While lavish residences are usually the ones that grab the headlines, simplicity and accessibility can also inspire. In this typical Montreal apartment, the designer-owner has opted for sobriety, carefully balancing his interventions.
Posted at 12:00 p.m
“It’s not a lock,” says Louis-Philippe Pratte directly as he opens the door to his condominium for us. The industrial designer, founder of À Height d’homme (Hh), a company that designs ecological kitchens and furniture, is used to projects with big budgets, sometimes carried out in collaboration with the largest architectural firms in Montreal.
“We’ve found that we can do great renovations in Quebec, it’s fun but expensive at the same time,” he says. In doing so, he wants to send a message of “reasonableness,” in keeping with the theme of his essay The Y method — Thinking and living deconsumption, published last April.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Louis Philippe Pratte, founder of At Human Height
I think there is an escalation of the necessary magnitude [pour vivre]. I am not miserable. It’s still big for someone who lives alone.
Louis Philippe Pratte, founder of At Human Height
But maybe not for long as it’s an adoption project that could be released very soon, prompting him to move into this 1000 square foot condo.
The apartment is on the first floor of a duplex in a pretty avenue in the Verdun district and is of classic construction with parquet floors, moldings and a double bedroom at the front.
Louis-Philippe Pratte moved there at the end of the first confinement in 2020. An event that was beneficial for his property search since he made his offer to buy at the beginning of this unexpected confinement that will have led to keep the competition going.
He quickly saw potential in this apartment, which had retained its original character but needed a modernization of the kitchen and bathroom. The designer puts the total investment for this renovation at around 100,000 dollars.
Before the works
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
The bathroom before the renovation
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
The room was in fair condition but the space wasn’t optimized.
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Exhibit and choose
A believer in minimalism, he opted for a kitchen where storage is largely exposed, a step few are willing to take, he admits. But for him, this choice brings with it a friendly and European side.
It’s the idea of saying, ‘I don’t want too many’. It is necessary to choose. Every cup or so comes from a trip. Everything has a reason. I don’t need 12 wine goblets.
Louis Philippe Pratte, founder of At Human Height
On the wall he installed self-painted MDF shelves, a simple and economical arrangement whose visual impact he had underestimated himself. In particular, he exhibits his bulk jars there, an additional motivation to integrate this type of consumption into his lifestyle.
Before the works
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
Space in the kitchen has not been optimized either.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
Behind the right door is the very practical pantry.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
The living room before installing the doors, which were inserted into the existing opening.
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This choice of floor plan without traditional closets was made possible in particular by the presence of a large pantry.
The furniture design is also unusual. With research and development in mind, he opted for a kitchen without cabinets but in white oak. The designer has been questioning the box system, which requires a large amount of chipboard, for a number of years. In 2019, Hh launched a system where the caissons are replaced with a steel structure. This time he wanted to go with solid wood, with sliding shelves, to create a warm and timeless furniture effect that is not at all ostentatious and blends in well with the home.
A Japanese bathroom
Its association with wood is even more evident in the bathroom. Inspired by the Japanese style, where natural materials are very present, the space is completely covered with large panels of plywood.
PHOTO MAXIME BROUILLET SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
The bathroom is completely paneled with plywood.
PHOTO MAXIME BROUILLET SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
The skylight and the ubiquity of wood create a soothing atmosphere.
PHOTO MAXIME BROUILLET SUPPLIED BY LOUIS-PHILIPPE PRATTE
The bathroom is Japanese inspired.
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“You don’t expect that in an apartment like this,” admits Louis-Philippe Pratte. Not wanting a shower curtain, he installed retractable panels that open on either side of the bathtub shower to prevent splashing. A compromise that is not perfect as it forces him to give a rag afterwards.
There is also plywood on the floor, but if it were necessary again, he would opt for solid wood, which is more durable and just as harmonious.
Aside from the doors and windows that he replaced last summer, the only other change in the apartment is that glass and steel doors have been added to separate the two areas of the double bedroom that have different functions: the dining room/office and that of the living room. “It’s one of the things I’m most happy with. Glass adds reflection, like light. At the moment the choice is mainly aesthetic, but the possible arrival of a child could make it very useful.