The whimsical monochrome interior of this Montreal residence, overhauled by Canadian architect Jean Verville, creates optical illusions for its residents to enjoy as they move through the space.

Called IN 2, the 100-square-metre project entailed transforming the interiors of a 1950s urban cottage in the city's Villeray neighbourhood. It was commissioned by a couple who loves contemporary art, theatre, music and dance, along with digital art and video installations.

Jean Verville, who runs an eponymous Montreal-based studio, stripped the home's interior of its original finishes and fixtures. He then set out to create a full-time residence that merged art and everyday life, and required a "high degree of user participation".
The architect transformed conventional rooms into a series of austere spaces rendered in black and white, which "produces optical effects oscillating between reality and abstraction". At times, two-dimensional surfaces appear to be three-dimensional due to the monochromatic scheme.

Throughout the dwelling, boundaries and scale are intended to be abstracted and blurred. "The architectural intervention blurs the reading of spaces with volumetric assemblages and visual breakthroughs, contrasts and tensions, scale games and trompe-l'oeil," the architect said.

A pristine, snow-white hallway stretches through the residence. Sitting at one end is an all-white coat rack shaped like a tree ? one of the home's only pieces of decor...