House Tours
This Moody Montreal Home is All About Luxury
Photography, Marc Olivier Becotte.
House Tours
This Moody Montreal Home is All About Luxury
For this house in downtown Montreal, transformation was all about going luxe by embracing the shadows.
Not airy. And definitely not bright! This was the rebel mandate that greeted designer Luke Havekes when he first met one of the owners for whom he would do this full renovation and redesign. “She was adamant that the direction she wanted to go was heavy and dark,” recalls Luke. “And what I told her was, ‘I’m absolutely up for that challenge.’” So, turning to deep tones for the walls as well as richly textured fabrics for the furnishings, Luke orchestrated a moody through-line that permeates the home’s collection of open spaces. He also brought in high-impact materials, such as heavily veined stone and stormy-hued Venetian plaster, to ensure a big dose of unapologetic drama. And for visual intrigue, he gathered a collection of objects and artworks that simply could not go ignored. “This is definitely not your easy, breezy white home,” says Luke. “But it’s a deeply personal space that’s inclusive, inviting and seductively cozy. When you’re here, you get drawn into this whole other world. And you experience just how much vitality and dynamism can reside within a dark palette.”
DESIGN, Luke Havekes Design. FLOOR TILE, Ciot. CABINET, Sunpan. RUG, Ecarpetgallery. CARPETING, Y&Co. CHANDELIER, SCONCE, Currey & Company. MIRROR, Renwil.
A big, bold banister heavy with Venetian plaster leads to the open living spaces upstairs. The grid of the large-format terrazzo tile on the floor echoes the panels of glass that comprise the entryway’s towering glass wall. Sass and glamour are in no short supply here, thanks to animal-print carpeting and a gold-leafed storage cabinet.
“In a dark and moody scheme, the colour green commands attention in a way that’s wildly exhilarating.”
DINING TABLE, Luke Havekes Design. DINING CHAIRS, Sunpan. WALLPAPER, Fabricut. RUG, Ecarpetgallery. CHANDELIER, MIRROR, Renwil. WALL ART, Galerie Beauchamp.
“We intentionally designed this dining space to meld seamlessly with the adjacent hotel-inspired lounge,” says designer Luke Havekes. Rich caviar grey wallpaper makes a worthy contender for the strong imagery of the three photographs that hang behind the table. The lines of the chandelier and midcentury-style dining set are activated by the ornate pattern in the overdyed vintage rug.
“There’s all this low-slung seating in the lounge, so guests will naturally wander over for cocktails before or after a meal.”
DRAPERY, PILLOWS, Luke Havekes Design. SOFA, CHAIRS, FLOOR LAMP, Sunpan. COFFEE TABLE, OTTOMANS, ABC Carpet & Home. RUG, Y&Co.
The lounge showcases one of the home’s four bay windows. “All that effusive natural light actually emphasizes the intensity of the deep tones in the home,” says Luke. The mesh-bouclé drapes may create the impression of a diaphanous veil, but they’ve got enough textural interest to hold their own against the room’s wool rug. “There’s something about texture on texture that brings an experiential aspect to a space,” says Luke.
SHELVING, Luke Havekes Design.
A monolithic brass and metal coffee table announces the lounge. Swivel chairs with a modern-luxe silhouette are drawn up to the stately curvature of movable cocktail tables. An entire wall is devoted to intriguing objects chosen to entice guests to gaze and linger. “The shelving is a way to create three-dimensional art. Not all shelving has to be about storage,” says Luke.
Custom SOFA, PILLOWS, DRAPERY, Luke Havekes Design. KITCHEN CABINETRY, Cuisines Capriglioni. QUARTZITE COUNTERTOP AND BACKSPLASH, Ciot. OTTOMAN, LEATHER CHAIR, COUNTER STOOLS, Sunpan. SIDE TABLE, Renwil. PENDANTS, Atelier Anaka. CHANDELIER (in family room), Visual Comfort.
“Given the scale of the island, a big table here would have been redundant,” Luke says. Instead, he created a drop-in, flop-down seating area. “Going for blue leather counter stools and touches of teal in the seating area is a gorgeous way to achieve a sense of complexity in a dark-on-dark palette,” he says. A Quebec artist created the trio of hand-blown glass pendants above the island.
“The clients assumed this patagonia quartzite was only for the countertops, but I was like, ‘no, this is for the walls, too!’”
SOFA, DRAPES, PILLOWS, Luke Havekes Design. TABLE, Sunpan.
“I insisted on soft blush accents, like these sheers in the bedroom. I told my client, ‘you can’t always be Elvira!’”
In the primary bedroom’s bay window, a bouclé loveseat provides a soft landing place. Nestled nearby is a terrazzo drinks table with a concrete base, which practically eliminates the topple risk of coffee cups and wine goblets. Atelier-made pillows with detailing, such as appliqués and patchwork, are one of Luke’s signature design moves. They’re alive with individuality and dimension.
BED, Luke Havekes Design. BEDSIDE TABLE, Sunpan. QUILT, Toile Showroom. CARPETING, Y&Co. RUG, Ecarpetgallery.
The traditional lines of the Parson’s-style bed are anything but austere, thanks to its cushy dark charcoal upholstery and soft linens. “Even the carpeting in here is velvety underfoot,” says Luke, who further layered in luxe by adding a Turkish rug on top. The walls are covered in a grasscloth finish.
TILES, Ciot. SIDE TABLE, Renwil. HARDWARE, Richelieu Hardware. RUG, Ecarpetgallery.
The ensuite bathroom is finished “in glorious St. Laurent marble tile, so she’s surrounded by the sheen of pure luxury,” says Luke. The metal side table and strong lines of the room’s hardware may be in keeping with the rest of the house, but the soft curves of the soaker tub and the pedigree of the Turkish rug ensure the room feels distinctive and personal.
VANITY, Luke Havekes Design. MIRROR, Ciot.
Hanging above the midcentury-style vanity is a supersized light-up mirror that hides a huge expanse of storage. “To counter the warm wood tones of the vanity, I went with gunmetal sconces with these great anthracite-coloured shades for an instant cool factor,” says Luke.
“Lining the walls and floors in elegant, warm-toned marble tile heightens the impact of the ensuite’s sleek soaking tub.”
Paint colours of 2024
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