It Was Travel the World or Make a Family Home. They Chose the Latter—But It Doesn’t Compromise

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Montreal, Canada

Architect: Indee Design / @indee_design

Builder: AGC Engineer Construction

Photographer: Caroline Thibault / @carothibau

From the Architect: "The challenge for this project was considerate, transforming a duplex into a single-family home in Plateau-Mont-Royal, a residential district of Montreal. On a mission looking to change the lives of their family, the owners were trying to decide whether to take a trip around the world by sea or to purchase a home. This project combines both of those dreams. The notion of travel became the common thread of this project, which inspired the idea of creating a space where the inner child can awaken within.

"Initially, the single-family house, built on two floors, was somber, with spaces under severe constraints. The designer, Florence Charron, broke traditional codes, while still conserving certain elements such as the beams and brick walls that enveloped the exterior space. For its circulation, Florence Charron was inspired by Moroccan riads, with the living room located in the center of the house and serving the surrounding rooms.

"The duplex, having retained the previous layout, was a space that was quite partitioned and confined. The designer proposed a modification by creating a new vertical circulation space between the two floors. Additionally, she also suggested relocating the focal point of the home to be the living room space. To achieve this, she brought the staircase to the forefront, opting for transparent perforated steel panels to create the stairs, the landing, the catamaran net, and the slide landing on the kitchen counter. The intervention was intended to be radical, using wood tones and navy blue steel with an intensity that varies throughout the day.

"The duplex was transformed into a house where space is experienced differently than in a standard house. Communication between each room varies due to the original, playful, and unexpected elements placed strategically throughout the house, addressing the adults as much as the children. A rock-climbing wall decorates the children’s bedroom, and a slide connects the catamaran net to the kitchen as an alternative to the stairs. Indee Design selected noble local materials such as maple wood, and the curtains add a theatrical touch, while emphasizing the playful spirit of the space.

"The aesthetic approach was central to this project. The agency selected noble and durable materials such as wood and painted steel. The visual direction had to respect the clients' vision of having a refined and modern space that was personal and full of history.

"The rock-climbing wall, visible from the ground floor, adds a playful touch, and Florence had maple panels geometrically drilled in for the walls to accommodate its colored attachments. The children can live in the space at different heights and geometries and can play as formerly prohibited, as they can now jump as high as the ceiling.

"The objects within the space bring in the majority of the luminous touches. Vintage objects, found and brought back from travels, also punctuate the space, including books and antiques that nod to various cultures and world eras."