From Fur Shop to Gallery Studio—A Montréal Transformation

First Walkthrough—Where a Layout Meets a Vision

Former fur supply shop, future Gallery Studio. Long hallway, bright front for greetings, and a back zone begging to become a social nook, but first we had to liberate the back from its captive storage wall.The Plan?? Keep the charm, ditch the clutter, and coax a glorious art space out from hiding!

From Sketch to 3D Reality

We leveled napkin doodles into crisp 3ds Max concept—line by line, wall by wall, with coffee doing its best as project management. The render let us catch the “oops” moments before a single speck of dust met a broom. Call it a map, a mood board, or a sanity saver; either way, model once, measure twice, and always, and we do mean ALWAYS, do start with a Plan!!

The Big Open-Up

Nothing says “fresh start” like taking down a wall that’s been hogging the spotlight. A few swings, a little dust, and suddenly the room was wide open—like it had been waiting for years to breathe.

Texture, Not Weight—Faux Brick

We inset brick “windows” into the walls for warmth and character without turning the place into a castle. A few focused patches beat a full brick takeover—balanced, gallery-ready, and easy on the eyes.

Brick Meets Stone—Modern + “Ancient”

Cement pillars got a level-up with faux stone—castle energy, manageable footprint. We glued the panels to the columns and added a few masonry screws for extra strength. Basic cement pillars, upgraded with old-world attitude. Do we like? YES!

Panels Up and Plaster Down!

With the stone set and brick seated, we moved to plaster—because great transitions don’t shout “look at me, I am a fake addition!” Dry time, check. Trowels out, check. The room started trading “construction site vibes” for “Intentional Texture Charm.”

Feathered Edges—Brick to Smooth

We skimmed the brick edges with layers of plaster to blend the seams with the flat walls, mimicking those timeworn reveals you see in old lofts. It’s part art, part patience, and 100% worth it for when viewers glance at the wall and can’t tell where the brick ends and plaster begins.

Platform + Overhang + One Less Door

Next up, we framed an elevated floor and built a ceiling overhang/counter top (on top-top). An old doorway that didn’t serve the layout? Capped. Two doors—front and rear—were plenty for greetings, sittings, and exits.

Subfloor—Squeak Insurance

4×8 panels went down over the joists, glued and screwed like we mean it. That combo keeps things tight, quiet, and ready for long days of footsteps and display changes.

Underlayment—Soft Steps, Happy Ears

Foam sheeting over the subfloor smooths uneven sub-floor surfaces, hushes footsteps, and preps the stage for laminate flooring. It’s the hidden magic that you only notice when it’s missing.

Paint—Ceiling First, Always

Top down, that’s the professional rule. The ceiling got its makeover first—less drip drama, cleaner edges, and walls that didn’t have to suffer collateral splatter.

Final Reveal—Concept, Realized

Front entrance view: a near match to the 3ds Max created concept. That’s the power of a clear destination—less guessing, more building. Like LEGO with a blueprint: fewer weird hilltops, more small victories that add up to a final and proper “Wow!”

Not every tool on the shelf is worth a spot in your precious toolbox. Skip the ones that slow you down, break too soon, or test your sanity more than your skills—the list below highlights a few worth avoiding.

Tous les outils sur la tablette ne méritent pas une place dans votre coffre. Évitez ceux qui vous ralentissent, qui cassent trop vite ou qui mettent plus à l’épreuve votre patience que vos compétences—la liste ci-dessous en présente quelques-uns à éviter.