Page 86 - Designing Ways 275

Atelier Chabot - The

Playhouse

Montreal, Canada

ndee Design, a studio founded by Florence Charron, is proud
to present ATELIER CHABOT, a playhouse for children
I(and adults!). The challenge for this project was considerate,
transforming a duplex into a single-family home in Plateau-Mont-
Royal, a residential district of Montreal. On a mission looking to
change the lives of their family, the owners were trying to decide
whether to take a trip around the world by sea or to purchase a home.
This project combines both of those dreams, which seemed to oppose
one another. For these great travelers, the notion of travel became the
common thread of this project, which inspired the idea of creating a
space where the inner child can be awakened.

Initially, the single-family house, built on two floors, was somber,
with spaces under severe constraints. The designer, Florence Charron,
broke traditional codes, while still conserving certain elements such
as the beams and brick walls that enveloped the exterior space. For its
circulation, Florence Charron was inspired by Moroccan riads, with
the living room located in the centre of the house and serving the
surrounding rooms.

An original and fun transformation
The duplex, having retained the previous layout, was a space that
was quite partitioned and confined. The designer proposed a
modification by creating a new vertical circulation space between the
two floors. Additionally, she also suggested relocating the focal point

86 Issue 275 • dw