Fluid Spaces: 10th Avenue

Nestled in Montreal’s Rosemont district, Paul Bernier Architecte designed a detached duplex with elements of integrated furniture that meet the needs of the clients in their daily activities.

The built-in furniture, which acts as a partition and defines the space, was sought to obtain fluid circulations and spaces that are well-proportioned, clean, and uncluttered. The owners wanted to transform the ground floor and the semi-basement to make it their home. The second floor was preserved for their tenant.

Several new openings have been made in the exterior walls to illuminate the space at any time of the day including a large double-height space for the new staircase, and satin glass between the office and the stair.

In this project, white oak, polished concrete, and white or anthracite lacquered panels are the main materials used. Continuity of materials throughout the house contributes to an impression of fluidity between the spaces. The woodblock, made with white oak panels, which borders the corridor on the ground floor, turns into the living room and becomes a service cabinet for the dining table. Likewise, the white lacquered panels of the built-in kitchen furniture become the covering material of the staircase walls and descend to the basement.

Other materials are added to the palette of the project, such as the brass lighting fixtures or the Bianco Carrara marble mosaic that covers the surfaces of the bathroom on the ground floor.

Polished concrete is used as a slab poured on-site, and as elements cast and polished in the workshop to make wall panels as well as steps and stair landings.

In the basement bathroom, these polished concrete wall panels are used as if the floor were rising on the walls. The bathroom is visually split in two: the concrete dry area with its white oak vanity, and the wet area covered with small white ceramic tiles.