With the help of clever remodeling, a couple from Montreal managed to make an old house modern, as well as create additional living space. The result is a beautiful and cozy interior.
Reconstruction of the dining room
The home renovation project began with the dining room. “We had big, beautiful windows and shutters, and we wanted the doorways to match that,” says Wendle.
The square-shaped room had three doorways: one leading to the main entrance, the second to the kitchen, and the third opening to the maid’s pantry. They moved one doorway and widened the other two, making them exactly the same width as the windows.
The chairs for the dining area were found at a flea market. A carpenter I know recreated the pattern of the chairs on the table and several areas of the house. Before the renovation, the moldings and wood paneling made the rooms very dark. Wendl and Ouelet livened up the dining area with a white lacquer finish.
New art in an old house
The house had a maid’s pantry with a small doorway leading to the dining room. The owners left the doorway open and added mirrors to the pantry to reflect the light coming from the windows on the opposite side.
An opening to the right of the pantry provides access to the powder room and secondarily to the kitchen. During dinner parties, you can now close the sliding doors connecting the dining area and kitchen, while still having access to the kitchen through the door to the right of the pantry.
Colorful modern art pieces contrast with the traditionally paneled walls. “To me, it’s about showcasing great art in an old house,” Ouelet says.
Modern details
The main entrance appears significantly larger after eliminating the doorways. The homeowners also replaced the original flooring with custom engineered white oak wood.
In the living room, care has been taken to provide suitable seating areas keeping in mind the small space. Wendl and Ouelet installed a custom armless sofa to create a feeling of spaciousness. Seats of a different format appeared near the windows.
The owners thought the original steps were an interesting but outdated option. So they varnished the dark wood and replaced the dull brown fabric of the carpet with a modern, geometric pattern.
Kitchen expansion
The original floor plan of the building indicated four rooms at the rear of the house: a small kitchen, a bathroom, a maid’s quarters and a laundry room. To create a spacious kitchen, all four rooms were combined. The rear door was moved to the left, this made it possible to expand the working surface.
Now the kitchen space began to occupy the entire length of the back of the house. The decorative elements on the wall behind the kitchen stove were made the same as on the chairs from the dining room.
Living space from scratch
The couple created a living space in the basement specifically so Richard’s mother could live with them. They installed an affordable kitchen from IKEA and installed wide doors that open onto the garden. We did everything so that it didn’t feel like it was a basement floor.
Previously, wooden panels covered all the walls of the basement, and only a small window in the distance helped to dimly illuminate the room. There is now a spacious bedroom with a small reading area by the window. IKEA wall cabinets with glossy white doors occupy one wall.
The new owners of the house made the floor of the basement room lower by a little over twenty centimeters. Now this part of the house has become apartments with a separate entrance. And every day the sun fills this unique design space with natural light.
