Beloeil residence / _naturehumaine

2-story semi-detached house in the borough of Outremont in Montreal, a young family of 2 children wishes to undertake a complete renovation of this Tudor-style house dating from the 1930s.

Architects: _naturehumaine
Location: Beloeil avenue (Outremont), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Photography: Ronan Mézière

On the ground floor, two corridors modulated with rounded corners are introduced to create a strong visual link from the front to the rear of the house. New skylights are also inserted above the central staircase and the family bathroom, two spaces located in the heart of the house with originally limited daylight. In addition, a panel of sandblasted glass is inserted in the wall separating the stairwell from the parent’s bathroom to let in additional zenithal light.

The configuration of the original staircase with “dancing steps” is retained to become the highlight of the project with its perimeter walls restored with new plaster curves. The formal treatment applied to the redesign of the staircase is reflected in the architectural intervention of the whole project and alludes to the original artisanal stucco which has aged badly. Thus, the curved partitions and the vaulted ceilings are all formal gestures that infuse the project with a certain fluidity in the sequence of spaces and induce a luminous softness.

Wishing to integrate a contemporary intervention within an ancient construction, the geometry of the spaces is coupled with minimalist details and a limited palette of materials; white painted plaster on the walls and ceilings, oiled maple floor, maple veneer for the built-in furniture, delicate handrail and white and gray ceramic for the walls and floors.