October 16, 2019

IvyStudio Gives a Montreal Dry Cleaners a Parisian Pied-à-Terre Ambience

A chair by Hay sits near a hidden door to the seamstress’s office. Photography by Annie Fafard.

Lugging one’s dirty laundry to the dry cleaners isn’t exactly as glamorous as a visit to a chic Parisian pied-à-terre—but why shouldn’t it be? For Les Nettoyeurs White’s first flagship, a construction just a few years old in a residential neighborhood on the south shore of Montreal, IvyStudio took inspiration from classic French apartments. “The clients wanted the place to feel like a home,” says architect Gabrielle Rousseau, and so the team installed handmade tiles in a herringbone pattern and crafted a 14-foot-high library for White’s eco-friendly products.

A white epoxy floor echoes the branding elements across the machinery. Photography by Annie Fafard.

“With 22-foot-high ceilings,” Rousseau says, “it was a challenge to make the space feel cozy and comfortable.” The solution? “We added suspended globes to give the illusion of a lower ceiling.”

Then the design team hid doors within new molding, integrated a window for the seamstress’s counter, and installed a frosted glass strip to tease views of clothes on their way to cleaning. White’s owners, Audrey Girouard and Guillaume Germain, felt so right at home that they carried on the concept to their factory—the ultimate merci beaucoup. 

Structube chairs create seating areas just off the factory floor. Photography by Annie Fafard.
A custom ladder on a track rests upon handmade ceramic flooring by Seneca Tiles; the custom logo is powder-coated steel in a brass finish. Photography by Annie Fafard.
A Lambert et Fils chandelier descends among Seagull Lighting pendants above a cashwrap in Nero Marquina marble. Photography by Annie Fafard.
The fully-glazed exterior offers ample views of the elegant interior. Photography by Annie Fafard.

Read more: Playful Displays Enliven a Montreal Stationery Shop by IvyStudio

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