My favorite work | flowers and music

We all have a favorite place at home. People make us find their favorite sections.

By their own admission, Diane and Daniel didn’t feel an immediate attraction to their typical 1960s bungalow.

“The sun was coming from everywhere in the dining room,” recalls Diane Legros, still awestruck then, ten years later. “Three walls are glazed. The room is bright at any time of the day. When I saw that, I immediately said to myself: ‘This is our home. »

At the time, this dapper fifties had just sold his house in the Rosemont district to live with his new husband in Beloeil. He loves her flirty shoebox, where she lived with her daughter for 13 years, for her comfort and privacy. However, this small house has a serious flaw: natural light is sparse. To her great regret, Diane even had to part with the indoor plants she had cherished for years.

“It was a big loss for me. My African violets were given to me by my ex-mother-in-law when I was in college at Sherbrooke. My plants have followed me with every move, at every stage of my life. That’s part of my story,” said the school’s publishing project manager.

“That’s why I want to live in the light from now on. Those were my first house hunting criteria. All this sunlight has allowed me to relaunch my plant cultivation,” he continued.

The result is magnificent. Today, the dining area really resembles an interior garden. On the large window sills, Diane’s magnificent orchids, spathiphyllum, anthurium and geraniums rub against her beloved crassula, cacti, hibiscus and begonia maculata. Indeed, the latter also discovered a love for greenery.

“I water his plants, he waters mine. The kids think we’re so cute,” laughs Diane.

The generous fenestration not only preserves all these beneficial properties. The hotel also offers guests an unstoppable view of the rural green surroundings. Spacious backyard, surrounded by a tall fence, reinforced with tall fir trees. Three vegetable gardens provide fresh vegetables in summer.

Inspiration between four walls

This sunny home has another favorite space: music pieces for Daniel Picard, amateur bassist and professional metal structure inspector. What was originally meant to be a practice room, over time has become a space for artistic exploration.

“When I set foot in there, I felt the door behind me was closed, even if I left it open. This room soothes and inspires me,” said the 58-year-old in the middle of a small room whose walls were filled with ancient musical instruments, mainly stringed ones, all of which were excavated at auction.

Does he play this instrument? No, replied the collector, more interested in the history and aesthetics of these antiquities than in their uses.

“I bought a banjo from a man who gives me chills when he talks about his experience with this instrument. The mother-of-pearl key, yellowed by time, speaks for itself. They represent the soul of the instrument”, he underlined.

The spirit of all these instruments, beautiful and silent, becomes transcendent. It exudes a zen, perhaps monastic atmosphere, which inspires Daniel with artistic curiosity. This is how he felt the urge to study music writing, he who always played music by ear only.

Then, without asking why, she buys the lovesick zither, still at auction, with the intention of returning all her graces. A luthier, who dug up in India on the internet, became his mentor. The parts needed for repairs cost hundreds of dollars.

Does he play it? No, Daniel answered again. But whatever. In his eyes, all object interest lies in the experience it inspires.

In the same artistic urge, without restriction, he felt an urge to dabble in sculpture. Isn’t he a structural specialist? So, against the wall of one of his favorite bedrooms is a blast of electric bass, each piece seemingly hanging in the air, detached from the body and neck.

“Daniel experiences music like math. A series of notes will give him chills,” said Diane.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from music”, emphasized his girlfriend, a huge Rush fan. “This space is a study room for me. It’s always evolving. While I was there, my mind calmed down. This is where I become available to discover and learn. »

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