When a young family of 3 found out they were soon going to be4, they decided that it was time to look for a bigger home. They fell in love with the charm of a house on Montreal’s south shore designed by the architect Frank McGrath in 1981 but after 40 years of wear and tear, it was in need of a major renovation. They approached MRDK whose sensibility to detail and nostalgia would be a good fit for their renovation.
The house’s dilapidated greenhouse protruding from its front façade had gained a reputation for being an eyesore in the neighbourhood. MRDK’s first move was to demolish it while salvaging its concrete foundation to create a large window-well bringing southern light into the basement office. To further maximize daylight and create a convivial living space below ground, the backyard was excavated to add floor-to-ceiling windows on the back façade creating a walkout basement.
An unusable attic space off the principal bedroom was repurposed by lifting the sloping roof creating a contemporary dormer. This space houses the walkthrough closet and principal bathroom with generous south facing clerestory windows and 14′high ceilings.
As you enter the house, you are welcomed by a sweeping staircase whose handrail, covered in lime plaster, wraps into a curved volume containing a fireplace below. The double height living room can be admired from above from the built-in desk on the mezzanine.
At the rear of the house, the kitchen and dining room are bathed in natural light from the large opening created with sliding doors opening onto a cedar patio. A large sculptural travertine island sits at the centre of the kitchen with its edge softened by an inverted demi-bullnose. A mistake in the fabrication of this island left a groove down either side of the travertine. This became a design opportunity where these grooves were filled with strips of Rosso Levanto marble racing stripes. Travertine is found again on the backsplash of the kitchen where a large slab slides into a pocket in the wall exposing a hidden pantry beyond. All the appliances typically cluttering the countertop are hidden away in this pantry where a passthrough opening make it a practical use of space.
Team:
Architect: MRDK
Team: David Dworkind, Guillaume Ménard, Benjamin Lavoie Laroche
Photography: David Dworkind
Contractor: Fairfield Construction
Structural Engineer: LBK structure
Material Used:
1. Alumilex windows
2. MAC metal
3. Pure & Original
4. Benjamin Moore
5. Ramacieri soligo
6. Gagganeau
7. Arrancia lighting
8. Rich Brilliant & Willing
9. Beton Johnstone
10. Élement de base
11. Globe lighting
12. Duravit
13. Aquabrass
14. Lambert & fils
15. Vaste
16. Art by Dan Climan
