Renovated and extended for the first time in 2012, this typical 1960s house was re-built a year ago to add a new wing, reserved for the bedrooms. The parents have won a parental suite offering comfort, privacy and calm, while the three children now have their own apartments: a change that everyone wins.
When the couple took possession of their home in Outremont, the owner was pregnant with her younger daughter. The house needed to be brought up to date, and especially that of its occupants. Despite the obvious, the couple jumped at what they consider more than ever to be a golden opportunity: a mid-century house nestled in the heart of a large 17,000 sq. Ft. Wooded lot.2. Luxury just minutes from downtown Montreal.
Initiated in the first year, the expansion work was entrusted to the architectural firm Thellend Fortin, which created the space to accommodate a large living room, an outdoor gallery and a gym on the ground floor. garden. Entirely fenestrated, the annex now offers an impressive view of the courtyard that it overlooks. In the process, the earthworks were also completely redesigned to include a swimming pool, despite the constraints imposed by the steep slope of the land.
Phase 1: the left wing of the residence, renovated in 2012
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PHOTO CHARLES LANTEIGNE
Located on the ground floor, street side, the living room is surprisingly high, accentuated by the uneven slope of the land at the back.
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PHOTO CHARLES LANTEIGNE
The original building was opened up and generously fenestrated in order to open the kitchen on the dining room and to let in the light.
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PHOTO CHARLES LANTEIGNE
Minimalist, the kitchen is nonetheless functional with its two large worktops around which activities revolve.
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PHOTO CHARLES LANTEIGNE
Opposite the kitchen, a large covered balcony offers a space to eat in summer, at canopy height.
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The rooms in the original building have been opened up and now include the open concept kitchen and dining room. The old salon, topped with a cathedral ceiling, still welcomes visitors to the heart of the place. The result is vast, bright and fully contemporary. “The architecture of the last century allows very modern and minimalist lines, and that’s what we like,” says the owner. It’s a Californian style that stands out. All that’s missing is the sea, ”she laughs.
But here it is: the children have grown up. With a 13-year-old and two preteen 9 and 11-year-olds, the context lends itself to further modifications for the future.
Integrate harmoniously into its environment
With the architect Maxime Moreau, of MXMA architecture and design, the owners proceeded last year to the deployment of the right wing of the building. The section is now capped with a 1000 ft storey2 entirely intended for the parental suite. The son’s bedroom, located near the kitchen, has been transformed into an office and repatriated with the other bedrooms on the ground floor of the new wing. The children have gained more space and a bathroom that the girls share, while the boy has his own. A door allows them to close the entrance to “their apartments”.
Phase 2: the addition of a floor and the renovation of the right wing in 2020
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The horizontal tape concept developed 9 years ago by Thellend Fortin has been taken over by MXMA with equal respect for the architectural details and materials of the original house. The new extension is here seen from the rear.
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The extension blends in with the existing roof lines and is thus discreet when viewed from the front. Upstairs, the windows open onto a hallway housing 10 large wardrobes. Their height has been adapted to the size of the owner so that only her head can be seen by passers-by.
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We wanted this development to respect the DNA of the house and its horizontality. It was also important for us that the extension be as discreet as possible from the street and that it blends naturally into its environment.
Architect Maxime Moreau, from MXMA architecture and design
Through structural gymnastics, the annex was embedded in the original roof into which it ended up blending. From the outside, what might appear to be a half-story elevation is actually a volume 10 feet high. No unwanted shadows are thus created in the immediate neighbors.
The rear, much more contemporary, gains in presence and takes up the idea of the ribbon of the left annex, developed by Thellend Fortin. The basement is revealed thanks to the slope of the land. “The house remains sober in the front. The party is at the back where there are plenty of surprises ”, describes Maxime Moreau.
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The old closed staircase was completely opened up and gained a light which now travels from the floor to the basement.
The extension was also a pretext to reassess the vertical circulation in the house. The period staircase, which links the central part of the house and the night block, was dark. It has gained in light and style thanks to a new open structure, slightly asymmetrical.
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A large living room with a cathedral roof welcomes visitors and immediately offers a view of the rear wood thanks to its glass wall.
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The back of the extension is dedicated to the master bedroom, which is completely glazed from floor to ceiling.
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In the bathroom, trees form a screen during the day.
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Natural materials such as marble and wood have been favored throughout the house and specifically in the bathrooms. The result is soothingly simple.
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At home
“Renovating is a way of making your own home and putting it in your image”, describes the owner, admitting a particular resilience to renovations, out of passion for architecture and enthusiasm for the end result. . “I had very specific ideas of what I wanted, and Maxime listened. I am still on my honeymoon with the result. ”
Climbing the stairs to her apartments gives her the impression of reaching her sanctuary, she confides. “Let’s hear, my children are far from being terrors, but once in this space, time seems to pass differently. It’s a moment for yourself. »From the top of the parental suite, urbanity disappears. The result is soft, organic. Far from the hustle and bustle of the city or the daily hustle and bustle.
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From the bedroom, the abundance of greenery gives the impression of being a thousand miles from the city.
“As it is very glazed, I often have the impression of having a house in the trees. It’s minimalist, it breathes. For me, it is very calming. This is also the feeling that I have on vacation… And then I come back home and I say to myself: “We are really good there!” ”