Champoux Project

Discipline : Interior Design : People's Choice Award

Categories : Residence / Classic/Timeless Residential Space : Gold certification

Categories : Special Awards / Renovation (Before & After) : Silver certification

From our first meeting with the couple, we felt a very beautiful connection. Laughter often found its way into the conversation as we assessed their needs, and we quickly understood that the art of living and authenticity are important values to them. With the gentleman recently retired, the couple planned to spend more time at their secondary residence in the countryside. They wanted to make the kitchen more functional and welcoming by redesigning it with a simple and timeless style.

The client dreamed of having a breakfast nook, a bar area with a wine cellar, and a huge island around which her guests could gather. To open up the space, we wanted to demolish the drywall pantry that was hiding our two major constraints: a support column and a pipe. Considering the budget and needs, we established that it would be too costly to move these two elements. We had to find a way to integrate them into the design.

We arranged the room with the usual functional kitchen zones: food storage area, preparation area, breakfast nook, cooking area, cleaning area, and a bar area. The latter was placed on the wall of the former pantry, and we continued the cabinets behind the column by creating storage accessible from the side. We created two black polymer filler boxes, installed side by side. The first conceals the 'vent' and the second hides the support column. With recessed del profiles installed between the two faux columns, what was a constraint became an important element of the overall design.

The bar area includes a wine cellar, a mini refrigerator with integrated facade, and a bar sink. A large glazed cabinet was designed with a plywood back, which is fixed directly to the studs before the drywall is installed. We wanted the ceramic backsplash to continue behind the glass cabinet to give the impression that it floated on the wall. By cutting out the drywall around the cabinet, the thickness of the back of the cabinet matched the thickness of the drywall, allowing us to install the ceramic without any depth difference. This manufacturing detail gives a light effect to an otherwise very large cabinet.

The countertop of the breakfast nook was designed in wood-effect laminate and matched to the melamine used for the cabinet to the right of the window and for the blowing of the quartz countertop. The wood finish effect created by the niche emphasizes the preparation area and also enhances the symmetry of the cooking zone.

As for the island, we housed the sink, dishwasher, and waste management bins, which were placed in a drawer under the sink. The bottom two fronts were attached to the same drawer to continue the alignment of the fronts. At the end of the island, a bench was planned so that the client could sit facing the window every morning and quietly sip her coffee while admiring nature.

The project in images