The owner’s tour | An artist’s lair near the mountain

Owners open the doors of their exceptional residence to us, offered on the resale market.

Valerie Simard
The Press

There is certainly a part of this place in the work of the artist France Malo. A living and creative space, this property, which she has lived in for almost 30 years, combines a residence and an artist’s studio on a vast lot, in the shadow of Mont Saint-Hilaire.

“I like to look at spaces. Winter is extraordinary here… the trees are like another world,” says France Malo. Multidisciplinary artist, recognized in particular for her sporting art – her fascination for moving bodies having led her to become the official artist of the Quebec Federation of Cycling Sports -, France Malo also paints contemporary and climatic architecture in her studio located set back from the main building.

“All of this developed with the spirit of the house,” underlines the one whose paintings have been exhibited in Quebec and abroad. “The renowned architect who designed this house [André Léonard, à qui l’on doit aussi trois stations du métro de Montréal] and the designer [Réal Houle], the first owner, have done everything to ensure that this timeless property survives fashions and can evolve. This thought also motivates my art. »

France Malo found this house after returning from a three-year stay in the United States, including two in California. On the way home, in her Westfalia, she had dreamed of a contemporary house with an inground pool. A native of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, she was first looking to return to settle in her hometown when she was bewitched by this house, located on the territory of the neighboring municipality, Otterburn Park. “There is a lot of soul in this house. The first thing I was looking for was a place where there was potential to do a workshop. »

And now she finds one that, with its horizontality, minimalism and western cedar ceiling, reminds her of her years in California.

A great place for nature

Whereas here, it’s the opposite. The land having belonged to a local nurseryman—at that time, there was no building except the one that serves as a workshop today—there are several mature trees there, including two bicentenary oaks. As soon as she arrived, the new owner worked to complete the landscaping by planting hostas, rhododendrons, fruit trees, vegetable plants and ground covers over the years, while leaving room for native plants.

The current house was erected in 1976 for the designer-owner of whom M^me Malo bought it. Built in stages, it testifies to a concern for fluidity. The large living area serves as a gallery for France Malo, who exhibits her paintings there and receives collectors there. Her creative work is expressed in her studio, a former garage-workshop that she has adapted to her needs. Equipped with a bathroom and a kitchenette, the space could be devoted to other uses, such as an office for telecommuting or accommodation for guests.

Several improvements have also been made to the house over the years, including the enlargement of the openings to create views resembling paintings, the artist always looking for perspective. Wood and gas stoves were also installed in the basement and in the workshop, after the massive ice storm that hit the region in 1998.

A sustainable home

But, for the sake of ecology and respect for the work of the architect, the owner, who now lives in the house with her husband, wanted to minimize the impact of her interventions. In the entrance hall and in the kitchen, there are still the original brown-ocher tiles that are also found in several Montreal metro stations. The parquet floor has also been kept in a few rooms, but with a darker shade which makes it more noble.

“It’s a solid house,” says Mr.^me Bad. Whoever built it had the same concern as me: a house must be durable, then you work on it and leave it to others. »

When she told her friends about her intention to sell her, they didn’t believe she would leave. “I love it here, it makes me so happy to leave. It’s my favorite thing in life. But with her career as an artist on the rise, maintaining a large piece of land became too time-consuming. The couple plans to settle in Magog, where they have owned a condo for a few years. “I love life there. And I was well received as an artist. All he has to do is find a studio that will inspire him just as much.