A small train station that used to serve skiers travelling to the hills north of Montreal has been lovingly restored to create a restaurant and small country inn called La Gare in Labelle, Quebec. It caters to cyclists and other tourists seeking recreation in Canada’s famous Laurentians region. A former graphic designer has redone the station in the original style and furnished it with antiques and reproductions from the period.
remodelled train station in Labelle, Quebec. © Daniele Monette
Train track now a cycling/ski trail
Le Petit train du nord, or small train of the north, was a popular in the early 20th century but was abandoned after more people bought and used cars to travel to the region.
The rails were removed and the former train track was remade into a 232 km cycling path in summer and a trail for cross-country skiing, ski-skating or snowmobiling in the winter. It stretches from Saint-Jerome to Mont-Laurier and passes by spectacular woods, lakes and rivers.
Several of the train stations along the way house cafés or tourist information offices. A year-and-a-half ago the station in Labelle became available for lease. It caught the eye of Daniele Monette, a graphic designer who has always had a special interest in food and lived two minutes away.
“Let the history shine through”
Inspiration struck and she decided to remodel the interior and to run it as a restaurant on the ground floor and a 5-room inn above. “I really wanted to honour the space,” said Monette. “It’s a building from 1924 which is my favourite design period… I wanted to give it back its character, its charm, to let the history shine through.”
Scouring antique shops, garage sales, the internet and the station itself, Monette found beautiful period pieces to furnish the place and had reproductions made to complement them. An old light fixture was found in the basement and she bought new lights in the same style for the dining room.
“I had a blast decorating”
“I had a blast decorating the space,” said Monette. “That’s what I used to do as a designer. It was really interesting to find all these objects and to put everything together.”
An old train bell was restored and mounted on the restaurant wall and anyone who rings it has to buy a round of drinks… house rule. There are old train lanterns and pictures of the area and the station itself from the 1920s.
A bar was built by her husband in heavy wood and a reproduction of the old tin often used in drinking and eating establishments in the 20s. Part of a railway track makes the foot rest.
dining room. © Daniele Monette
Seed packets for posters
Vintage seed packets with beautiful drawings of vegetables were blown up into posters and framed by Monette to grace the walls of the restaurant.
The second floor was the home of the station master and his family. The walls are still in place and the rooms have been turned into five cozy bedrooms and two bathrooms for guests. Much of the interior structure has been preserved.
“Everything is original”
“Everything that’s in there–the floors, the woodwork, the walls—everything is original from that period, even the windows,” said Monette. “Everything is as is, as it was in 1924. All we did was give it a lot of love… painting all over and changing the furniture.”
The area is famous for outdoor sports. Mont Tremblant is the province’s tallest downhill ski resort and only 15 minutes away. There are nearby places to swim, hike, snowmobile, even dog sled or go ice fishing.
“A little haven”
“It’s an outdoor lovers’ paradise,” said Monette. “We like to think of our place as this little haven where you can come and relax after a day of activities where you’ll be greeted with warmth and as part of the family.”
See map of Laurentians with “Linear Park” cycling/skiing/snowmobile trail in dotted green.
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