The owner’s tour | Modern house with mid-century looks

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

It all started with a wardrobe. A simple closet that didn’t quite belong in the hallway of the house. “We brought in a contractor to move it. A small affair which was to last three weeks, remembers Sophie Rémillard. Then we started dreaming, making plans. »

Six months later, the contractor had transformed the house from A to Z.

The result is a modern and neat house at all levels. Most impressive ? It was Sophie and her husband Steve who designed (and sometimes executed) the modifications to this distinct house with mid-century tones.

Sophie and Steve are multi-talented. Jack-of-all-trades at ease with both the arts and numbers. Creative, inventive and, above all, passionate about design, they were looking for a house with a particular architecture. It was not so much the geographical location that attracted them to this house (note that it is adjoining the Boucherville Golf Club), but its sleek look, on one level, in a quiet street. The backyard with no neighbors is a bonus for those active people… who don’t play golf!

The house was designed by the previous owner, according to what the new owners discovered during the renovations. “Madame had planned everything, there were two heating systems, two water heaters, a dinette, a stone fireplace… lists Steve. Even in 1978 [année de construction de la maison]she must have had a deep attachment to the mid-century architecture characteristic of the 1950s and 1960s.”

The works

When the young couple took possession 11 years ago, the house was empty. “We saw the immense potential, but we told ourselves that we would take our time, that we would do the renovations a little bit at a time. That’s not what happened. Between 2012 and 2013, the family lived in dust and hammer blows. “We redid everything. »

The kitchen is inspired by those of the 1960s with its oversized low windows that the owners have enlarged to allow natural light to filter in. “Sometimes people ask us if the rooms are dark because there are no openings in the facade. But as you can see…” Indeed. We visited the house during a particularly gray day without being obliged to enlighten us.

The new windows replaced the old ones, which made it possible to include tilt-and-turn models. Some frames have also been widened, and metal supports that obstructed the view have been eliminated. In the living room, for example, where the openings were made up of 12 panels, there are now 6.

Back to the kitchen, the focal point of the ground floor, the room has been redesigned. A large island topped with quartz frames a hot plate. At the bottom, drawers and other storage free up work surfaces. The room is large enough for the two fridges / freezers installed side by side to fit among the cabinets.

Under the window, a large work surface also in quartz allows you to take your ease. At the other end, Sophie has paired a bench-shaped dinette area adjacent to the island. The youngest of the three children likes to perch on it to “help”. Despite the large table in the dining room (custom-made by a cabinetmaker), the family regularly meets at the banquette. “Steve wasn’t sure at first, but it’s one of his favorite spots now,” smiled Sophie, who was sure.

Walnut elements are found everywhere. An inspiration that comes from the wooden beams and slats of the ceiling and floor and that creates a common thread for each room. “We didn’t touch the ceiling, it was perfect. »

The other subject of conversation is undoubtedly the fireplace installed in the center of the common rooms as well as its “sunken sofa”, or sunken living room. A feature that the owners have chosen to keep.

The four bedrooms are located on the other side of the house. The wing is separated by a sliding door. There are two full bathrooms, one in the master bedroom and the other at the end of the hallway.

Multipurpose basement

The couple cleaned up the basement and created a multifunctional room. There’s the home theatre, space for music and video games, ping-pong table, craft corner and double desk where parents can work face-to-face. There is also a gym, a bathroom and a guest bedroom. The wine cellar that can hold 1000 bottles is empty, Sophie and Steve preferring to buy their good bottles one by one.

Why leave this house that they pampered so much? Because the two greats will continue their studies in Montreal next year. The next stage of the life of this close-knit family will therefore take place in the city. Goodbye, the suburbs!