apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Awesome.

LOVE the living room, the interior architecture is so fantastic and your style work great with it. The rest of the house is lovely and the table with the books on the bottom shelf in the dining area?? is so gorgeous.

I grew up in a Spanish architectural home and I have always love the feel and warmth of mission, spanish and modern combined.

You are lucky to have this place.

Ooooh! I want to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book. This house is so relaxing and lovely.

You have so much space. Good for you.

This is an amazing space...and beautiful photographs!

Yes, an entry from Canada! Viva Montreal!

Never thought I'd read "loft" and "craftsman" in the same sentence, but I like it! Makes me feel slightly more confident of the smattering of craftsman style furniture we have in our California Eichler (MCM post and beam.)

I LOVE your textiles, especially that gorgeous suzani in the master bedroom.

This is a nice mix of well-loved items. I really think this place appears welcoming, lived-in, yet still has style. I LOVE your ceiling beams. For whatever reason, the first photo makes me think of Amsterdam. A delightful home.

oh my lord, this is lovely.

oh, how i MISS Montreal!!!! *sigh*

Nice to see we think alike: if I had a sabre tooth tiger skull to put in my bathroom, I would.

It's a lovely, "deep" home, if that makes any sense.

really beautiful home. if you've never seen it, you should look for photos of robert mapplethorpe's apartment or the christies auction catalog (after his death). he was wild for mission furniture and midcentury ceramics and glass.

mission was a modern design movement....thanks for showing how well it has held up.

Oh my goodness what a fantastic place. Your furniture is stunning, and I love the chain textile on the wall.

Amazing. My favorite house tour so far.

Lovely, livable, welcoming space, Lisa and Alex. The combination of clean-lined furniture, beautiful light, thought-provoking (and fun) art and enviable, gorgeous textiles--wow! A rare and wonderful thing: what's beautiful is also what makes the space feel like a home where a real family lives. Brilliant!

Love it. It looks well-lived-in and well-loved!

Wow... the textiles in that house are gorgeous. The whole thing looks so elegant and comfortable at the same time.

Emily

You can't beat the Old Port for amazing lofts and history! Stunning job you did, and I love the wall finish...adds a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to the whole place

Love this place. I really like the wall texture, too. I would love to know how Alex and Lisa achieved it. Plaster? It feels like warm cement to me...

i don't understand that rug-looking thing on the table? it's a really unappetizing thought.

I like the home, but when did Montreal become a Chicago/Midwest city? Toronto maybe, but Montreal?? Better in the Boston section, eh?

Hi, everyone. Thanks for the nice comments. And thanks to Regina, who kindly didn't photograph my eighth-grade son's room (a cross between Gollum's cave and the Nintendo store).

Beenee- the walls have a thin layer of pigmented plaster. It was done before we moved in, so I don't know the specifics, but it seems to be water-based. We love it because the intentional imperfection hides a lot of nicks (from the kids) and nail holes (from me constantly moving around pictures).

tara1979 - I had the same feeling, that the loft reminded me of a Dutch interior. I think it's because of the northern light. That's also why there's an oriental rug on the table -- I stole the idea from Dutch still life paintings. But don't worry, SD913 -- it's clean.

We love living in Montreal. It's like Paris, but with Dairy Queen.

This is the perfect exemple of a place with "great bones". AND it's decorate with taste.

I wish I had the money to buy a place in the Old Port. I will settle for my loft in Hochelaga for now...

Here's the info on the faux finish:

Columns: base color is Mica / #4200-53 from Sico / eggshell or velvet finish / latex applied with a brush unevenly.
When dry, apply natural white from Sico or any other brand / eggshell or velvet finish with a white cloth that is damp with water ( the best cloth are cotton towels ).
 
Walls: base color is Brocart / #4123-31 from Sico / eggshell or velvet finish / latex applied with a brush unevenly.
When dry mix Mica / #4200-53 and Crystalex varnish from Sico latex base / satin finish
1 part Mica for 3 parts varnish and apply with a cloth or a brush.
 
All metal frames like sprinklers / metal door frames / ceiling access / elevator door ...
Paint is Gris moiré / #4152-21 from Sico / alkyd base / pearl finish

I should have known Alex would have all the particulars about the walls. . .

one of the best house tours ever

Lisa -- You have amazing taste in photography! ;)

Can't wait to visit Montreal and see your lovely apartment in person.

lisa hunter (montreal) -

again love the house...but bag the dairy queen. i'm sure you know it, but if not, i recommend a trip over to outremont and bilboquet. simply the best ice cream in north america. (i never understood ben and jerry's in the old port with this native son around). it's probably not to late to order an ice cream buche de noel. i recommend maple and chocolate orange though you really can't go wrong with any of their flavors. i miss montreal at christmas.

Not to worry, healthyhome -- there's a new Bilboquet right on my street, and I sometimes wonder if their market research didn't specifically target our ice-cream-loving household. :-)

I la la la love this house, I love the way you used chain mail armor as art, and all the lovely quirky photos. The space is amazing!

I sympathize with the big tv, but i agree that when a home is as lovely as this, people won't notice.

Inspiring!
I can see that the home blossomed out of your own personal taste, quite uneffected and unaffected by fad.
Indeed, the word "home" seem so suitable, for no attempts are made to cover up the personalities of family members, for the sake of a design statement.
I wish that there was a full frontal photo of the painting with the kerchiefed women. The other artwork and photos (as much as I can see) are thought inspiring as well.

I love your house! The pillars and rafters are my favorite, and I love the Mission look, and the mix of quilts and old southwestern rugs. It's so beautiful, comforting and cozy. It makes me homesick!

Oh my gosh, I wish I had seen this sooner! This is exactly what I've been trying to describe to my husband! He's more likely to go with the loft/industrial set up and I love the craftsman/mission/victorian stuff. He and I love both looks, but it's been so hard to find something that would incorporate them! Great great bones in this place. I can't wait to show him!

Warm, complex, earth, lovely. And a little sweet.

dunklekatze- Many of the original Soho lofts had antiques. If you look through 70s era design books, you'll see lots of inspiring ways to mix Victorian furniture and industrial spaces

In our case, we moved to the old historic part of Montreal because we love old things. So we didn't want sleek modernism (which is what we both grew up with).