Twenty + Change: Future Simple Studio

01.10.2024 11:14

The design of SushiBox, a restaurant in Quebec City, includes textured surfaces that connect distant traditions with local craft. Photo by Felix Michaud

Pinning down precisely what type of projects Montreal-based Future Simple Studio does is difficult. The team makes architecture, of course, but it also has expertise in object design and branding. Founder and principal architect Christine Djerrahian says that she and her team are excited about taking on a wide-ranging scope of design work.

The aesthetic of the studio’s residential and commercial interior work embraces dark-toned materials. One might mistake these for minimal, sombre, or austere spaces, but for Djerrahian, the material palette makes them “warm, cozy, calm, and intimate.” In contrast, the studio’s branding and communications projects are bright and powerful, with a hint of playfulness. Regardless of the type of work, Future Simple Studio can “dream up a universe, and then communicate it digitally and physically,” says Djerrahian.

The design of SushiBox, a restaurant in Quebec City, includes textured surfaces that connect distant traditions with local craft. Photo by Felix Michaud

A loft in the Old Port of Montreal includes two bespoke wood and glass boxes that contain the bedrooms and play areas. Kitchen, living, dining, study, reading, and exercise areas are on their periphery, in a fluid open plan. Photo by Felix Michaud

For several years, Future Simple has been working with Northcrest Developments and the Canada Lands Company on the id8 Downsview project. Djerrahian was brought in as an architectural advisor because of her experience managing large-scale projects during her time in New York; quickly, the team also ended up developing the website, social media campaigns and other tools to increase public engagement in the planning process during the Covid-19 pandemic. The work helped create a feedback loop, especially with young people, that has informed the way the development is taking shape.

Just six years after the company’s founding, it boasts a well-rounded team equipped to tackle everything from strategy development to photoshoots, and from housing design to object prototyping. Each studio member has a different background that they bring to the table, allowing everyone to have a hand in a project, and to jump in with their expertise at various phases.

As part of the id8 Downsview Project, Future Simple Studio is helping with public communications for the process of redesigning 520 acres of land. Photo by Future Simple

The design for a Quebec City restaurant uses peachy hues and raw textures to evoke a natural environment. Photo by Future Simple

Djerrahian founded the studio and was joined by partner Ernst van ter Beek, who specializes in product design, and they have been very conscious about the work environment they’ve created. Over her years of practice in other firms, Djerrahian became aware of “a lot of energy spent on insecurity,” and so she wanted to make Future Simple Studio a place of trust.

This carries through to the way they work with clients. Djerrahian says they avoid being proprietary about their ideas, often presenting clients with preliminary work that they’re excited to get feedback on. They aim to “meet clients where they’re at” through storytelling— what they call an “anti-TADA!” approach.

ERNST VAN TER BEEK, CHRISTINE DJERRAHIAN

This profile is part of our October 2024 feature story, Twenty + Change: New Perspectives.

As appeared in the October 2024 issue of Canadian Architect magazine

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