You get the sense from talking to her that everything Louise Bolduc does, she does with style. She says what she means, speaks of passion, and laughs easily. Not surprisingly, the designer's home reflects her unique and compelling mix of strong character and soft spirit. In fact, her home is a study of contrasts – light against dark, rough with smooth, and a simplicity that's also sensuous.
It wasn't always that way, though. The once-neglected house on four wildly overgrown acres fronting Lac St. Louis, west of Montreal, underwent a top-to-bottom, inside-out renovation by Bolduc, along with project manager and carpenter Serge LaMarre. Guiding the countless decisions made was the designer's clarity of vision. “I wanted an easy house, where you can walk in with your shoes on,” she says. “My house is the kind where you don't need to be careful.”
In the kitchen, for instance, the stainless-steel laminate countertop scratches easily, but Bolduc loves that it's beginning to look old and well-used. An ancient tin icebox in the dining room looks solid enough to last till the next millennium, but caught Bolduc's eye for its distressed look. “I like things that are very used, like they have some memories,” she says. The piece inspired the kitchen's tin ceiling, which Bolduc finished in a clear acrylic to preserve the material. She even drove to northern Quebec to buy the wood of a century-old barn, then worked to give it new life as rustic wainscotting, door trim and beams in the combination living/dining room. Contrasting these visually rough textures are new barefoot-friendly hardwood floors and a palette of soft-on-the-eye chalky colours.
The huge corner cupboard in the dining room is actually a reproduction. The dark wood table anchors the light palette. A simple bench (made from the wood of a 100-year-old barn) ensures there's always room for one more at the table.
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