Bon Vivre Studio | Inner lives

Interior designer Catherine Décarie is driven by an obsession: creating places that invite people to share moments in beautiful company. It is also this salutary idea that inspired the name of his studio: Bon Vivre. Meeting with a young Montreal entrepreneur combining elegance and relevance with a lot of sensitivity.

A street lamp globe, which once lit the streets of Montreal, floats above the dining room table of the Chambord residence renovated by the Bon Vivre design studio.

This eye-catching pendant light is a creation by Philippe Charlebois-Gomez for Studio Botté, a master in the art of turning obsolete everyday objects into highly desirable lighting fixtures.

Cherry plywood benches covered in vinyl encourage the owners, who work from home, to pause the flow of time for a coffee and a chat in the rather cramped extension of the house. A bit like they would do if they went out to take a break in a café in their neighborhood, in the heart of Plateau Mont-Royal. “To imagine the decor, I was inspired by the energy that emanated from the Laurier district where the house is located,” says Catherine Décarie, founder of Bon Vivre Studio. In the same state of mind, the long island in the open kitchen has been designed to be able to meet one-on-one. “These corners are there to encourage new rituals, which constitute the essence of the studio,” underlines the young interior designer.

Singular objects

Observe, listen and share. These essential qualities in terms of interior design already animated Catherine Décarie when she advised clients of Ramacieri Soligo, a high-end ceramics and plumbing store in Outremont, in pre-pandemic life. The graduate in interior design from LaSalle College and in consumer sciences from Laval University developed a taste for behind-the-scenes decor thanks to the renovation of a duplex in Lachine for her partner and her.

“It was in very poor condition, but by focusing on decoration and lighting, we managed to create a warm interior on a low budget,” she recalls. Friends with flair will be the designer’s first clients who will get her hands on modest mandates. They will give him the necessary momentum to launch his new career and found his studio in 2020.

Bon Vivre’s projects have an elegance that evokes that which can be found in European homes. A familiarity assumed with pride by Catherine.

The one who has long had an online store of retro furniture therefore takes care to choose materials (such as wood, stone or brass) which will develop a beautiful patina over the years, and to include in each room decor vintage found at flea markets, in specialized boutiques or estate sales, or even on Marketplace, which she restores as needed. The best tip, in his eyes, to make a newly invested interior more personal.

An enveloping interior

For each project, the designer probes the soul of the place, even if it means deviating significantly from the desires dictated by modernity. During a recent renovation of a ground floor in a historic Verdun building, she met the wishes of a family of four for openness and light, but stayed true to her dark palette by highlighting the beautiful original woodwork. “People often have the impression that by opting for dark, they will make spaces smaller, whereas darker shades, on the contrary, give them depth and create a cocoon-like impression,” explains the designer.

To marry the eras in a harmonious way, she designed, in the Evelyn project, a kitchen in stained cherry and gray stone, taking care not to clutter the top of the cabinet walls. A contemporary gesture which provides a welcome contrast with the old character of the house. And she installed chocolate-colored ceramic tiles in the bathroom to create a space where you can blend in day and night.

Visit the Bon Vivre Studio website