimat, who worked to adapt the property to the desires of a modern young family.

In broad daylight

The history flush with the walls and, in particular, the magnificent clay brick facade with its stained glass windows overlooking the street have won over the new owners, who have come from the neighboring Plateau. “We thought that even if we couldn’t do a major renovation, we would still have a very nice house,” says Shawn.

It is by observing the original configuration of the premises and the additions that have been added to it over time that the key idea of ​​the renovation project entrusted to Microclimat is born. A glass roof built above the garage on a corner of the building overlooking a courtyard floods a small office with light. This room turns out to be the sunniest in the house. “We tried to transpose these qualities of light into our expansion project,” explains the architect. It was the only generous opening in the whole house. This intervention on a side facade is also more discreet and therefore a priori less complex to negotiate with the City.

Relaxation area

A new airy staircase with a skylight now unites the three living levels, where traffic is now more fluid. The work also made it possible to decompartmentalize the kitchen and open it up to a living room. The family, which now includes a little Leila, takes most of their meals there around a large quartz island.

The dining room, installed above the garage and accessed by a few steps, is reserved for special occasions such as dinners with friends. “It’s a way of transporting us elsewhere,” says Danielle, who also sometimes stops there for work meetings.

Large windows, 5 feet high, overlook maple trees whose foliage makes you forget the nearby city. Thanks to a double-height ceiling, the ground floor also benefits from this large opening to the outside all day long.

The balance between past and present

If modernity has made a place for itself at this historic address, the Microclimat team has taken care to maintain a balance between the old and the new. Terracotta tiling tiles on the floor at the street-side and courtyard-side entrances and on one wall of the kitchen are thus reminiscent of the original masonry.

Outside, thanks to bricks recovered from a nearby project and the extension of the cornice, the new construction blends into the landscape while offering a more contemporary visual look with its new long windows. “Many of the architectural elements of the original house have been continued in the treatment of the expansion, underlines Olivier Lajeunesse-Travers. This shows how, with few additions, the logic of a house can be overhauled quite significantly. »

Before handing over the keys to his house, the former owner implored Shawn never to touch his ornate stained glass windows. Not only did he keep his promise, he even made himself a desk in the arched window (bow window) of the living room. “I have a wonderful view of the street. It allowed me to get to know the neighbors during the pandemic,” he concludes with a smile.