The ask was formidable: update the Victorian-era townhouse; restore some of the period details that had been removed in an ill-conceived 1980s renovation; bring more light into the building, which had just two exposures (at the front and back); carve out a functional, client-ready office space that would feel separate from the rest of the home. And P.S., the building has a footprint of just 10 by 50 feet.
Fortunately, the architect, Michael Godmer, was more than up for the challenge. It was his house, after all. Michael shares the sliver of a home—three stories tall but skinny as can be—with his partner Mathieu Turgeon. The two had originally planned on overhauling only the kitchen, but then, in Michael’s words, “we began to scrap everything including the exterior.”
Good thing they did, because the results are transformative. Let’s take a tour of Maison Boutique Coloniale, their name for the project, and see how they turned their small and dreary townhouse in Montreal into a clean, well-lighted space suitable for work and home.
Photography by Maxime Brouillette, courtesy of Michael Godmer.
![michael and mathieu\2\17;s house, located in montreal\2\17;s plat 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-exterior1-733x1099.jpg)
![the front door leads to the ground floor, which michael has turned into his ded 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-entry1-733x1099.jpg)
![the staircase is original to the \1885 house. the couple added a tretford carpe 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-office5-733x489.jpg)
![michael in front of simple built in desks and a display of tile samples. under 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-office6-733x489.jpg)
![another ikea find: the sinnerlig cork stool designed by ilse crawford, now disc 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-office3-733x1100.jpg)
![on the other end of the floor is a conference room for visiting clients. michae 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-office4-733x489.jpg)
![the terrazzo powder room, featuring a sink from porcelanosa. 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-bathroom-733x1074.jpg)
![the kitchen, dining, and living rooms comprise the second floor. the terracotta 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-kitchen1-733x1100.jpg)
![just off the kitchen is the couple\2\17;s lush courtyard. calacatta arab 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-kitchen2-733x1099.jpg)
![the custom oak cabinetry is by Éco Ébénisterie saint dominique. 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-kitchen-733x488.jpg)
![the couple furnished their home with a mix of vintage finds, new modern pieces, 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-kitchen4-733x489.jpg)
![the long view, from the living room, toward the dining room, into the kitchen. 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-living-733x1099.jpg)
![the simple living room, with a serif tv by the bouroullec brothers for samsung. 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-living-room-733x489.jpg)
![the third floor has two bedrooms. here, simplicity abounds. a nelson bubble lam 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-bedroom1-733x1099.jpg)
![\2\20;the pink side table is custom made for our small collection of fur 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maison-boutique-coloniale-montreal-michael-godmer-house-tour-bedroom-733x1099.jpg)
For more narrow homes, see:
- Narrow Escape: Thoughtful Storage and Design in an Architect’s Small Home
- Dappled Light: A Slim, Poetic Townhouse on a Tree-Lined Square in Ghent, Belgium
- In Lisbon, a Narrow but Glamorous Marble-Clad Apartment
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