Despite a gorgeous, historic exterior and a beautiful area, a 1990s remodel had abandoned this Montreal flat with a rather thoughtless layout. First-time homeowners Elena Garcia and Johan Af Ström adored the distance but wished to bring back a number of their personality that had been erased by developers.
“There were lots of walls that made the flat feel smaller, and no definition from one room to the next,” Garcia says. The couple immediately found that some simple endings, a bit DIY love along with a new layout could bring back a few of the first quirks.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Elena Garcia and Johan Af Ström
Location: Plateau area of Montreal
Size: 950 square feet; two bedrooms, 1 bath
Emily Campbell
Garcia and Af Ström love to spend their evenings and evenings on the outdoor patio, facing a courtyard, where the late-afternoon light filters through the trees. Cedar cladding provides the patio a rustic feel and a nice smell. Even though most forms of cedar are rust resistant, the couple chose a natural Sikkens stain to protect the wood from UV damage.
A rustic debarked poplar back, given to Garcia by a close friend who passed away, is a meaningful piece utilized as a side table and a seat.
Emily Campbell
The minimally furnished living room increases comfort with a flexible grey microfiber sectional from Mobilia. Its two pieces can be split, and the couple can place the loveseat in a guest bedroom or the entryway.
The Matisse print on the far wall was in Af Ström’s family for years. Garcia painted the large green oil painting of fruit.
Emily Campbell
The front door opens directly into the living room — there is no formal vestibule or mudroom. The couple added a group of walnut wood that runs the length of the entry hall ceiling to help identify the two spaces. The pop art is a print of a Roy Lichtenstein piece.
Emily Campbell
In the conclusion of the entry hall, the wooden ceiling band continues to wrap down to the ground to create a closet, where the couple covers jackets, winter boots along with a washer and drier. “The washer and drier are probably my favorite pieces in the whole unit,” jokes Garcia.
A back-painted glass door, from Ikea, has a gentle shadow, including visual depth and attention. The overhead lights remain from the entry to deliver much-needed task lighting in the other internal spaces.
Emily Campbell
From the kitchen, the couple installed a gentle polished-quartz countertop and a new backsplash. The sculptural pewter vase at the window was a 30th-birthday present to Af Ström, bought in Stockholm in the well-known Svenskt Tenn..
They want to install undercabinet lighting along with a white glass tile backsplash next.
Sink, faucet: Rubi, Ramacieri Soligo
Emily Campbell
By demolishing a wall in the bedroom, the couple turned an inefficient walk right into a cozy nook without losing any storage. A little nook that offers space for becoming dressed nevertheless sits toward the back, but the room feels a lot bigger.
Staying in line with her eclectic design, Garcia contrasts glistening chrome furniture contrary to the raw end of the exposed-brick demising wall. The utilitarian fan and the timeless Marcel Breuer Wassily Chair give the room all the design that it requires.
Emily Campbell
The brick wall takes centre stage in the bedroom with minimal furnishings and Garcia’s original artwork. One of Af Ström’s family heirlooms sits around the headboard — his great-grandfather won the decoration in a 1909 equestrian competition in Sweden.
Bed, bedding: Ikea
Emily Campbell
Garcia designed the floating vanity at the apartment’s only toilet. The couple chose to forgo a shower curtain to make the little space feel bigger.
They splurged on the bathroom’s turquoise tiles and fittings. They utilized the turquoise tiles sparsely and filled out the remainder of the toilet with more affordable white tiles out of Centura. The back-painted glass has amazing reflective properties.
Faucets, showerhead: Rubi, Ramacieri Soligo; sink: Pacific Collection, Incepa; tub Lancia, Sherlic
Emily Campbell
Unassuming and quaint from the outside, the triplex fits into the area. City bylaws prevented developers from altering the exterior.
Emily Campbell
First-time designer and homeowner Garcia sits in her favorite sun-filled place on the couple’s balcony — their little oasis in the city.
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