Luce Beaulieu and Régis Carlo saw beyond dated style and a cramped setup when they purchased the ground-floor and cellar levels of a duplex in Montreal’s Côte-Saint-Paul district. The older couple who had previously owned the house had hardly touched it in years, and the dwelling was in dire need of an update. “My inclination was to paint everything white,” says Carlo, laughing.
Tapping into Beaulieu’s creative heritage (she studied graphic design), the few transformed their family home into a colorful wonderland. They eliminated wall paneling and repurposed it to make headboards and other custom projects, and created a personalized accent wall from a picture wallpaper-like canvas by a local artist. “My wife convinced me to be adventurous,” says Carlo, a planner in the Canadian Space Agency. “I am happy we did; I love our home the way it’s now.”
in a Glance
Who lives here: Luce Beaulieu, Régis Carlo and their kid, Elouan
Location: Côte-Saint-Paul district of Montreal
Size: About 2,500 square feet; 3 bedrooms, two baths
Year constructed: 1954
Laura Garner
The ground floor is now a light-filled, towering space — nothing like the first. Keeping only the floor, the few demolished three walls to open up the kitchen and living room space. The original kitchen cabinetry — a plain, off-white melamine — has been replaced with a mixture of high-gloss white laminate and stainless steel, with a little natural wood for heat.
Beaulieu and Carlo added an island out of Ikea with stainless steel cupboard fronts for simple cleanup. This is now the family’s favorite place in the home. “It’s where we operate, where we cook and where friends gather when we’ve got them over. It’s the core of our home,” says Beaulieu.
Cabinets, island: Ikea
Laura Garner
Carlo admits his wife has all the design talent. “Of coursewe make our decisions together,” he states,”but it is all about having confidence in one another’s decisions. Most people would shy away from bright colours in the house, although not Luce. It’s surprising, and it seems amazing.”
When it came to those colour options, Beaulieu sought advice from a feng shui consultant. The few proceeded with lime green, which represents earth, and a vibrant purple, representing fire, to wrap the primary floor. The open shelves have been cut out of butcher block left over in the countertops.
Laura Garner
Beaulieu’s decorating design is a mixture of classic midcentury modern furniture, like this dining room, and authentic art and thrift store finds. “I also try to go with a fashion I know my family and I will love for seven or eight years,” she states. “It’s a question of market, but also of being ecoresponsible.”
The dining space hosts many of the treasures and vintage pieces that Beaulieu has collected through the years, such as a dressmaker type that retains bags and purses, and a secondhand midcentury-style pendant light. Personal touches, like their kid’s original art, add even more colour.
Dining place: Galerie Danoise
Laura Garner
Beaulieu committed a wall of the dining room to a bold canvas mural painted by Montreal artist Carlito Dalceggio. The piece, titled “Seaside Philosophic Chinese Soup Ritual and Other Useless Daily Rotations,” is affixed to the wall. The mural acts as a backdrop for more vintage items Beaulieu has collected through the years.
Laura Garner
As a graphic designer, Beaulieu doesn’t shy away from incorporating bold colour choices and fun patterns. She painted this wardrobe and stenciled onto a pattern to match the colours in the adjoining chambers.
Laura Garner
Elouan’s bedroom mixes antique furniture bits and playful contemporary items, together with the idea that the space will still work for him if he gets old. The rocking chair is a family heirloom, and has been the exact same seat that Beaulieu’s mum used to rock her in as a infant.
The large wooden wardrobe was inherited from Beaulieu’s favorite uncle; she updated the vintage metal doctor’s cupboard in the corner having a coat of gray paint.
Bed textiles: Collette Bream
Laura Garner
The background in Elouan’s room is a 1930s block printing that Beaulieu purchased in New York. “We place the background up in this room before our son was born. I knew I had to integrate it into my home somehow,” she states.
Fun examples and prints bought at the Montreal artwork flea market Puces Pop provide the room a playful vibe.
