Open-Plan Living in a Converted Shoe-Factory Condo

Open-Plan Living in a Converted Shoe-Factory Condo

Downsizing is challenging enough for some homeowners. However, Roy Caro, co-owner of Montreal furniture store Celadon, took on two challenges at the same time: going into half the living room he was used to and adding a full-scale remodel.

In 2010 Caro moved from a 2,300-square-foot duplex at the middle of Montreal into a 1,100-square-foot condo place at a hundred-year-old converted shoe factory in the East End. Similar to the building’s own transformation, Caro gave his distance new lifestyle by gutting the interior, tearing walls down and offering what was a two-bedroom unit that an open floor plan. Now light floods in from two full walls of windows, illuminating a interior made to reflect his global upbringing, which includes a youth in Madrid and also a decade at Caracas, Venezuela.

in a Glance

Who lives here: Roy Caro
Location:
Montreal
Size: 1,100 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bath
Total budget: $110,000 Canadian (roughly US$107,000)

Esther Hershcovich

Caro picked Thomas O’Brien sofas for the main living space. Their slipcovers can be easily removed and laundered.

Three Japanese ink sheets, part of a set of five that Caro purchased in Paris, hang on a sliver of wall space.

Esther Hershcovich

Caro took walls down to open the condo. He then put in dropped ceilings painted in a dark gray to define the distance.

2 bookshelves by Belgian designer Paul Delaisse are stacked on top of one another to create a stunning focal point. The caramel-colored leather club chair is Caro’s favorite place for relaxing.

Ceiling paint: London Clay, Farrow & Ball

Esther Hershcovich

Glass display cases show off Caro’s toy cars, some of which he’s had since he was 5. Books reflect his love of style, cooking and traveling.

Esther Hershcovich

Two Japanese ink drawings from precisely the exact same place as in the living area hang at the condominium’s entry.

Mirror: Kingwood, Celadon

Esther Hershcovich

After demolishing a wall opposite the entry, Caro additional a freestanding walnut shelf by Calvin Klein Home. “I wanted to leave some solitude, therefore someone standing in my door can not see completely into my home,” he says.

Esther Hershcovich

A Biedermeier desk, Caro’s workspace, faces the windows. The sculpture is a replica of a marble made by 19th-century artist Auguste Clésinger that’s now in the Musée D’Orsay at Paris. Caro’s dad bought this one in an auction.

Esther Hershcovich

His elegant dining area is ready to entertain. It boasts a large oval Dakota glass dining table made by Julian Chichester and six Oly chairs, four of which have custom slipcovers.

Esther Hershcovich

Matte glass panels make up the buffet in the close of the table. It displays a cherished plate hand crafted in Venezuela. A teak tree root shaped to a sphere gives the decoration scheme an earthy feel.

Esther Hershcovich

Caro took good advantage of his unit’s 13-foot ceilings when designing his kitchen. He keeps supplies used less frequently up high and everyday items within arm’s reach. The hood and electrical range are built in, flush with the rest of the gleaming cabinetry.

Kitchen remodel budget: $40,000 Canadian (US$38,972)

Esther Hershcovich

In the unit’s sole bedroom, a thin shelf above the mattress retains some of Caro’s favorite artwork. “In this manner there aren’t any holes in the wall when you want to alter it,” he says.

Esther Hershcovich

Frank Lefebvre made this prototype wooden dresser. Each of those 3 drawers can be opened by pulling a log, which serves as its own handle. Each individual drawer holds another hidden drawer.

Esther Hershcovich

More collected artwork hangs over a Biedermeier-style chest of drawers and a classic cauldron from Persia.

Esther Hershcovich

Caro’s dad bought the trumeau mirror above the fireplace in the 1950s. The painting above the mirror, titled”La danseuse Camargo,” is a 18th-century slice from rococo artist Nicolas Lancret that has been with Caro for more than 25 years.

Esther Hershcovich

A tempered piece of silver replaced a wall in the master bedroom. The interior door on the left leads to a walk in cupboard and the master bedroom.

Esther Hershcovich

Caro chose dark colours for the bathroom. The walk-in shower has a similar smoked glass. A dresser facing the shower provides storage.

Bathroom remodel budget: $15,000 Canadian (US$14,615)

Esther Hershcovich

Throughout the renovation Caro built this wall nook for his accessories. The framed quote displayed in the centre reads,”Whether you think you can or you can not, you are correct.”

Esther Hershcovich

“I really like this home, therefore it will be a while until I get the desire to move,” says Caro, shown here. “it’s so full of light ; the ceilings are so high that you have a wonderful sense of space”

See more photos of the home

See related