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Arte e Moda

GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 8th edition

Avant-garde meets classicism in this five-storey residence, in which space becomes the backdrop to an exceptional collection of artwork, ranging from a Claude Tousignant canvas to a Jean-Robert Drouillard sculpture.
The staircase in the entrance hall sets the tone as soon as you walk in. Its art deco features are enhanced by the silvery grey walls and chocolate- brown torrefied ash wood floor.
To let in more natural light, a huge skylight was installed over the secondary staircase. The opening of the rooms laid out in succession were realigned to make the most of the view over the city, and French doors were installed in the dining area leading out onto the suspended patio.
There’s nothing to detract the eye from the clean, uninterrupted lines of each room, as all the technical apparatus has been hidden from view. Air vents and dampers are concealed between ceilings and cornices, heating grilles are built into the window aprons, doors vanish into the thickness of the walls, and screen blinds, into the lintels.
Yet behind this modernity, architectural heritage has been preserved, for instance by restoring the lead lattice in the windows and by recladding the fireplaces with Statuario marble.
The work of René Desjardins, from Desjardins Bherer, is instantly recognizable here, with emptiness used as an intrinsic element of the functionality of the space. This emptiness does not signify an absence but rather a means of allowing the minimalist design to unfold.

The project in images

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