Background: Secondhand Rose; playhouse: My Pretty Playhouse, Boutique Cascades; bed: Ikea
Laura Garner
The original bathroom was almost a deal breaker for the couple. “It was so modest, and I did not know if anything can be done to save it,” says Beaulieu.
Once they started renovating, the few felt as though they struck gold. “We discovered a skylight in the ceiling that was concealed behind the toilet’s wall,” Beaulieu says. “We took the walls down, which made all the difference. It sensed three times larger, and it gave us a opportunity to redesign the layout completely.”
Laura Garner
The couple opted for an open shower layout with black floor-to-ceiling tile, to provide the white toilet a little bit of contrast.
Laura Garner
“I was seeking Scandinavian teak furniture for the living room, and I discovered this turquoise set on the Internet for an unbelievable cost,” says Beaulieu. Though she had to drive three hours to pick it up, it was well worth it.
The room is used as a family room, so the couple bought a kid-friendly foam puzzle-piece floor mat, which provides a soft landing pad for their son.
Laura Garner
Two open-plan bedrooms (his-and-her style) are located in the cellar. A painted chalkboard divider wall separates the spaces and contains storage on both sides. Additionally, it serves as a place for inspirational quotes and messages. This informative article, written in Frenchtranslates as:”I am at the source of all that occurs in my life and I have the complete ability to now produce a free and satisfying life. Life is beautiful, I accept every person for who they are, I am free.”
Laura Garner
Although located in the cellar of the duplex, this bedroom feels anything but dim. Beaulieu and Carlo kept some of the original wood paneling as a rustic accent, and eliminated other parts to produce their custom bed frames.
Pillow: Anthropologie
Laura Garner
Another furniture pieces are a mixture of vintage and found things. “I have always made the time to look for particular pieces in thrift shops, or brocantes. It’s so satisfying to locate a great-looking lamp for $15!” States Beaulieu of her nightstand lamp.
Pillows: Etsy
Laura Garner
The bedroom reading corner is furnished entirely with vintage and artisan things in interesting textures to offset the rustic wood paneling.
Pillow: Anthropologie
Laura Garner
The previous homeowners left this mint-condition midcentury seat behind for the few to keep, while the wardrobe is an inherited vintage slice from Beaulieu’s family. “I love antiques, and I love family furniture that has a story,” she states. “I’ve always made a point of maintaining those pieces and making them operate in the houses I’ve had.”
Laura Garner
This second master bedroom, utilized by Carlo, after was a dim basement pub. It’s flanked by floor-to-ceiling shelving components that house the couple’s ever-growing literature and media collection. Beaulieu made the art that sits on the headboard.
Laura Garner
Beaulieu’s advice to other homeowners:”Be careful to lighten your weight on the earth by selecting long-lasting, ecofriendly finishes and materials.” The bedroom is a great example of that; the bed headboard and frame are made from recycled timber paneling.
Laura Garner
The couple salvaged timber from older wardrobe units to produce the paneling on the bathroom wall and created a custom shower.
Laura Garner
Beaulieu and Carlo made this custom toilet mirror out of the older wall paneling.
Vanity: Godmorgon, Ikea
Laura Garner
The few turned what Beaulieu explains as”a grungy, dirty woodworking space” into a clean laundry room.
Laura Garner
They splurged on a new steel and glass front door. “It’s amazing how it changes the whole feel of the place,” says Carlo.
Door: Fenestration Vitrerie Pros
Laura Garner
The household cherishes their time in the garden, where they tend to the capsule and tomato plants lining their back fence. “Making organic food develop — it is what we love about gardening,” says Carlo.
Laura Garner
“I believe our proudest moment as homeowners had to be if the garden layout — including the garden and sand boxes that we constructed — was eventually done,” says Beaulieu. “We looked at each other and said, ‘We made it! No more house projects!'”
Please reveal your colorful home!
Browse more houses by design:
Little Homes | Colorful Homes | Eclectic Homes | Modern Homes | Contemporary Homes
Midcentury Homes | Ranch Homes | Conventional Homes | Barn Homes
Townhouses | Apartments | Lofts | Vacation Homes