If a home is a sort of theatre of life, then the kitchen arguably takes centre stage. That’s certainly true of La Firme’s remake of an Old Montreal condo: Stepping out of its dark hall and into the bright kitchen is like coming out of the wings and onto a lit dais where the scenography is a study in contrasts.

The condo extends from the black-painted and -tiled entrance to three large vaulted windows on the opposite perimeter. Flowing along this layout, the kitchen grounds the open-concept space by connecting the hall and the living room. Since the client (who had worked with La Firme on a previous Old Montreal apartment revamp) loves to cook, the architects capitalized on the linear footprint to create a galley kitchen not unlike one you’d find in a restaurant.

While the old kitchen was large, it — and the rest of the condo — had walls that were inserted at odd angles, cramping the space and interrupting the flow of light. “Now, moving around and working in the kitchen is seamless,” says Louis Béliveau, the project lead and firm co-founder. “Everyone has their own station.”

Montreal studio La Firme appointed the new kitchen with an island made from four slabs of Dedalus marble, whose dramatic streaks of black, beige, grey and green tie the room together.

The dark–light spatial drama continues in the monochrome materials. A shiny black volume abutting the kitchen offers a stark contrast to the white tones of the room’s oak floors, semi-translucent Corian counters, structural brick wall (painted to match the Corian), powder-coated steel shelving, and warm white oak ceiling. Acting as a mirror, the black-tinted glass reflects and seemingly amplifies the kitchen.

Behind the volume of black-tinted glass is a sauna that disappears from view when the internal light is turned off. Custom lighting by La Firme.

But here, La Firme added a surprising plot twist: Concealed behind the dark smoked glass wall is a sauna; when it’s not in use and the light inside is turned off, the space is imperceptible, but flick the switch and it steals the limelight.

The showstopper, otherwise, is the kitchen island. Clad in Dedalus marble, it’s a riot compared to the rest of the palette. “It’s a more intricate stone, and is the focal point of the project,” says Béliveau of the pronounced grain in light to dark greys and softer shades of brown. Yes, the island provides a work surface
and storage (including a wine cooler and a beverage fridge). But best of all, it serves up a delicious swirl recalling all the materials used by the architects, and in so doing, it manages to unify while standing out. Talk about bringing down the house.