Several years ago, Edward Brooke walked by a really cool truck parked on his street in Montreal. “It was this really beautiful, branded Grumman truck, and I just liked it, so I Googled the brand,” says Edward, a Washington, D.C., native who moved to the Canadian city 15 years ago, and works in real estate management.

His Google search led him to La Firme, a local design and construction studio cofounded by Louis Béliveau, who also designs furniture, objects, and the occasional Grumman revamp. The two hit it off, so Edward asked Béliveau to remodel the penthouse that he recently purchased in Old Montreal. They made several unconventional decisions along the way—like removing a bedroom to make way for an in-house DJ booth and recording studio.

Once that project wrapped, Edward turned his attention to a second property he owned, also located in Old Montreal, in a heritage building dating back to 1865. It’s a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,600-square-foot apartment that Edward lived in for years prior to the penthouse, started remodeling, and never quite finished.

Before: Entry

“I didn’t want to sell it,” says Edward. “I thought the property was still great and it was just hanging out, waiting. When I could afford to redo it, I felt like it should be brought up to the level of the building, in a way that it had never quite reached before.”

After: Entry

Given that the client and designer already had a long-standing relationship and enjoy pushing against convention, Edward knew just who to call. “Edward presses us a lot and he has a strong point of view—so there’s a lot of nice back-and-forth,” says Béliveau. Since the apartment would be used for guests and visiting family, rather than as Edward’s permanent residence, they could push some aspects of the design even further. “It’s like a nice candy project,” adds Béliveau.

Two main goals emerged as they reviewed the apartment’s existing plan: to iron out some awkward wall angles that wasted space, and bring in more light where possible. The apartment only has three windows on one wall, although they’re massive, arched units that stretch from the floor to the over-10-foot-high ceilings.

Before: Hallway

First, Béliveau swapped the second bedroom with the kitchen to bring the living spaces together, close to the windows. Due to the constraints of changing plumbing locations in an apartment building, La Firme kept the bathrooms were in place, but resized them to be bigger.

After: Hallway

The low ceiling heights at the dark, windowless entry sparked the home’s new design ethos: to deliberately embrace the naturally dark and light zones, and create a compression and release effect through starkly contrasting material choices.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

There’s no slow fade here, but rather, sharp lines between dark and light. The entry, encased in black paint and tile, gives way to bright living spaces wreathed in a custom grayish-white hue that matches the Corian counters in the kitchen.

After: Sauna

The new layout freed up extra space between the second bathroom and the kitchen, so Edward opted to add an amenity: a custom sauna encased in smoked glass walls. “In Montreal it’s nice to come in and have something warm to enjoy in the winter,” says Edward. “I like how it disappears when not in use.”

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Béliveau added American white oak to the ceilings and a wall of storage in the main bedroom. “Everything was so stark, and we wanted to add a bit of warmth,” he says. Meanwhile in the bathrooms, the tile, cabinetry, counters, Fantani faucets, and soaking tub are all a dark charcoal hue.

Before: Primary Bedroom Door

After: Primary Bedroom Door

Before: Primary Bedroom

After: Primary Suite

Béliveau likens the primary suite to something from the set of the movie Interstellar—like “a tunnel transporting us to a new dimension.” “It’s a weird feeling when you step out of the bathroom into the bedroom,” he says. “It’s so intense.”

More Before & After stories:

A Century-Old Row House in Montreal Gets a Glorious Renovation

An Interior Design Duo Spruce Up Their Canadian Cottage

An All-Too-’80s Condo Trades Its Popcorn Ceiling for a Chic Sunroom

Project Credits:

Architecture: La Firme Architecture / @the firm_

Builder: La Firme

Lighting Design: La Firme

Interior Design: La Firme

Cabinetry: Atelier 13

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Before & After: An Old Montreal Apartment Embraces Sharp Contrast—and a Surprise Sauna