When Jean-Guy Chabauty and Chris Barrie of Atelier Moderno began tackling the space, they decided to stay true to the character and grace of the old autobody shop. "We wanted to retain the spirit and the grit of the original space as much as possible, while creating something modern, comfortable, and alluring," says Barrie. "Sometimes you really need to work to get that character." After playing with a few options for the 1,600-square-foot building, they decided to keep the existing envelope untouched, instead focusing the bulk of the $250,000 renovation project on building out an open interior that included reclaimed and rich materials.
While the building's pedigree sounded a little rough around the edges—an abandoned 1950s commercial building in Montreal's quickly changing Mile-Ex neighborhood—architects and designers Jean-Guy Chabauty and Chris Barrie felt they found a structure with grit—and renonvation potential. With their Le 205 project, the partners in Atelier Moderno made a minimalist intervention to an industrial castoff, rehabbing the space with a rich material palate and custom furniture while keeping the industrial backbone of the brick structure intact. The pair talked us through the transformation, initially used as an office but now a home for Chabauty and his family.
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