When you wind your way up Mont Suisse in Saint Sauveur des Monts, you keep your eyes on the road. The switchbacks and hairpin turn hold your attention until you arrive at the very top. But once there, it’s something else that makes you hold your breath.
The vista below peeks through the trees, and through the glass portico of a house perched at the edge of the valley. It draws you in. And once inside, the view spreads out like a billowing blanket of green in summer and a fairy tale of twinkling white in winter. Gazing out at the view, you begin to make connections.
The silver roof and spire of the cathedral in the village below, are echoed in the standing steel roof and siding of one wing of the house.
The historic auberges that dot the landscape are an inspiration for the cedar-shingled roof and siding of the other wing.
The windows too, all square, arranged in an even row or stacked like hay bales, speak of the heritage of barns where livestock once huddled for the winter.
These days, the valley is given over to ski hills on all sides. The village bustles with festive après-ski destinations. But if cozying up by the fire, or sipping hot cocoa on the terrace is more your style, then you can’t top this house at the summit.
A local artisan created the distressed steel entrance door that opens into a broad entrance. Featured is a cantilevered bench and ranks of coat hooks salvaged from the old Bellevue ski chalet in nearby Morin Heights.
Space is a perfect dumping ground for gear in any season and the more the merrier. The open concept living area beyond is designed for gathering, too.
The home sleeps eight in four private suites but can welcome many more for parties around the custom-made oak table and the massive kitchen island.
The walls and cathedral ceiling are a wood plank, and from the rafters hangs a custom lamp construction. The entrance level floors are clad with oversized porcelain tile that reads like a concrete slab extending through the building from the front terrace to back.
A few steps below hardwood floors stretch through the house and into the bedrooms. A glass-enclosed staircase allows unobstructed views of the valley from anywhere in the house.
This scenic perch was built on the foundations of a tired 1960s Swiss chalet. Originally acquired as a guesthouse to the adjacent home, the family ultimately chose the bright welcoming space as their sole retreat.
Photo credit: Adrien Williams
Designed by: Jane Hope
Technical Info
- Photographs by Adrien Williams
- Building and interiors design: Jane Hope
- Construction and hand finishing: Dominic Toutant Contracteur, Morin Heights
- Entrance door: Custom by artist Jean-Yves Côté, Morin Heights
- Glass doors: Reynaers by Distribution P. Levesque, Montreal
- Glass railing: Vitrerie des Monts, Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts
- Staircase: Centre de l’escalier Signature, Terrebonne
- Interior doors: Menuiserie des Pins, Longueuil
- Door hardware: Par le trou de la serrure, Montreal
- Porcelain floors: Statale 9 Grigio Cemento Work, by Stonetile, Toronto and Montreal
- Porcelain walls: Azulej Nero Cubo and Estrela, by Stonetile, Toronto and Montreal
- Hardwood: Regency Oak, Gloucester, by Stonetile, Toronto and Montreal
- Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry: Denis Couture, Montreal
- Kitchen and bathroom fixtures: Rubi, Kohler, by Batimat, Montreal
- Appliances: Signature Bachand, Montreal
- Dining table: Custom by Treebone, Montreal
- Sofa and Ottoman: Custom by Perez Furniture, Montreal
- Club chairs and Coffee table: Maison Corbeil, Laval
- Dining chairs, Bar stools, Bedroom chairs: West Elm
- Bedside tables: EQ3
- Carpet: West Elm
- Dining room suspension: Custom by Robert Franco, Montreal
- Quilts: Custom by Red Barn Quilts (Etsy)
- All table and floor lamps: West Elm
- Kitchen suspension: Compendium by Luceplan
- Interior and exterior wall sconces: Rubix by WAC Lighting
- Landscaping: Au Coin du Jardin, Saint Sauveur des Monts
- Press distribution: v2com
About Jane Hope
Jane Hope is the co-founder of TAXI, one of the world’s most recognized creative advertising agencies. Jane led TAXI Design from 1992-2011 in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, New York and Amsterdam.
Since 2011, Jane has found inspiration in writing fiction. She is grateful for support from the editors and agents who have provided feedback and encouragement along the way. In her spare time, Jane has designed homes for clients in Canada, the US and Mexico, and collaborated with local designers to create jewelry and lighting.
Jane is the Marketing Chair of Code Life, the Montreal General Hospital Foundation, a founding member and Director of Philantropy for Ruisseau Jackson, Aire Naturelle Protégée, and co-founder of the Voila Foundation, that uses creative thinking to affect social change. Jane lives in Toronto and New York.
