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My Houzz: Creative Reuse Befits a Montreal Live-Work Loft
Glean ideas from this Canadian couple's many DIY projects or just admire their eclectic decorating flair
I am a home tour contributor for Houzz and am very inspired by anything design related. I believe a home should fulfill the functional needs of the the homeowner as well as portray their character. I live in Montreal and feel that our city is unique in its strong sense of art and culture.
I am a home tour contributor for Houzz and am very inspired by anything... More »
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Phillip Shapiro and Lina Santella appreciate a blank canvas. As two of the first residential inhabitants in a five-story 1909 Montreal building — it was once a spinning factory, since abandoned — the couple chose two floors in a prime sun-soaked corner overlooking the Lachine Canal to set up their custom upholstery workshop, showroom and open-concept loft.
Shapiro has a background in fashion design and upholstery, and Santella is a hairdresser-turned-artist who repurposes mementos into furnishings. Almost every piece in their home is a custom DIY project — as is the layout. After living in their loft for 16 years, the couple recently downsized their living space by half, building a wall and blasting out bricked-up windows.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Phillip Shapiro and Lina Santella
Location: Montreal
Size: 1,500-square-foot loft plus showroom and workshop downstairs; 1 1/2 bathrooms
That's interesting: The building was once a spinning factory.
Shapiro has a background in fashion design and upholstery, and Santella is a hairdresser-turned-artist who repurposes mementos into furnishings. Almost every piece in their home is a custom DIY project — as is the layout. After living in their loft for 16 years, the couple recently downsized their living space by half, building a wall and blasting out bricked-up windows.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Phillip Shapiro and Lina Santella
Location: Montreal
Size: 1,500-square-foot loft plus showroom and workshop downstairs; 1 1/2 bathrooms
That's interesting: The building was once a spinning factory.
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| Natural light was at the top of Santella's list of renovation must-haves. The couple blew out the bricks covering the window on the right when they downsized. Their open loft boasts 18-foot ceilings, with exposed beams. Mosaic skull artwork: Hayes Nulman |
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| Most of the furnishings in the couple's loft are DIY projects, including this massive media unit made from their old headboard. Santella and Shapiro built it in their woodshop with cutouts for DVDs and speakers. Storage cupboards flank the repurposed headboard. Artwork: Corno (center), scultpure (left) by Edith Brodkin |
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A gallery of art lines the entry hall. Santella made the floor lamp using a tempered glass tabletop and two large pieces of horsehair interlining. The bench is also a DIY project, made by repurposing the legs of an old snooker table.
Artwork: framed monkey poster, Anisetta Evangelisti by Carlo Biscaretti, L'affichiste
Artwork: framed monkey poster, Anisetta Evangelisti by Carlo Biscaretti, L'affichiste
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| The couple built their workspace over steel horizontal filing drawers. The area includes separate his-and-her sections, matching reupholstered chairs and a printer on wheels tucked under the desk. A yellow tinted glass worktop highlights photos and cards, while empty frames made by Santella hang above. |
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Santella uses a photography daylighting lamp to work on her art.
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| For their living room lounge, Santella designed an ottoman with dual functions. It can be moved and used as an arm for each sofa or as an extra sitting area that faces her workspace. |
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A spinning circular sofa sits in the far corner of the living room. On the wall hangs a framed collection of crosses Santella has accumulated over the years.
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An exercise corner was set up right near the large windows looking out at a view of the city. Santella tucks away some equipment in a large chest nearby.
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| Framed art from fruit crates, collected on a road trip down Route 1 in California, lines the top of the kitchen cabinets. Frosted-glass cabinets with interior lighting add to the L-shaped kitchen's open feel, while the stainless steel island provides extra storage space. The rug in the kitchen was handwoven by artisans in Maine from old T-shirts. |
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| The couple went vertical with their storage to save space, including hanging pots and pans. This view also shows the staircase and mezzanine level in the back. |
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| During Montreal's infamous 1998 ice storm, Shapiro helped pick up fallen barns of Quebec's farmers and used some of the barn wood to build their dining table. It was recently cut short to better fit the room and is now surrounded by avant-garde chairs. Santella says, "We like the contrast of modern and old. We like mixing whatever works." |
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| The unit's only full bathroom doubles as a hairdressing salon for Santella's occasional client. |
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| Shapiro's rubber ducky collection keeps watch over the bathtub. |
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| Along the hallway, a set of stairs leads up to the bedroom, a bathroom and a laundry room. The decal on the wall captures one of the couple's life mottoes. |
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| This niche sits at the top of the mezzanine stairs, complete with a custom-made houndstooth chair and some artwork from Shapiro's mother. |
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| The couple plans to build a frame on the wall behind their bed in the master bedroom and enclose the wall-to-wall open closet with curtains. |
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| They built this large sink into a wooden base themselves for an extra-sturdy laundry room setup. |
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| Downstairs from the loft, Shapiro's L'Atelier Mirage showroom showcases his custom chairs. |
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| Pictured here is Shapiro's framing shop. "When I see the wood stacked up," he says, "I can imagine endless possibilities of what can be created." |
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| Shapiro, shown here, also enjoys playing music, and he created a small cordoned area in his showroom to hold his 12 guitars, recording software and amp. "While Lina wants light, I like dark," he says. He is often found playing chords in complete darkness. |
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| Phillip Shapiro and Lina Santella relax in their living room. See more photos of this loft | Share your creative space with us |
Ideabook published on Jan. 27, 2013.
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Your place looks fantastic guys!