Humour and spontaneity are on display in contemporary Mont-Tremblant home

After having been greeted with cheerful smiles by Barb and Mel (who preferred their last name not be used) at their getaway home in Mont-Tremblant, it quickly became evident to me that these points couldn’t be more true.

Throughout the home, one is reminded of this couples’ easygoing personalities and whimsical sense of humour by the odd company they keep. That company includes a rooster, some pigs, a penguin and even two Mounties in uniform. Not in the flesh, of course, but as Canadian folk art sculptures and paintings. Elvis with his jet-black coiffed hair is there, too, wearing a red shirt and strumming his guitar.

Barb and Mel have been acquiring art to decorate their homes (the couple have another residence in Montreal) for 30 years.

“Folk art is our passion and omnipresent in our lives. The creativity, spontaneity, simplicity, humour and colour is what we like about this art form,” they say. Some of the smaller and medium-size pieces were purchased from Nova Scotia’s most renowned artists. The furniture-size pieces, like the dining table that can sit 10 people, were commissioned.

Inside the entryway, one can’t help but be amused by the artwork made of embedded pennies and curious objects. Barb explained that the objects came from a thrift store, and were glued one piece at a time onto an old Volkswagen car hood by Nova Scotian folk artist David Stephens. “Lots of patience was needed to create this work of art,” Barb says.

To the left, in the large living room, is an unconventional grand piano. Wrapped in red leather, it was styled by Andreas Christensen and comes from Denmark. A few feet away, a Canadian Mountie stands between two black, nondescript wooden armchairs. In the other half of the room, white upholstered sofas with colourful velour cushions stand out against the dark stained and varnished oak wood floorboards. Finely detailed carved statuettes of ladies and men in swimwear created by Donald Boudreau garnish the shelf above the gas-burning fireplace.

In the kitchen, white Shaker-style wooden cabinets that almost reach to the ceiling reflect light from recessed LED bulbs, making the space quite bright. South African black marble countertops provide a touch of contrast. Folk art sculptures of two cartoonish-looking elderly gentlemen and a lady stand on top of the island, which has four barstools featuring hand-painted Nova Scotia scenes by Charlie Norris of Lower Prospect, N.S.

The colourful pine dining set is the work of Bradford Naugler. The red and dark blue edges of the tabletop and chairs have the appearance of a checker board that frames painted scenes. A waitress and butler carved by Larry Fangy are placed near the table, setting the stage for laughter-filled conversation with guests.

Barb and Mel take great pleasure in the outdoors, and purchased the Mont-Tremblant home about 20 years ago to be close to the area’s many activities, like biking, tennis, golfing and cross-country skiing. But Barb says what really clinched the deal were the B.C. Douglas fir beams that span the family room.

“We’re originally from Vancouver, and the beams were of utmost interest, and reminded us of home.”

A shorter but slightly wider beam serves as the shelf above the fireplace’s cut-stone mantlepiece, which has a niche for storing firewood. The antique Canadiana-style rocking chair is over 100 years old. The couple commissioned Ransford Naugler (Bradford Naugler’s younger brother) to build the coffee table, the light blue hues of which are in perfect harmony with Jean-Paul Jérome’s painting above one of the white upholstered sofas. The same bold velour cushions found in the living room are perfectly matched with the intense colours of the painting. Jérôme, who died in 2004, lived in Montreal and was known for being one of the original painters in the 1955 Plasticien movement in Quebec.

The dining room’s patio doors open onto a light tan deck that’s partially covered by a dark brown pergola. The comical interior décor of the house is mirrored outside with the a carved seagull with red boots resting on a small table. The red canvas chairs add a bold punch of colour. The only architectural renovation work done on the house since the couple acquired it was the addition of a screened-in porch at the back, to better enjoy summer living with family and friends. Len Warshaw, a Montreal architect, was hired to oversee the project.

A small blue and yellow table with four high-back chairs is just right for the middle of the spacious upstairs hallway, which leads to the master bedroom. The motifs include pink and red flowers that resemble a child’s pinwheel. Leo Naugler, the youngest of the three Naugler brothers, designed it, and Mel uses it as his office desk when’s he’s at the house. Working at that desk while looking at the mountain through the window is his Shangri-La moment.

The sunken-floor master bedroom is the largest room in the house, and easily accommodates a king-size bed with an antique wrought-iron headboard and footboard. White wool carpeting covers most of the floor. The gas fireplace is encased in sandy grey and beige nuanced cut-stones, which blend well with the light-coloured decor. A pop of colour comes from two blue-toned folk art paintings. A corridor leads to a walk-in closet and en suite, which has a porthole window. I had a good chuckle when I saw Barb’s Mrs. Fabulous and Mel’s Mr. Wonderful bathrobes hanging on chrome hooks next to the shower stall, which faces the Jacuzzi mounted on a white nuanced ceramic tile podium.

In one of the guest bedrooms on the same floor, the beautifully crafted, flowery quilt on the queen-size bed is the show stealer, and in second place comes the bride and groom sculptures atop the dresser carved by Ransford Naugler. The moose painting is by Norris. The carpeting is white wool, as in the master bedroom.

Most people collect things to either keep for life, eventually sell to the highest bidder, or pass on to the the next generation. Barb and Mel have donated some pieces to the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, and the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in New Brunswick for preservation and for the benefit of others to enjoy. They wanted the names of the artists behind these colourful and whimsical folk art treasures to be known. Such a generous gesture rightfully earns them the titles of Mrs. Fabulous and Mr. Wonderful.

Source: https://bit.ly/31jjYJO