LIGHT-FILLED CONDO BOASTS VINTAGE CHARM
Sylvie Li was born in Montreal, but when she was five, she moved to Quebec City where her father got a job. She spent her growingup years there, then moved back to the city to attend HEC Montréal, where she earned a degree in international business.
Li worked for a couple of years in the corporate world and discovered she didn’t like it much. As a teenager, she had a hankering to try her hand at becoming a professional photographer — a notion reinforced following a trip to Thailand, where she took pictures “of everything and everybody.”
She decided to follow her dream. Li enrolled in a two-year photography program at Dawson College, while at the same time holding down a part-time job in a bakery. She worked in the bakery during the day and attended classes at night, something, she says, was “pretty hard to do.”
A year ago, having successfully completed her course, she launched into her new career as a freelance photographer, specializing in food, travel and lifestyle (sylvieli.com).
As a student, Li lived in and around the Plateau. She also loved Mile End, so she ended up buying a condo there — a top-floor unit in a 1920s triplex. Unlike many Mile End apartments of that vintage, which tend to have gloomy interiors, this one is flooded with light. Li’s home has one bedroom, an open kitchen and dining room (they are separate from one another) and a double living room divided by French doors.
Q You said that as a photographer, having a lot of light was important to you?
A Absolutely. That was one of my requirements when I was looking for a place. This apartment had been freshly painted. It was in excellent condition, and I loved the fact that all the walls were white.
Q That reflects the light even more, doesn’t it?
A It does. I also liked the fact that there were lots of tall windows and charming architectural details like the high ceilings, the little archways and the moulding around the panels in the dining room. When I walked in, I really had a coup de coeur!
Q Speaking of the dining room, where did you get that big, solid-looking table?
A A friend who was moving to Vancouver sold it to me. Apparently, it was designed as an outdoor table for a restaurant, but it was never used for that.
Q How on earth did you get it up your narrow stairwell?
A (Laughs.) That was quite a challenge. It’s very heavy! I was a bit scared at one point because it looked as if the table was going to get stuck, but we managed to get it up here.
Q What about the white metal chandelier hanging above it? Where did you find that?
A That was here when I moved in.
(We walk into the kitchen, which is at the back of the condo. She opens the door to show me her sizable balcony.)
A It’s really nice out here in the summer. I have a big, “smart” pot where I can grow tomatoes and other vegetables, and there’s enough room for a table and chairs.
Q What about your appliances? Did you have to buy those?
A They were all here, but I decided to get a new fridge because it wasn’t keeping my food cold enough.
Q Was everything else in the kitchen here as well? The white cabinets and so on?
A They were. The kitchen is a bit old-fashioned. One day I’ll probably renovate it, change the countertop and maybe upgrade the cabinets, but they’re OK for now.
(From the back of the apartment we walk along the hallway, past her bedroom, to the double living room at the front. One half of the room serves as her home office. The other half is a seating area with a large navy blue sofa, a coffee table with a rough wood top and metal legs and a rocking chair. A beige area rug covers the hardwood floor.)
Q I know you said that your bedroom furniture came from Ikea. Is the sofa from there as well?
A No. It’s a line of modern furniture called Gus and I got it from a store on St-Laurent. The rug came from EQ3.
Q And the coffee table? It’s very unusual.
A My father made it. I had a design in my head and he followed my idea.
Q Goodness. You’re a talented pair!
A (Laughs.)
Q I couldn’t help noticing you had a couple of old SLR cameras on your bookshelves and on one of the side tables. Those are my vintage! Do you shoot with them or are they just for decoration?
A I have used them a couple of times, but of course, these days, everything is digital.