This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Can’t move to a bigger place? Although the reality of the real estate market is currently giving gray hairs to many of us, it can push us to think differently about our living spaces. And at the same time, to give pride of place to considerations specific to sustainable development. Interview on this subject with three great designers: Mara Costachescu, Jean-François Rivet and Lucie Roy, all members of the jury of the 10e edition of the Habitat Design Awards, the winners of which will be announced on November 15.
The housing crisis does not only affect rentals. The impact is felt on the buyer side as well. The strength of the market at the end of the pandemic and then the rise in interest rates forced many potential buyers to review their project and decide to renovate rather than move.
“We have dreams, we want to expand the family or set up adequately for teleworking,” gives as examples Mara Costachescu, who founded Mara Design around fifteen years ago. Today, instead of selling, we are rethinking our space. There are so many things we can do, such as adapting the storage, giving a second life to a room by giving it several functions or even making the square foot modular. »
For example, you can choose to put two children in the same room by creating separate spaces for them, or transform a wall into a storage space accessible from both sides. You can also combine the functions of an office and a guest bedroom or even further adapt your living environment to your reality by giving a dual function to the bedroom of a child for whom you have shared custody.
For the designer, who highlights the craze for tiny houses and small, optimized spaces, there is no doubt that we must question our need to live in a very large house where each room is dedicated to a single function. “People are more and more open to living in smaller spaces that are easier to maintain and heat. Without forgetting that we reduce our environmental impact by choosing to live smaller,” recalls Mara Costachescu.
Redefining standards
“It is unthinkable, in 2023, to say that we are doing a design project without thinking about sustainable development,” says Jean-François Rivet, associate designer and co-founder of Passé Present Design Durable, an eco-responsible design office created in Montreal in 2019. Whether it is adopting new standards, such as LED lighting, low-flow plumbing installations, materials with a low environmental footprint, or even purchasing from local suppliers, the customers have access to more and more sustainable solutions.
The designer also advocates respect for buildings, even if they are not heritage, to integrate sustainable values into renovation projects. “What can we keep in the layout? Can we recover a door or a window, find a new use for a lighting fixture? Keep a partition or reuse the furniture by giving it a second life? With long lead times, this saves time and money. »
Working with what already exists imposes several constraints on designers. But great things can come from constraint. “It forces us to be more creative,” says designer Lucie Roy, who has thirty years of experience in the field. That brings a lot more challenges than having carte blanche. »
The designer says she draws a lot of inspiration from the nature around her to create open, bright and fluid spaces. She adds that, since its beginnings, it has attached paramount importance to the choice of materials: what is the environmental impact of one floor covering or kitchen counter compared to another? “It bears repeating that sustainable choices can also be affordable,” she concludes.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.