Atelier Barda Renovates 1937 Montreal Townhouse Residence Beloeil

Atelier Barda has renovated a 1937, 300 sq m townhouse in Montreal's Outremont district into Residence Beloeil, a light-filled home that keeps its art deco bones intact.

Montreal isn't famous as an art deco capital like Miami, Mumbai or Havana. But the Canadian city holds striking 1930s buildings, from the Jardin Botanique and Atwater Market to the Aldred Building and the townhouses and theatre of Outremont. Residence Beloeil sits in this affluent residential district on the slopes of Mont Royal.

The local studio, founded by Cécile Combelle and Antonio Di Bacco, focuses on projects rooted in their local context, 'creating environments and spaces that reflect the identity and singularity of its clients'. Featured in the 2020 Architects' Directory, the practice took the same approach here: a three-level townhouse updated rather than replaced, plus a new curved terrace.

How do you renovate without erasing?

The team, led by Di Bacco, threaded carefully, seeking to 'accompany it' rather than radically transform it. They treated the 'balance embedded in the proportions of the rooms and the height of the ceilings' and the general atmosphere as 'generous constraints for reworking the house'. Original features stayed, including the glass block tiles in the stairwell.

The new layout, designed in dialogue with the original building, amplifies the existing spaces. A custom natural stone counter anchors the ground-floor kitchen. The adjoining boudoir became a glazed sunroom to capture garden views, with a full-length corner banquette paired with marble tables by Foraine, Atelier Barda's furniture and design division.

What carries the art deco language?

Materials do the heavy lifting. Walnut woodwork runs from wall panelling to a coffered ceiling, linking the living spaces. A wide oak flooring pattern was designed specifically for the house. Its chevrons, tiered corner mouldings and a sculptural stone fireplace echo art deco's strong geometries. The new terrace joins in, with a semi-circle shape and white sweeping staircase.

The interiors drew inspiration partly from the objects of German painter Marianne Brandt and the garments of French couturier Paul Poiret. Sculptural pieces fill the rooms:

• Foraine's stainless steel 'Chabanel II' chair, placed next to the fireplace
• Les Objets Raymond Raymond's 'Cement' stool, a three-legged concrete design made using a textile mould, in the dining room
• A yellow garden bench by Barbeau Desrosiers
• Accessories and vintage pieces by Bruises Gallery and Séjour Studio
• Sculptures by Karim Charlebois
• Lighting by Lambert et Fils

'Every added element had to be able to stand on its own, through its geometry, its proportions, the quality of its execution, while still receding before the whole,' the architects explain.

That statement doubles as the project's thesis. What does this change for Montreal's housing stock? It shows how a 1930s townhouse can gain modern light, function and contemporary local design without losing its architectural identity, a model for a city dense with undervalued deco-era homes.