The owner’s tour | La Maison de Rosée, flower of the Islands to share

When the wind of life blows in another direction, you have to know how to hoist the sails and let yourself be guided by the prevailing currents. After a decade in this Magdalen house converted into a bed and breakfast by themselves, Isabelle Houle and François Guay are heading back to the metropolitan area. Brightly charming, steeped in history and significant visits, the Maison de Rosée is looking for a new captain.

In 2012, attracted by the sirens of the Magdalen Islands, Isabelle and François treated themselves to a few vacations in the archipelago. It was their first visit, and it won’t take much for the waters to close in on them. “We are from Montreal and, like many, we fell in love with the Islands; especially Madelinots! We had decided to settle there, but we weren’t yet sure of the exact place to do so,” recalls Isabelle Houle.

The latter then worked as a mortgage broker, “jaded with her career”, while François Guay followed his path as a musician, between Cirque du Soleil and professional groups. Their move brought a whole new flavor to their activities, since they began by acquiring the restaurant Au vent du large, where François was able to infuse his tunes on the violin and other instruments, to the delight of the establishment’s customers. Moreover, and by pure coincidence, The Press had already cited the place as one of the most moving for admiring the sunsets, as part of a file on this theme.

Once the restaurant was acquired, they lacked a home. A lover of century-old houses, Isabelle noticed this superb overhanging attic house, located in Havre-Aubert, facing Anse Painchaud: it was the Maison de Rosée. “When I met the owner, I said to her: ‘If you want to sell one day, give me a sign,'” she says. The sign came; the deed of sale was signed. The couple was ready to sail.

Waves of guests

Officially, 1955 appears in the register as the year of construction. But the history of the building goes back much further, and its large volumes (it has 15 rooms) struggle to contain its loaded past. The Maison de Rosée was built in the 1920s by Joseph Thellab, a Lebanese landed in the Islands who became a successful merchant, and the Madelinienne Rose Fougère.

After many winds and tides, it fell into disrepair, ending up being sold at auction, bought in the 1980s by musician Alcide Painchaud (founder of the group Suroît) and Jocelyne Coderre, parents of Jonathan and Éloi Painchaud (co-founders of the group Okoume). Finally, it was sold to the artist-painter Louis Boudreault and Josée-Lyne Falcone, who administered a veritable makeover to it, with the addition of a floor, a veranda, a gallery and an overhaul of the foundations, during which it was rotated 180 degrees!

Excuse the surge of names, but here are others, those of the many prestigious guests who once crossed the threshold: Pauline Julien and Gérald Godin, Georges Moustaki, Claude Léveillée, Anne Sylvestre, Bernard Landry…

Peace to share

Under the control of Isabelle and François, the Maison de Rosée has remained more than ever under the sign of sharing, perpetuating its vocation as a tourist lodge, repainted and redecorated for this purpose. Popular for family reunions, it can accommodate up to 16 guests, bathed in this ocean of wood and white, with its terraces where the gaze plunges into the bay of Plaisance. “We find an extraordinary calm there, it’s serene, we feel good there, assures Isabelle. It’s a big house, even with several people, no one is standing on their feet, everyone has their own corner to do their business. »

The property also benefits from a complete independent apartment located on the ground floor, allowing the owners to stay there even in the presence of guests. And if the next buyer wishes, he can simply appropriate the entire premises.

But let’s not forget that this is a home to share; viewers were also able to enjoy it, since it appeared in the show Salebarbes on the Islands broadcast on Tou.tv, as well as in the film goodbye happiness, shot on location in 2020, where she plays a central role in the narrative. Last anecdote: the Maison de Rosée is certainly unique in the local landscape, but it does have a twin on the Islands, built at the time for Rose Fougère’s sister, and now owned by Julie Snyder.

A new course

After 10 years there, Isabelle and François change their score, wishing to breathe and hear old tunes again; those in the metropolitan area. “Most likely, the restaurant will be put up for sale soon. That’s fine, but the house… it’s a real mourning. We move on, we come back to Montreal. Our children, grandchildren, and especially our parents need us more, ”explains the couple. Once again, he looked for an old centenarian and ended up finding and acquiring… the house next to Isabelle’s old house, in Terrebonne, on the waterfront. “I have become my former neighbor! she laughs.

Now, who will take over the helm of the Maison de Rosée, sold furnished and whose price has been set by an approved appraiser? Whoever it is, we can only wish him a good time; and fair winds.