Slideshow: Multi-purposed ‘woodblock’ is focal point of Montreal home remodel
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Clef de Voute fabricated this stunning floor-to-ceiling, multi-purpose “woodblock” that serves as a partition separating the dining room and bathroom with lots of integrated storage space.

Photo By Raphaël Thibodeau

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The final design for adding custom woodwork to the open floor plan was one of collaboration between the architect and manufacturing design teams..

Photo By Raphaël Thibodeau

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The bathroom vanity is also constructed with white oak veneer finished with the same durable, clear matte coating. The countertop and sink are Corian.

Photo By Raphaël Thibodeau

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The white kitchen cabinets are painted MDF using a polyurethane lacquer matte finish. They are juxtaposed by the black island sporting a countertop featuring a Dackor high-pressure laminate. 
 

Photo By Raphaël Thibodeau

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The woodblock features concealed finger grips that provide access to storage spaces on the dining room side and the bathroom entrance from the hallway.

Photo By Raphaël Thibodeau

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On the side opposite of the dining room, the woodblock serves as the walls to a staircase that descends to the remodeled basement.

Photo By Raphaël Thibodeau

MONTREAL -- “Seamless” and “connected” are two words that Laurent Goyette uses to describe the custom woodwork his company, Clef de Voute, rendered for the owners of a detached duplex in the Rosemont district of Montreal.

Goyette and his team worked closely with Paul Bernier Architect, a contemporary architecture firm known for its emphasis on natural light and careful attention to the selection and assembly of materials. Goyette says the final design for adding custom woodwork to the open floor plan was one of collaboration. The architect created the initial scheme but left the final details and execution of the design to the craftsmen of Clef de Voute.

In addition to the kitchen cabinets, island, and bathroom vanity, the Montreal-based custom woodworking company fabricated a stunning floor-to-ceiling, multi-purpose “woodblock” that serves as a partition separating the dining room and bathroom with lots of integrated storage space.

The enclosure was crafted using white oak veneer with a clear matte finish to match the oak floor. It features panels with concealed finger grips. “Everything is seamless, so you don’t see inside the cabinet,” Goyette says. “On the dining room side, doors open up for storage with adjustable shelves and a bar. The partition also conceals piping and tubes for ventilating the house.”

Similarly, concealed finger grips are used to open the bathroom door. The bathroom vanity is also constructed with white oak veneer finished with the same durable, clear matte coating. The vanity is topped by a Corian countertop with a built-in Corian sink.

On the side opposite of the dining room, the woodblock serves as the walls to a staircase that descends to the remodeled basement. “We also did the staircase and lots of custom woodwork including the kitchen cabinets. Everything is connected,” Goyette says.

The white kitchen cabinets are painted MDF using a polyurethane lacquer matte finish. They are juxtaposed by the black island sporting a countertop featuring a Dackor high-pressure laminate. 

Goyette said his nine-man shop completed the project in phases over about a six-month period, including performing most of the installation. 

“I really enjoyed doing the whole project because it uses the same idea of connectivity and seamlessness everywhere. It seems simple, but you don’t see everything that we did,” Goyette says. “This was a true collaboration. The architect handed us this concept and left it to us to work out the details based on our knowledge of making something durable, visual, and at a reasonable cost. I’m still in touch with the clients and they are very happy with the design.”

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Rich Christianson | President/Owner/C-Level

Rich Christianson is the owner of Richson Media LLC, a Chicago-based communications firm focused on the industrial woodworking sector. Rich is the former long-time editorial director and associate publisher of Woodworking Network. During his nearly 35-year career, Rich has toured more than 250 woodworking operations throughout North America, Europe and Asia and has written extensively on woodworking technology, design and supply trends. He has also directed and promoted dozens of woodworking trade shows, conferences and seminars including the Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo and the Woodworking Machinery & Supply Conference & Expo, Canada’s largest woodworking show.