A series of previous renovations had stripped the building of its period charm, giving the architects a blank slate to recast it as a contemporary dwelling. They preserved the building’s overall shape and footprint, but removed a section of the second floor to create a patio—an intervention that not only carved out additional outdoor space, but also allowed more natural light to penetrate the building’s core.
The heart of the home is the open-plan kitchen and living room. The kitchen was recast in white lacquer and ash veneer, with stainless-steel countertops. The double-height living room borrows light from an office and mezzanine hallway upstairs. An orange-lacquer staircase, partially hidden behind a set of ash slats that support steel bookshelves, lends an arresting color accent.
The open-plan kitchen and living room in the de Gaspé House in Montreal’s Villeray neighborhood borrows natural light from a double-height space over the seating area.
The rear of the house at it appeared from the alley before the renovation.
Courtesy of La SHED Architecture.
The architects cut away a section of the second floor to make room for a patio. The exterior has been clad in corrugated galvanaized steel and cedar planks.
The kitchen as it appeared before the renovation.
The twin kitchen islands are oriented parallel to the living room. The cabinet fronts are finished in white lacquer, with stainless-steel counters atop ash veneer.
The stairs are partically hidden behind a slatted ash screen that supports steel bookshelves.
The stairs are coated in orange lacquer.
Upstairs, an open hallway connects offers access to the bedrooms, bathrooms, and an office.
In the office, the ash floor gives way to slats that turn skyward at a 90-degree angle to form the balustrade.
The master bathroom before the renovation.
Courtesy of La SHED Architecture.
In the renovated bathroom, a freestanding bathtub sits beneath a skylight that runs the width of the room. A large mirror hangs above the vanity, which is outfitted with a butcher-block countertop. Black mosaic tiles were used on the floor.
Courtesy of La SHED Architecture.
via:dwell