You have to know the inside story and behind the scenes to understand the extent of the challenges taken up by La Firme to modernize this loft, located on the fourth floor of a factory dating from the beginning of the 19th century.and century, and infuse it with the comfort demanded by its new owners. The result is technical prowess and clever camouflage work.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Pierre Hotte is not a coward, we deduce quite quickly in contact with him. He confirmed. In 1973, while in high school, he created the conditions to attract the attention of the woman who is still in his sights 50 years later. Since then, he has founded a family and a business, built bridges, airports and hospitals in more than 17 countries, always guided by a strong will and a certain flair.
The man is the type to follow his intuition, he says. It is also quite impulsively that he acquired this property which combines two apartments on 1700 sq.2 of surface. Elmire had been waiting for a buyer for two years on the sale market; Pierre had always dreamed of a loft for his old age. A nice meeting.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Pierre Hotte grew up in the arts. His mother, artist and pioneer of enamels on copper, studied alongside Riopel. This space of the loft is the one he particularly likes. There are collected some of his passions – music and art – through family photos, memories and books.
“I wanted a house that breathes. A place where we see big, where we see far,” says its owner. The loft offered a generous bath of light and a breathtaking view of Mount Royal. He gave a glimpse of a daily life simplified by the proximity of the mountain, shops, gyms, cafes and restaurants, but above all, of some of his offspring, already settled a few steps away.
This project is that of a couple in their third phase of life.
Pierre Hotte, owner of Elmire
Targeted as a nest for the next 20 years, Elmire came right off the bat with parking and an elevator. However, she had a powerful flaw: her lack of comfort. Nothing insurmountable for the motivated buyer. “I’m not a coward, no. You didn’t have to be to embark on such a project because once it’s done, you’re happy, but it’s far from simple, “he insists, All credit to the team for making their vision a reality.
Elmire and its industrial charm
PHOTO LORENZO PRINCE ET AL., EXTRACTED FROM MILE-END MEMORY, HISTORY AND HERITAGE LABORATORY OF MONTREALUQAM
The building housing Elmire, seen here in 1915, once housed the Campbell Manufacturing men’s clothing factory.
Erected in 1909 on the dumping ground of a still ghostly neighborhood, the building once housed the Campbell Manufacturing men’s clothing factory and, later, shoe, suitcase and suit companies, until it was converted into residential lofts in 1989. Architect Joseph Perreault left his signature there, the same one found on many Mile End buildings: red brick, a set of reliefs and steel anchors whose function is both ornamental and structural.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY BANQ
Advertisement for “Le Coloniale” lofts, in The Press November 18, 1989
Big challenges
By comfort, Pierre Hotte and his spouse meant air conditioning, soundproofing, state-of-the-art heating and air exchanger, a wine cellar and a chef’s kitchen: ideas that contradict the inventory. Because if the charm of Elmire is undeniable with its volumes and its lines of time, it needed some technical acrobatics to bring it back to this level of requirement.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FIRM
Elmire’s kitchen before the works
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FIRM
A bathroom before the works
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FIRM
Entrance before works
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FIRM
The living room before the works
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Its solid wood floors were originally intended to protect workers from a fire. An obvious advantage in the context of the time, but less so in that of an apartment building where the surface acts as a drum. This is without taking into account “paper” walls, plumbing offering little leeway and a heritage to be preserved, says the main designer of the project, Louis Béliveau. “The floor alone was like climbing an elephant on high heels,” he says.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The owners like to cook. The dining area had to be spacious and functional, in addition to offering plenty of storage. A 10 ft. island covered with an entire slab of Quebec slate offers a generous work surface. It is followed by an equally long table in fenix, one of the most resistant acrylic resin materials.
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PHOTO ULYSSE LEMERISE BOUCHARD, PROVIDED BY THE FIRM
The owner is a coffee lover. A corner is reserved for his ritual. On the left, a row of original arches has been preserved and enhanced.
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PHOTO ULYSSE LEMERISE BOUCHARD, PROVIDED BY THE FIRM
Behind the period arches, La Firme has created this block which houses part of the kitchen and makes the transition with the entrance. It conceals a laundry area and a bathroom.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Folded stainless steel covers countertops and helps eliminate seams. At the same time, it magnifies the luminosity of the place.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
To camouflage part of the plumbing, the floor had to be worked in stages. Raised up, the “terrace” also offers a better view of the entirety of Mount Royal.
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PHOTO ULYSSE LEMERISE BOUCHARD, PROVIDED BY THE FIRM
The promontory of the “terrace” was used as a pretext to hide a bed in a large drawer for the guests.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Part of the loft houses the art gallery which is a reading, music and contemplation area.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The large windows reveal a cityscape on one side and the mountain on the other.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Full-height doors blend into the wall partition when closed. The glass blocks are a nod to the industrial style of the place and allow light to filter into the bathroom.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The marble veined with malachite crystals is a work of art in itself, a happy “geological coincidence” for which Pierre Hotte, a geologist by training, fell in love. Five slabs of Italian marble had to be arranged to obtain this composition where the veins are reflected in an impressive play of mirrors.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The bedroom is concealed behind the bathroom block. The wooden panels accommodate the cupboards and part of the mechanics necessary for ventilation. The wine cellar, built behind an original archway, is accessed through the bedroom hallway.
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The concrete slab, separated from the original surface, now houses the water heater which tempers the entire apartment. A colossal cabinet work carried out by Atelier 13 makes it possible to breathe visual warmth into the whole while camouflaging the mechanics, appliances, storage and closed rooms behind panels and divisions. To challenge the heights, since the loft is located on the fourth floor of the building, and in the absence of a freight elevator, all the materials had to be introduced through the windows thanks to beams and catwalks.
“Have you noticed that it smells like the little old man when you enter the building? Ben you will see that here, it is not the case! says Pierre with a hint of pride, directing the conversation to his air purification system. No, indeed, no hint of nostalgia and immobility in these places. “Here” smells of renewal.