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Brésoles
By : Atelier Moderno
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Interior Design
Categories : Residence / Residential Space ≤ 1,600 sq. ft. (≤ 150 sq.m.) : Platinum Winner
Tribeca to Montreal. This project, carried out for a New York couple, located in an old-Montreal’s building is oriented by the symbiosis between the old and the modern. First of all, there was a necessity to strip the space of past renovations. These completely masked the essence of the place. Stripped to the bone, the condominium revealed massive stone walls, cast iron columns, brick arches and the original intricate wooden ceiling offering an almost sculptural complexity. The first challenge was to improve the potential of the space and to refurbish the elements in peril. In other words, to maximize the use of the original parts and the aesthetic qualities of its materials. The brick was treated with lime to neutralize its texture and color allowing an easy integration into the aesthetic vision. Repainting the ceiling was a way to highlight its features and heal it from water damage, fire damage and wood stain applied in the past. During the evening, its sculptural appearance is enhanced by the nocturnal lighting. In some places, like the kitchen, the floor was elevated to hide and organize the plumbing. The terrazzo chosen for these new floors is black and white, evoking the snowstorms we know so well. The articulation of the architectural space was developed around geometry and a play in the porosity between the rooms. This well-cultivated osmosis allows for fluidity in space, as well as mastery of framing and play on perspectives. The intention of the design is to elaborate the space as a curatorial frame for the various works and objects of art owned by its occupants. This process is realized through different architectural framing, niches and even through wall openings allowing contemplation from several points of view. The residency is dotted with these functional aesthetic visual delights, allowing an intellectual and playful use of the living space. The integration of the furniture into the space is accomplished with a witty arrangement of levels and volumes. The different white materials offer a geometric composition delimiting the space with subtle and delicate lines. This line also cuts the bottom of the walls, which seems to float, completely avoiding the use of moldings and emphasizing the modernity of the intervention. The transitions between modern interventions and their materials, such as in the kitchen, with the original elements are carried out in such a way that the passage from one to the other flows harmoniously as one whole. Occupying the space, the selection of furniture aimed for a sobriety and discretion to call attention to the geometry developed in the design. Two types of wood were chosen. The walnut details recall the rustic qualities akin to the original wood of the existing place. For the Siberian wood, the interest was for its pale color, which complements the white pallet developed throughout the interventions of the project. The insistence of this research in material and forms aims to exalt the spatial and tactile aspect of the modern intervention accomplished. There lies a mixture of the historic and the eternal about the place; the elements of the past, like the cast iron column becomes a sculpture in itself, in the same way that the windows of the living room frame the Notre-Dame cathedral in an impressionist-like painting.
