Skip to main content

A Renovation Turned This Dreary Space Into a Stylish Urban Abode

If you’ve ever strolled the streets of Montreal, you know it’s a city of contradictions. While the downtown business district is packed with modern skyscrapers lining the St. Lawrence River, stepping into the surrounding historic neighborhoods is like traveling back in time to 1800s France. Narrow streets are lined with little shops, quaint cafes, and traditional European-style row houses. In this old-meets-new city, one rundown duplex received a thoroughly contemporary makeover that makes it stand out from its neighbors yet perfectly match the vibe of Montreal.

Nature Humaine

Renovated in 2019 by the team at Nature Humaine Architecture and Design, the Olivier Nelson Residence was originally a duplex row house. Sandwiched between two other homes, the interior was dark, almost cave-like, the layout wasn’t functional, and the design was dated. The team at Nature Humaine turned the structure into a brightly lit single-family home.

Nature Humaine

Focusing on an ultra-minimalist approach, the home is finished in a neutral color palette of grays and white inside and out. On the ground level, poured concrete flooring matches the gray, painted, built-in cabinetry that runs along one wall. The cabinets continue into the kitchen and are accented by stainless steel appliances and a matte black island. At the front and back of the home, large windows and sliding glass doors were installed to let in as much natural light as possible. Bright white walls help bounce the light around and highlight the architectural beauty of the central staircase, a major focal point of the design.

Nature Humaine

Designed to anchor the home, the central staircase helps direct traffic flows. On the second floor, the staircase acts as a divider between the master suite and the combination guest room/office. Brightly lit from above, the white paint combined with the open-tread design of the stairs lets light filter down to the hallway that connects the living room and kitchen on the first floor.

Natural wood elements like the white ash flooring on the second level and the built-in wood shelving on the first floor help to add a touch of warmth to the space. The only pop of color comes from the orange tile and the bright orange floating vanity used in the master bathroom. 

Outside, the minimalist aesthetic continues. Clad in dark fibro-cement panels, a striking architectural design was incorporated to add visual interest at the back of the home. Intended to look like the roof was folding down, the panels angle inward and then out again, with the dark color “wrapping” around to become the ceiling above the dining room inside. It’s a playful element that still keeps within the minimalist approach used throughout the home. 

Nature Humaine

The renovation done by Nature Humaine is certainly a stark difference from the original, but that’s what makes it so extraordinary. The team was able to take a space that wouldn’t have received a second look and turn in into a minimalist showpiece that’s the star of the neighborhood.

Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
Jeremy Allen White was born to run in the first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
The movie follows Springsteen as he makes his album 'Nebraska.'
Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Music biopics are all the rage these days, and Bruce Springsteen is the latest icon to get the treatment. The first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere sees The Bear star inhabiting the role of The Boss. The film is based on Warren's Zane's book of the same name, which focuses on the period when he was making his 1982 album Nebraska.

The film is directed by Scott Cooper, who also directed Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. In the trailer, we see White embodying Springsteen as he sings "Born to Run," and we also get a lengthy monologue from Jeremy Strong's Jon Landau as he explains why Springsteen feels the need to make this album.

Read more
Tony Soprano vs. Walter White: Who is the ultimate antihero?
TV's biggest heavyweights duke it out for the antihero crown
Breaking bad season 4 screen shot

Sports fans often debate between two heavyweight legends. For basketball, it's LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Switching to tennis, you have Roger Federer fans and Rafael Nadal diehards. Debates like these are ingrained in the culture of athletics, but TV fans have their own version of this sparring match.

Tony Soprano from The Sopranos and Walter White from Breaking Bad are the two characters who still send shockwaves through every drama in the 21st century. These men were the perfect mix of good and evil. They navigated family life and the criminal underworld with cunning intelligence and ruthless risk-taking. Every show with morally gray characters at the center owes its storyboard to Walter and Tony, but which character deserves the antihero crown? This is Tony Soprano vs. Walter White for all the marbles.
Who was the more complex character?

Read more
Learn how to smoke a pipe the proper way with our guide for beginners
Let us show you the classy way to smoke a pipe
Packing a pipe

Pipe smoking is the most aesthetically distinguished way to enjoy tobacco, but you lose the classy effect if you don’t know how to smoke a pipe properly. Smoking a pipe has become a lost art, and these days, most people who engage in pipe smoking do so to achieve a sense of nostalgia. Perhaps your grandfather enjoyed a puff now and again paired with a good stiff whiskey, or maybe your goal is to emulate a pipe-smoking artist.

I know that I enjoy a good puff on a pipe now and then, and knowing the right way to enjoy a pipe has made the experience much more pleasurable for for me. Whatever the case, if you intend to take up the time-honored tradition of unwinding with a pipe like me, you should learn how to smoke a pipe the right way. And smoking a pipe is very different than smoking a cigar (except you shouldn't be inhaling either).

Read more