A St-Henri home rebuilt with cork, colour and books
Nic and his boyfriend turned a plain white Montreal unit into a warm home, building nearly every shelf, nook and fireplace surround themselves.
When Nic and his boyfriend bought their home in Montreal's St-Henri, it was a white rectangle. They have spent their time since adding colour, texture and a lot of shelves. Nic is a writer who makes videos about books, and the books need homes.
They did most of the work themselves. A cork ceiling in the bedroom, inspired by a house they admired in Melbourne, adds warmth. Under the stairs, they turned an old coat closet into a shoe closet and a cork-lined office nook with built-in bookshelves. In the living room, they built a faux fireplace with bookcases on each side, the way you might see in England. They cut down a Marketplace dining table with a saw to make it fit.
Colour does the rest. They painted the windowless bathroom chocolate brown, from walls to ceiling, so it feels like a cocoon. The kitchen cabinets went yellow first, then a soft blue for an English cottage look.
The furniture has stories. The dining banquette came from a local wine bar that was remodelling. The Italian dining chairs came from his boyfriend's parents. Paintings by his boyfriend hang in most rooms. Out back, they share a yard under a big tree, a few streets from St-Henri's restaurants and bars.
