Rejuvenation of a 1959 Split-Level Family House

I spot this split-level renovation in La Presse last weekend. Montreal-based architects Marie-Claude Hamelin and Loukas Yiacouvakis, founders of YH2 imagined this major renovation for a couple with 3 young children.

The split-level house contains 4 half-levels. It used to look like the typical split-level house built in the 1960s. Now the house does not show its age. The space planning was reinvented with an open space first floor. Quickly hiding the mess were a concern for the parents. The architects addressed this issue with simple solutions to deal with morning breakfast and when impromptu guests are coming to visit. The mess can disappear in 10 minutes. And yes, the solution is to hide it from the views.

A Family Home without Clutter

To clean up the dining room rapidly, the family got a modern kitchen cart equipped with two restaurant bus boxes. The breakfast nook hosts the toaster, coffee machine and breakfast dinnerware. Hiding appliances, TV and computers between doors provides instantly a clean look. Therefore, all members of the family can quickly leave home in the morning. You can watch a video in French where you will see in action how the family used this tricks.

It happened that as I read my RSS this morning, I spot this picture of a gas fireplace by Spark Fires on design Milk. Look at the similarities between the space planning. Do I sense a trend?

MORE:

+ Rénover un split-level: les solutions des architectes written by Lucie Lavigne – I have to warn you La Presse often archieved their article after a month of so. – Photography by David Boily for La Presse

+ FLYTTA Kitchen cart $159 USD for a wider, $229 CAD at IKEA

+ Spark Fires on Design Milk