CLUB SAINT DENIS
“Her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II came here!” “She had lunch here!” These were the first impressions etched in our minds as we visited the magnificent ballroom of the club. Everything about this space was superlative, and we chose to highlight its grandeur: opulence and maximalism. Our goal was to transport visitors into another world.
The entrance, treated like an art gallery, is punctuated with subtle elements that announce the colors of the ballroom without revealing too much. All the seating, furniture, and murals were custom designed to reinforce the impact of the moldings and chandeliers already present in this century-old club, the only francophone club in Montreal at a time when social life and business were conducted almost exclusively in the language of Shakespeare. Each element becomes a surprise to be discovered, hidden within the visual richness of the whole.
CLIENT :
Denis Lefebvre
LOCATION :
Montréal, QC
YEAR :
2023
AREA:
7500 pi
DISCIPLINE :
DESIGN D'INTÉRIEUR, ARCHITECTURE
PHOTO/3D :
Maxime Brouillet
Club St-Denis marks the revival of a private club that was the social gathering point for Montreal's francophone elite for over 135 years. We designed various gathering places throughout this coworking space for members and their guests, with a maximalist ballroom at its heart as well as cellar spaces. The project takes place in a historic Victorian-era building with a significant Art Deco-style addition. Almost the entire interior had previously been stripped down. The result, which served as our backdrop, was a sterile exposed concrete office space with large glass walls, stainless steel hardware, and white-painted drywall. The ballroom was the only room to retain its original moldings but featured overly contemporary elements, notably the windows, which destroyed the space's ambiance.
INNOVATION, DESIGN, AND ORIGINALITY
The project was designed like a theatrical staging. An ascending architectural journey leads to a hidden gem: the ballroom. Upon entering the upper floor, visitors enter a concrete and glass lobby treated like an art gallery. Occasionally, elements are found here that announce the ballroom's colors, without revealing too much. A custom-made reception desk that doubles as a champagne bar sets the tone with its refined marble, brass, and lacquer details. Throughout the experience, accessories such as antique stuffed birds, works of art, and themed conference rooms coexist without stealing the show from the ballroom, which is discovered like a "Speak Easy" behind the green gate at the end of the run. This is where the magic happens.
Everything was custom-designed: the lounge sofas with their fringes, the mural developed by one of our team's artists, the woodwork with incredible detail. At the center of the room stands the massive Onyx Rosa bar with its countertop worked in layers like an inverted staircase and its back bar entirely in stone. We introduced a wide palette of patterned fabrics and wallpapers, different colored stones, different textures and colors, fine woods and brass, which we juxtaposed in unusual combinations to achieve the maximalist effect the client desired.
