A two-sided fireplace divides the kitchen area and the living room.
A two-sided fireplace divides the kitchen area and the living room.
Photograph by: Allen McInnis, Montreal Gazette
Never judge a book by its cover or a home by the face it presents to the street.
At first glance, the residence at 64 Ballantine Ave. N., in the heart of Montreal West, is a striking but relatively modest example of the craggy 19th-century architectural effect known as Scottish baronial (think of a Lilliputian Royal Victoria Hospital).
On closer inspection, however — preferably at night, under the pretext of walking the family dog — a large, lit window at ground level reveals an intriguing space that might serve as a guy's clubhouse or after-hours bar. What is going on with this place?
Gain access, and all is revealed. The result of seven years' labour by architectural designer Glenn Harrison and his firm, Bildhaus, as both the Harrison family home and "an experiment for my business to play around with stuff," 64 Ballantine has one foot lovingly in its craftsman heritage, and the other firmly in the 21st century.
"The house built itself. It dictated what it was going to be," said the fiercely articulate, borderline obsessive Harrison during a walkabout of the five-level home he and his talented team of workers have re-imagined, reconfigured and renovated from the studs up, beginning in 2004 and still stressing the fine details through this past winter.
Indeed, so unrecognizable is the house, its original owner did not know whether to go up or down during a recent visit. We're going down, into that intriguing space that can be glimpsed from the street.
It's a kitchen, if kitchen remains the word to use for a site defined by an enormous work area, and a raised, double-sided fireplace that straddles kitchen and the dining room-living room beyond.
The vast granite counter is used to cook at a professional grade, an earlier Harrison occupation before choosing a hammer and computer.
"It's a big, open space," he admits, "but everything you want is within two steps."
He and his family, the long-suffering lawyer and construction cohort Mary Jeanne Phelan and their two young sons, gravitate toward the kitchen, where as many as 15 friends have pitched in cooking without killing each other.
Tools of their trade include a Liebherr refrigerator hidden behind oak doors, Bosch wall oven and Miele dishwasher. All occupy the very highest end of the appliance market and are included in the asking price.
Participants in the food prep ritual find plenty of room to consume what they've created, either at the capacious dining room table or in a family kitchen nook.
Heating here and in virtually every room, is via hotwater radiant floors, and they're mighty cosy in woolsocked feet on a cold day. Materials that conceal it are, variously, quartersawn oak with a tight grain and tiger stripe, ceramic, travertine and tile.
Swing open French doors from the dining area, and you're on a new 16-by-32foot cedar deck invisible from street level. During appropriate months, you can use the outdoor food preparation counter with two stainless-steel sinks and a natural gas BBQ outlet. Also on the ground floor is a laundry room with a second dishwasher — that was dinner dishes for 15, after all — a larch-lined wine cellar and a powder room.
This conviviality is all very well, but what about a place to sleep? Look up. Look way up. The second floor contains a den with piano Harrison calls his music room and an airy master bedroom with six windows, ensuite bathroom with two-person shower, and walk-in with teak-fitted cabinetry. There's also a second bedroom.
Move up a short flight, and the third floor holds the three remaining bedrooms, all with built-in cupboards and bookcases.
OK, so there's plenty of room to crash, but what about making a living? That would involve a descent: past the den, past the new solid-oak front door, past the mud room with built-in cubbies, past the cooking-living-dining area, past the lead-covered original door to the indoor garage, and down to a 400-square-foot area that multi-functions as family room, entertainment centre and home office.
It was the last room finished and is up to code for this century and ones to come. "Bombproof," is how Harrison describes it. Tech wonks will be happy to know its features include recessed lighting, low-voltage wiring for a home-theatre projector or wall-mount television, and HDMI wiring for 3-D and Surround Sound. For those of a less digital bent, it's a room to call home.
All of this has come at a price. When Harrison and Phelan first moved in, they camped out in the attic while the rest of the place was gutted. That lasted a year. As mentioned earlier, work on his dream project was ongoing until recently, and may still be ongoing in Harrison's busy mind.
His is a brain so engaged in the conception and creation of historically sympathetic but completely contemporary domestic living spaces, he wants to do it all over again. But this time, he's going to do it in the Eastern Townships.
johngriffin@bell.net
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