Marquette
In 1989, Quebec architect Luc Laporte turned a space in this 1920s commercial building into a big lofty condo. 35 years later, La Firme was asked to reconceive its bathroom.
Building on the Work of the Past
Independent and scornful of accepted mores and tastes, Luc Laporte was well-known for his work on numerous restaurants in Montreal. The mandate of an intervention in one of his creations, however small, was something to get excited about.
The condo is in Montreal’s Plateau borough, in the heart of a neighbourhood called Petit Laurier. The space remains much as Laporte conceived it – a timeless design centered around an arresting cantilevered staircase that seems to float.
The mandate was small but complex and technically challenging: redo the bathroom without straying from the spirit of the design of the larger space. Rather than fight the tight space and low ceiling (both in stark contrast to the rest of the unit), we decided to play into the constraints and set our sights on the intimacy of a spa-like refuge.
All plumbing and wiring had to be redone to make it work. A Flutex glass partition screens off the shower. Subtle cove lighting above the bathtub and Italian-style shower creates a sense of arrival like at the end of a tunnel.
Simple interventions like the classic lighting by Artemide and woodwork touching on Laporte’s original design – white oak to match the flooring and furniture – keep the space in line with the rest of the unit. Simple, elegant fixtures don’t detract from the effect, while DuPont’s Corian allowed us to create a counter-sink combination with seamless welds. The mono-material approach to the walls, ceiling and floor adds to the spa feel.
The bathroom is the only closed space in the Laporte unit. We wanted to create a retreat, an inner keep for this timeless space. We're grateful to an excellent client for the opportunity to bring the idea to life.
