Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
Maria Mangiocavallo was divorced and on her own when, in 2006, she decided to buy a house, a 1941 triplex in the Montreal neighbourhood of Villeray. A chartered accountant who works for Roynat Capital, the born and bred Montrealer had intended to rent out the top two floors while keeping the main level for herself. The purchase, however, was in rough condition, so she hired a contractor/carpenter, Glenn Comerchero, to help her execute a full-scale renovation. In the end, Comerchero did more than tear down her walls – he seized her heart. Two years ago, they got married. (As Mangiocavallo recalls, she first fell for Comerchero in the kitchen, where he had struck a match to light a new gas stove she had n0 clue how to turn on.) Besides that sentimental resonance, "my husband cooks," Mangiocavallo says, explaining why the kitchen is a favourite space for them both. "So I just sit and watch him make my meals. It's great."
The bench
"This is something we made together out of an old wrought-iron table I had when I was single. We cut the legs off that table for the new one. The wood top is from Harrington Lake, where Glenn has land. We followed the original form of the log. Glenn showed me how to sand and stain it – my first carpenter project."
The chalkboard
"I have always wanted a chalkboard for putting messages on, so Glenn took an old door from the house – one of the original 1941 doors – and punched out the middle, keeping just the frame. The chalkboard itself was purchased from a school-supplies company. Glenn had also done a job in Westmount and had a piece of lead glass left over from that project, so he added it [at one end]."
The light fixtures
"They were the very last thing done in the kitchen and it took me a year to find them. I wanted something glass and clear and that wouldn't distract from the mosaic tile on the wall. I ended up in Union Lighting, on [Montreal's] Decarie [Street]. They had two shapes, and this is the one I chose. I saw them later in an architecture magazine as part of a hotel's decor, but in a smoky glass version. I definitely like mine better."
The island
"It's extra long – almost seven feet – and is sort of like our meeting place. The counter top is granite, which I didn't initially want; I wanted honed Caesarstone. But the installer put this unfortunate finish on [the Caesarstone], so it had to be replaced and this is what I got in the end."
The mosaic tile
"It's from Italy and cost a fortune. At first, I wanted it just for the back splash, but then decided to cover the whole wall. Glenn wasn't sure about that, but I felt it would look beautiful if pulled out like that. It's a muted green, and was installed by a friend of Glenn's, who did a perfect job. What it does to the room is make it warm. It's very calming."
The cabinets
"I saw this look – white, Shaker-style cabinets – in a home-decor magazine. Glenn didn't make the cabinets, though. He went to a friend with a [cabinetry] shop in Vaudreuil and worked with a woman there. They ended up being a collaboration with the kitchen supplier."