Open, to live better together

When Gatline Artis and her family acquired their house in Mont-Royal, everything had to be redone. And that was exactly what they wanted. “It was like a shell, in which we came to create our dream cocoon”, summarizes the mother, who is also a designer.

On this snowy morning, she receives us in her bright, freshly renovated house. Owner of the interior design firm Entre Quatre Murs, Gatline Artis was not his first project. But for her family, she wanted a space where everyone could live together, while enjoying moments of intimacy. All in a clean, white and wood place – with small touches of black, but we’ll come back to this – which breathes light and space.

Because of the space, there were not tons when they set foot in the house. “When we got there, I said, ‘We really have to open somewhere, because we’re suffocating,'” recalls Gatline. The residence built in 1959 was completely partitioned and had a great need for light.

To remedy this, the owners decided to make a large opening between the ground floor and the first floor, where the grand staircase threads its way. And this staircase, precisely, has become the center of the house, both literally and figuratively. Indeed, it connects not only the levels, but also the rooms between them. Because as soon as you leave a room, you find yourself in the central space.

But while at the foot of the stairs you have an overview of the entire ground floor (or first floor, depending), this is not the case when you are in each parts separately. Some visuals are deliberately obstructed, explains the designer. “We wanted that from the entrance, we don’t necessarily see the kitchen. We also wanted to have some privacy when we are in the living room, watching TV…”, she continues.

Also, partitions can have more than one role. For example, the one that separates the living room from the kitchen is actually a dual function storage unit: on one side, it conceals the television, while on the other, it accommodates the dresser.

“Apart from the seats and the tables, all the storage is integrated, to maximize space,” says the designer. The house has been entirely designed and made to measure. And it’s true that we find these ingenious storage spaces everywhere: in the bathrooms, the laundry room, as well as in the large cloakroom (mud room), with direct access to the garage, where everyone can leave boots, bags and coats. The contrast is amazing for this family who arrived from a small condo on the third floor on the Plateau!

Hidden pantry

In the kitchen, everything is simple, sober and uncluttered. How is that possible, especially with two young children? The designer found the answer by hiding a pantry behind it, which you can hardly see when you’re in the kitchen.

But when you pass behind the partition, you suddenly find yourself in this storage space where the coffee machine, the toaster, and well-filled cupboards are lined up on the long counter. “It’s really like the extension of the kitchen, so the front always stays a bit tidier. And in contrast to the rest of the kitchen, the pantry has been completely painted black. “The black was chosen to support everything that was much brighter and stronger in front, underlines Gatline Artis. So it’s a bit of a way to establish the kitchen, which is really much more neutral, much paler. »

The addition of floor-to-ceiling windows gives an unobstructed view of the large yard, where snowflakes are lazily falling that day.

From top to bottom

Upstairs, we find the same logic as on the ground floor. As soon as you arrive on the landing, the bedrooms are positioned in each corner of the house, while the staircase, with its plunging view below, sits in the middle.

It is also upstairs that the office has been installed, also equipped with large windows where the light floods in. It is of course mainly used by parents at the moment. But when the children – now aged 2 and 4 – reach the age when they will have homework to do, the whole family will be able to gather in this place. Thus, the dimensions of the rooms have been deliberately reduced in order to be more generous in the common areas.

Since their son and daughter are still very young and their needs will change over time, the built-in storage has been planned in their bedrooms, but not yet installed. For the moment, they have favored simpler furniture and built-in PAX storage, from IKEA. These will gradually be replaced by more durable furniture over time.

Going down to the basement, there is a pool table, a living room with television, as well as the children’s playroom, painted in the same black accent as the pantry.

The owners have also installed a home gym, which they have however taken care to visually separate from the rest. “We didn’t want to completely partition it off, so the slats just added some privacy to the gym. When we train, we have a view of the television which is in the family room. And when you’re in the family room, you can’t see the gym because you have your back to it, so it’s practical. »

As in the rest of the house, the basement allows all the occupants to spend time together, in well-defined areas. “It was important for us that the basement become the family play area and the place where we will all meet,” concludes the owner.