Posted at 1:39pm. Updated at 8:00 a.m.
Does the essence of a place have an impact on creation? That’s what Judith Lussier thinks, who, with her wife Marie-Andrée Labbé, owns an extraordinary apartment where they laid the foundation for the popular STAT series.
Six years ago, the couple left Plateau Mont-Royal for this condominium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, just steps from dynamic Rue Ontario. The two bedroom apartment with high ceilings felt like a loft without actually being one. It marked the birth (or demise) of three recent Quebec television hits. In the office set up in the center of the room, Marie-Andrée Labbé, screenwriter, wrote the lyrics for the series Trop (season 3), Sans rendez-vous and STAT, Radio-Canada’s new daytime series which has garnered attention well over 1 million viewers in the first season.
Journalist and author Judith Lussier assists him with research and handles communications with advisors, which is a full-time job given the complexity of the program, which takes place in a hospital setting. “We work side by side. We’re like officemates! says Judith Lussier while Marie-Andrée Labbé is in New York to recharge between projects.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The 1910 ft2 apartment has a large open plan area with well defined spaces.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The kitchen, renovated by the previous owner, has been preserved.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The bench gives the dining area a restaurant atmosphere.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
In this office, Marie-Andrée Labbé and Judith Lussier develop the plots of the daily series STAT.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
On the third level, the reading corner is flooded with a skylight and adorned with a bookcase by Judith Lussier.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
In the living room, a bed can be used for guests or for movie nights.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
From the third level we have a view of the rest of the apartment and Sam the dog who watches over their protection.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The living room is separated from the entrance by a wooden lattice and a solid wall that houses the TV.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Remnants of the previous owner, a light floor that changes color!
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The bedrooms are hidden behind the boudoir above the garage.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The bathroom with sunken bath and walk-in shower
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The guest room is furnished for nephews and nieces and hides a secret corner for the children.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The master bedroom, small but welcoming
1/13
inspiration
The place (a former commercial space, possibly a supermarket) invites inspiration with its high ceilings, sober style, level distribution and skylight. “In a library, there are reasons the ceilings are high: the mind can navigate, there is space,” notes Judith Lussier.
It is not a space that we inhabit, but a space that the spirit inhabits. We felt it as soon as we entered here.
Judith Lussier, co-owner
For them it was also a “repair shop”. So fresh out of a depression, the move was tantamount to a fresh start. “It’s a house that fixed me. And Marie, it’s a house that inspired her. We like to honor him. Every time she does a series, I frame the posters because I love seeing what she’s done. »
When they arrived the apartment had a completely different style. Rented via Airbnb or for filming, it was more of a place for partying than writing, with its colored LED lights, epoxy-coated concrete floor, disco ball, and luminous floor reminiscent of a pedestrian crossing (always present!). “It was a very eye-catching Airbnb,” recalls Judith Lussier. You come here for a weekend and it’s fun. For us, for our energy, it’s not exactly what we wanted. Otherwise STAT would have been completely different. “We would have written District! “, she says laughing.
But they liked the design of the space, both original and well thought out, with a large open area bordered by landings.
To make it to their liking, they turned to the designers of the Catherine Catherine Studio. In addition to bespoke storage furniture and a bench seat, they have created an anteroom that creates a transition between outside and inside, allowing visitors to adjust their perception. From the outside, the building appears unassuming with its brown brick facade blended into the sidewalk, a contrast that has always appealed to the owners.
Heart attack
“I liked this aspect because I always considered that we are newcomers in the neighborhood,” says Judith Lussier. The neighborhood is popular, we don’t want to be fresh shit with our $2 million facade. We like that it goes a little unnoticed and doesn’t conflict. »
Entering here we still have our space very comfortable, but it is not flashy from the outside.
Judith Lussier, co-owner
Judith Lussier dreamed of this apartment for a year. When she discovered it, Marie-Andrée Labbé wasn’t ready to move. A year later, when they realized it was still on the market, they visited it together and were smitten.
“We really stumbled here. We are satisfied with where we are staying, but we still like the house very much. We liked everything. We were fine. Also Sam, her little dog from Kosovo, who shares her life and her apartment, which has no inner courtyard but is conveniently located next to a park.
If they’ve decided to leave it between writing two seasons of STAT, it’s because the open space is no longer suited to the demanding writing of a daily series. “Marie works crazy hours. I break the dishwasher, I disturb her. It’s fun because it’s like a shared space and we work together, but we needed to separate the zones a little more. »
The adventures of Manu, Isa, Philippe, Éric and the patients of the Saint-Vincent hospital are written in a different place and in a different district. “Creating STAT is an Olympic discipline,” continues Judith Lussier. There we settle to do that for a while, we don’t know for how many years. We have fun, success, knock on wood. The public gives it back to us, it’s cool. »
The property in brief
Asking price: $730,000
Year of construction: 1919
Description: Loft style undivided co-ownership apartment renovated by Catherine Catherine designers. Located on the ground floor, it has two closed bedrooms, a large open plan area on three levels, an unfinished basement and a garage with a small workshop overlooking an alley that is snow-cleared in winter.
Living Area: 1910 ft2
Municipal Valuation of Building (for the two undivided co-ownership units in 2021): $901,300
Overhead: $2,077/year
Property Tax (2023): $3289
School Tax (2023): $371
Real estate agent: Olivier Mailloux-Bertrand, real estate agency EXP