{"id":38475,"date":"2026-05-09T13:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T13:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/38475\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T13:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T13:51:10","slug":"montreal-designers-work-with-pew-wood-for-convent-conversion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/38475\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal designers work with pew wood for convent conversion"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of a larger reuse project of a former convent in Montreal<\/a>, curatorial collective Nouveau Milieu has commissioned design objects repurposed from the pews, which were showcased during Montreal Design Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fourteen designers took part in the Mati\u00e8re Sensible exhibition, crafting furniture, decor, and conceptual works from reused pews from the Convent of the Franciscans in Montreal’s Rosemont-East neighbourhood, where the works were exhibited.<\/p>\n

\"MontrealA convent in Montreal has converted to an arts space where a recent exhibition was staged<\/p>\n

The project was sparked by local non-profit Entremise<\/a>‘s purchase of the convent. Entremise, working with material consultants Surcy<\/a>, began to organise and sell aspects of the property, such as furniture, millwork and even parts of the structure like rare greystone, to fund arts initiatives.<\/p>\n

“The goal is to give a new life to this magnificent piece of local heritage, brimming with memories, and transform it into a mixed-use and socially inclusive project, an act of redevelopment that would guarantee an affordable, permanent place for the local community in perpetuity,” said Entremise.<\/p>\n

\"PewsThe original pews from the convent were the material for the Mati\u00e8re Sensible exhibition<\/p>\n

From here, Entremise tasked Nouveau Milieu<\/a> with curating an exhibition where designers used the property’s red oak pews to create new works.<\/p>\n

Arranged in the enclosed, vaulted cloisters of the convent, which was built in the early 20th century, the works contrast with the bright coloured flooring, highlighting the material quality of the red oak.<\/p>\n

Some of the pieces saw the wood used with the marks of decades of use in worship, while other designers refinished the wood and transformed the material into pieces far away from the original form.<\/p>\n

\"ExhibitionDesigners took the wood from the pews and converted it into new design pieces<\/p>\n

Examples of designs where makers only made small changes were reformatted seats by Samuel Chevalier<\/a> and a desk by Giuseppe Arcuri<\/a>. In these pieces, many of the former cuts and shapes of the wood pieces were preserved and rearranged in clever ways, like puzzle pieces.<\/p>\n

Designer Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Gagnon<\/a>\u00a0created a desk, re-milling the wood to create a sleek form, showing the potential for reuse. Zelie Delespierre<\/a> also remilled the wood, creating lathed elements for a multi-piece side table. Alex Lazarey created a paravent guided by the shape of the wood.<\/p>\n

\"Wood\u00c9milie Godin created a floor lamp using sheet music<\/p>\n

Some designers took the opportunity to reframe the pieces as devotional objects. Designer Shahneli Mejika<\/a> covered a hexagonal base made of wood with a leather top meant to hold incense.<\/p>\n

Some of the designers chose to stain or otherwise augment the wood. Millor Studio<\/a> converted the wood into stained lamps, while Igor Zigor<\/a> charred the wood for an expressive stool.<\/p>\n

\"MontrealThe designers created devotional and functional objects<\/p>\n

Other lighting designs included a series of floor lamps and sconces by Trousseau.<\/p>\n

Some designers chose to combine the devotional with lighting. Jeremy Le Chatelier<\/a> took small pieces of wood, stacking them in slats into a pyramid with a light at the bottom. Near the top, Le Chatelier included small models of the original pews, paying homage.<\/p>\n

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Skolnick Architecture converts historic Hamptons church into an arts centre\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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One of the most impressive designs, combining the conceptual with the functional, was a floor lamp by \u00c9milie Godin<\/a>, who bent the wood so that vertical slats became supports. Between the slats stretched musical sheet paper were used as shades for an interior light.<\/p>\n

J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Dussault-Lefebvre<\/a> and S\u00e9bastien Roy<\/a> tested the strength of the material, creating and putting weight on rafters to show potential for reuse in structural applications.<\/p>\n

\"MontrealStructural experiments were included<\/p>\n

Elsewhere during the inaugural Montreal Design Week, a group of students at Concordia University reused fabric from the Montreal Olympic Stadium roof, turning it into furniture<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Margaux Pommier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mati\u00e8re Sensible was on show from 1 to 3 May in Montreal. For more events and exhibitions in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n