Stephane de Meurville, in his favourite room, his dining room in downtown Montreal.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
As the general manager of Moët Hennessy Canada, Stéphane de Meurville frequently hosts large-scale dinner parties in the open-concept Montreal condo he shares with wife, Sandrine, and their two teenage children. Located within walking distance of Old Montreal and occupying two upper floors of a decade-old high-rise, the three-bedroom unit features a combined dining and living room that creates flow and lends itself well to at-home entertaining. "We start with Champagne in the living room, then proceed to the dining room for dinner and wine and finally return to the living room after the meal for a cognac," says de Meurville, who learned the French art of savoir-faire while growing up in the Pays Basque region of his native France. Enhancing the dining experience are spectacular city views, one of the main reasons de Meurville purchased the 2,000-square-foot apartment when he first moved to Canada four years ago. "They put everyone who comes here instantly at ease," he says. "It's like having an open window on the world."
The table
"This is by a company called Zeus and the design is called Big Irony. I'll tell you why. First, the table is extremely light-looking in terms of its deign, but it is also extremely heavy. It is made of steel, which you would think makes it strong, but it is in fact very fragile. The steel is untreated and so even a glass of water will leave a mark on it. It is always changing colour. I like it also because it can easily seat eight people at a time. My wife and I found it in Montreal and had to order it in. It took eight weeks to arrive."
The painting
"It's by the Swiss-Canadian painter Jean-Daniel Rohrer, who is a fantastic guy. He is inspired by many things, including small bits of paper that he glues to the canvas before painting over it, adding lots of layers of depth. The resulting imagery is extremely strong. This work was hanging in L'Auberge Saint-Gabriel, a Montreal restaurant, and my friends saw that I was really moved by it so they gave it to me as a gift for my last birthday."
The chairs
"They are inspired by the Panton chair, the famous S-shaped chair. They are extremely comfortable and form a link between the past and the future. They are also perfect to sit in when you want to enjoy a long evening. This stackable set was purchased in Dubai when I was the marketing manager for Moët Hennessy in the Middle East, a job I held for two years prior to moving to Canada."
The sideboard
"We also got this in Dubai. We use it to store all our glassware."
The Fireplace
"It's a good junction between the dining room and the living room. It also gives the room warmth, especially in winter. It's what makes people want to linger."