École de Pensée x FRAMA

Dernier Occupant

Presented inside the Maison Linton, one of Montreal’s listed heritage house located in the Golden Square Mile area, Dernier Occupant celebrates contemporary design juxtaposing past with present.

The exhibition presented by École de Pensée and hosted by architectural designer Mitchell Sweibel showcases pieces of furniture from Danish line Frama and pieces from École de Pensée archives, amongst canvas wrapped installations and temporary built structures, a glimpse from the past reminding us the house has once been abandoned.

The Second Empire style heritage house in which the exhibition takes place was built in 1867. Designed by the architect Cyrus Pole Thomas, this house has been home to several bourgeois families, until it was subsequently abandoned to become a squat. The house was then acquired and fully restored by the Sweibel family, one of our collaborators in this project, retrieving its original aspect and beauty.

The theme of the exhibition draws inspiration from this rich contrast between abandonment and restoration. The addition of modern personal pieces of design such as furniture and clothing, amplifies the mood and aesthetic typical to the change in occupancy of the space, hence the name of the exhibition. Blurring the line between heritage and modernity, the ephemeral installation provokes questions about the passing of time, taste, and style of enduring beauty and timeless design.

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Few words about École de Pensée

École de Pensée is an independent fashion house and retailer based in Montreal. Alongside our clothes we present different partners, such as furniture, independent publications & home accessories from Japan. From time to time, we organize ephemeral projects like this exhibition, in order to celebrate and share our vision and our collaborators’ vision with our customers and the design community.

In this case, it was a good opportunity for us to showcase in a more exhaustive way Frama’s furniture collection, which we carry at the store, by opting for a «gallery» approach allowing room for each pieces to stand out. We have also integrated archive pieces from our past collections to complement the space and adding to the concept of the installation.

There was a natural harmony between the clothes and the furniture within the exhibition, both showcasing simple lines and a narrow selection of materials, sharing natural hues and organic textures. Furthermore, both collections blended seamlessly in the space thanks to the installations bridging the gap between both eras with an extensive use of cotton canvas and rope for wrapping, limestone effect plastered wall structures, natural stones and construction materials such as aluminum rods and wood beams.

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Dernier Occupant

Art direction and installation by École de Pensée Curated by architectural designer Mitchell Sweibel.

Photos by Gabriel DeRossi, courtesy of Anniversary.

Maison Linton - 3424 Rue Simpson, Montréal H3G 2J3
École de Pensée - 380 Avenue Laurier Ouest, Montréal H2V 2K7