La Maison du Parc,
a carefully staged interior

An elegant, powerful design offering a distinctive vision of hospitality

Via v2com

September 19, 2023

Home to a couple who love to entertain, the Maison du Parc was designed not only for its owners, but also with their guests in mind. Upon arrival, the hypnotizing curve of a staircase topped by a shaft of light welcomes us into a masterful graphic universe. The hardness of the marble, the monochrome tones and the ambient minimalism give the residence a raw elegance and refinement of almost intimidating beauty.

The warm character of the place is revealed in part through the experience of walking through it: it’s by walking through the corridors, experiencing the spaces, that you feel considered, important, and unique. By reducing the size of the old building, which stretched from the street to the alley, the architects have allowed outdoor living spaces to emerge.

While the rear of the residence is contemporary thanks to its all-glass facade, the front retains the configuration of the original rooms. Spaces are defined by their typology, and by the use of materials where the boundaries are clear, as well as by breaks in tonality that create striking contrasts.

In the kitchen, as in the bathrooms, furniture is integrated into the décor in the form of monolithic blocks shaped like sculptures. The use of translucent walls, as in the pantry, and sliding and swinging doors add fluidity and reinforce the sense of mystery throughout the project. The basement shower room, designed for guests, offers a surprising experience inspired by the toilets of top restaurants.

Far from being a “hermetic” work of art, this architecture is inviting and warm through its attention to detail. Inherited from its past as a town house, the project’s natural elegance seduces and invites residents and guests to wander and contemplate.

Far from being a “hermetic” work of art, this architecture is inviting and warm through its attention to detail.

Project data

Project name: Maison du Parc
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Architect: la SHED architecture

Winner of the Prix d’excellence en architecture
Aménagement intérieur 2019 de l’Ordre des architectes du Québec
Winner of the Residential Space Award 1600 to 3200 sq. ft. at the Grands Prix du Design 2018
Shortlist in the House Interior category at the Dezeen Awards 2018

About SHED architecture

As a firm of architects working mainly in the residential and commercial sectors, SHED Architecture has developed considerable expertise in the renovation, conversion and construction of buildings of all types and periods. Openness, light and alignment are the hallmarks of the studio’s projects.

Creations stand out for their functional, resolutely contemporary layouts and their use of sustainable, affordable and classic materials. The importance given to finishing details and the quality of the projects completed are, among other things, the result of close monitoring throughout the project development process, right up to the very end of the work. Redeveloping cramped spaces, making optimal use of space, and dealing with precise and restricted budgets are all constraints with which SHED is used to working, succeeding brilliantly in designing attractive and well-thought-out living spaces.

Initially formed by three associate architects and co-founders, Sébastien Parent, Yannick Laurin and Renée Mailhot, and three talented employees, SHED Architecture was born of a shared passion for architecture, design and Montreal. The studio reflects a new relationship with architecture, one in which calling on an architect is no stranger than calling on an accountant. A relationship where designing a living space in your own image is neither luxury nor utopia.

‘Creations stand out for their functional, resolutely contemporary layouts and their use of sustainable, affordable and classic materials.’

SHED Architecture provides its customers with an innovative, participative approach to renovation, extension and new-build projects. This approach makes the services of an architect accessible for any scale of project and any budget. The weakest ideas are eliminated in favour of the most creative.

The firm was awarded the 2016 Emerging Architectural Firm Award by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), the 2018 Canada Council Ronald J.-Thom Award for Architectural Design for Early Career Candidates, and has won Awards of Excellence in Architecture from the Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Images: Maxime Brouillet

Images: Adrien Williams

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