The Carpet Doesn’t Match The Drapes in This Montreal Office Interior by Ivy Studio.

When Ivy Studio began designing the new office for Montreal-based advertising agency Cardigan, the 116-square-metre ground floor and basement of a 1907 ex-bank building seemed like an ideal place. But the old building’s quirks quickly began to show.

The major challenge was the contrasting ceiling height between the two floors with the ground level’s generous 5-metre height and a below-ground ceiling height of just 2 metres and no windows. To benefit from the natural light, workstations were placed on the spacious ground level and a mezzanine was added for more intimate workspaces—leaving the closed space underneath the loft as a perfect spot for meeting and call rooms.

The intervention is subtle, an intentional choice by Ivy Studio to enhance the beautiful architectural qualities of the existing building. Entirely painted white, the design team was sure to keep existing mouldings intact to reflect the multiple stories the building has to tell. The newly-built mezzanine structure interprets the curves of the existing space without competing with them. Still fitting with its light environment, the mezzanine is covered with a perforated steel mesh—adding privacy while still letting the natural light reach into the meeting rooms.

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The basement was a whole other beast. Housing the bathrooms, kitchen, lounge and storage the design team took the opposite tact to upstairs with a more futuristic and ‘in your face’ approach. Everything is artificial and nothing is white. Bright baby blue hues cover the main kitchen area with contrasting warm orange rooms on the periphery. A neutral matte grey palette serves for the sanitary block. The spaces are all monochromatic, to increase the visual impact of their intense colours but also help camouflage the imperfections of the existing building. Reflective materials such as stainless steel, high-gloss laminate and an abundance of mirrors help brighten up the compact space.

To join the two floors together, two very different staircases can be used. The first is a classical wooden staircase that seems to have been there for the past century. The second, more minimalistic and playful with its two curved ceiling arches, was added for this renovation. To unite the two styles, they are each painted a deep navy blue.

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[Images courtesy of Ivy Studio. Photography by Alex Lesage.]