CLEAN, MINIMALIST CONDO
Simplicity helps owner focus on work
Stefano Faustini grew up in a “very traditional” Italian community in St-Léonard, in eastend Montreal.
While he was a student at Concordia University, he lived (as is often the Italian custom) with his family. He graduated with a master’s degree in literature and creative writing, then taught for a while. Faustini has a love of books and language and probably could have forged a career in academia, but instead opted to become an entrepreneur.
Fluent in three languages (Italian, French and English), Faustini started working for an employment agency and was sent to Vancouver to open a branch there. After living in the West Coast city for 18 months, where he “cycled everywhere,” he came back to Montreal.
Along with two partners (also from immigrant families), he had an idea to open a subsidiary company — what Faustini calls a “learning hub” — devoted to teaching people about digital literacy: Les Labs Inc. (www. leslabs.ca). Situated in Outremont, Les Labs runs courses for people wanting to upgrade their skills in the digital world, offering topics such as how to design a website and computer coding for kids.
Now 27, Faustini decided after his stint in Vancouver he could no longer live with his family (though he is quick to say he still adores them), so in December 2016, seeking a place where he could be independent but still within quick access to his relatives and workplace, he purchased a new condo in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie.
His home has an open living/ dining room and galley kitchen, one bedroom and a long balcony that looks out over Père Marquette Park with a view of Olympic Stadium.
Q When you came back to Montreal, did you have to spend much time looking for somewhere to live? A Actually no. I bought the condo before I left Vancouver.
Q Sight unseen? A Yes, but there was an artist’s rendering of the first phase of the complex online — the second phase is still going up next door — and my sister, who lives in Montreal, checked things out for me at this end.
Q So, no horrible surprises when you saw the place? A None at all.
Q I see you’ve kept your furnishings simple, sort of in modern Italian style? A That’s my personal preference. I like clean, minimalist lines. The simple surroundings help me to focus when I have to work from home. As you can see, I still haven’t finished decorating. I have to put some pictures on the wall, but that will come in time.
Q You often have to live in a place for a while to get a feel for where everything should go. A Exactly.
(The colour palette is grey and white with warm touches of wood from a zigzag-shaped bookshelf next to Faustini’s charcoal-coloured sectional couch, as well as the base of his large bed, both sourced from furniture store MUST. Above the bed hangs a photographic triptych of downtown Montreal, shot by a friend. The flooring throughout the condo is a greybrown hardwood.
(Faustini’s dining table, which is placed in front of the breakfast bar, has a concrete top. He bought it at one of the branches of ZONE. The breakfast bar, whose countertop is quartz, echoes the sombre shades of the kitchen. The appliances are a combination of shiny black metal and stainless steel.)
Q Given you were the first owner of the condo, were you able to choose your own fittings for the kitchen? A The developer offered a number of options, but when it came to what I preferred they were pretty flexible. The appliances came through the developer as well. The company had a special deal with one of those appliance places and I said: ‘Sure, why not?’ It was cheaper than buying them myself. Regarding the layout of the kitchen, I had a clear idea of what I wanted. I know my style and I went with that.
(One end of the countertop functions as a cocktail bar. It has a couple of shelves, on which are perched several bottles of wine.)
Q Italian wine, I presume? A (Laughs). Of course.
(Faustini leads me to a walk-in pantry that is big enough to store a washer and a dryer. Along one wall are shelves of food and a carton filled with jars of tomato sauce.)
Q Where did all those jars come from? Your family? A (Laughs again.) My grandmother — who else? Jars of tomato sauce are a must in my house. This is the kind of cupboard where in her own home, she would be hanging all her sausages.
Q Well, maybe you can do that as well, after you’ve been there for a while? A Why not? If you would like your home to be considered for Shelter, please contact hloverseed@sympatico.ca