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Lush planting surrounds this airport lounge in Calgary International Airport, designed by Montreal studio Ménard Dworkind. The Aspire WestJet Garden Lounge is an extension of the existing Aspire lounge in the airport’s Transborder terminal. The Aspire WestJet Garden lounge is located within the Transborder terminal at Calgary airport Located in an open area below the […] More
A barrel-vaulted ceiling covers this cosy cocktail bar in Calgary, Alberta which locally based Studio North designed as a contemporary take on a speakeasy.
Business & Pleasure is tucked away between historic brick buildings on a back lane in the Canadian city’s Inglewood neighbourhood, just a few blocks from Studio North’s office space.
A vaulted plywood ceiling contrasts with the black interior of the bar”The location and scale of the Business & Pleasure bar space immediately reference visions of the iconically intimate and secluded speakeasy from last century,” said lead designers Damon Hayes Couture and Hayden Pattullo.
“However, this transformation sought to recreate the speakeasy’s quaint and classic qualities using contemporary methods of parametric design, digital fabrication, and material experimentation.”
The fir plywood is CNC cut to allow it to bendHidden at the back of a cafe, Studio North’s take on prohibition-era drinking establishments features a dark interior, with many of the furniture pieces and surfaces in black.
In contrast, fir plywood is shaped into barrel vaults of different widths that run the length of the narrow 350-square-foot (32.5-square-metre) space.
Vaults of different widths run the length the ceilingThe material is kerfed to allow it to bend, forming a cut-out pattern that adds a translucent quality to the wood.
“Like clouds, the geometry and pattern vary slightly throughout the room to create unique areas and experiences of moving through it,” said Studio North.
Paper lanterns hang from the wood vaults, which are suspended from steel ribsThe vaults are suspended from a series of steel ribs, and some panels are held in place with magnets – a system that Studio North prototyped at 1:1 scale and built in-house.
Parametric modelling and computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting were used to produce the desired effect.
Frank Architecture recalls 1960s glamour at Major Tom bar in Calgary
“The pattern of the ceiling kerfing changes using a parametric image map to add and subtract bridge tabs, creating more grid interruption around the seated areas,” the designers said.
In places, the plywood extends down from the ceiling onto the walls, forming panels that touch the tabletops and shelving in recesses.
A custom black barn door separates the bar from a cafe at the frontThe same material forms a custom barn door separating the cafe from the bar, which is painted black and allows guests a peek at the back space through the thin vertical gaps.
Globe-shaped paper lanterns hand from the ceiling to bathe the space in a warm, ambient glow.
The bar is designed to evoke speakeasies from a century agoArtworks and a selection of vintage items are displayed on the walls and shelves, connecting the contemporary interior to the heyday of speakeasies.
Studio North is a design-build studio that more commonly works on residential projects, such as a laneway house in Calgary that the team outfitted with a dog nook and a fireman’s pole.
The photography is by Hayden Pattullo and Damon Hayes Couture.
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A “psychedelic inverted cabin” provided Canadian studio Frank Architecture with the design narrative for this Japanese casual bar and restaurant in Banff, Alberta.
Located in the mountains of Alberta, Hello Sunshine offers barbecue, sushi and karaoke in a retro-influenced space by Frank Architecture.
Fireplaces sit at the centre of special tables at Hello SunshineThe team imagined an alternate reality, in which Japanese graphic designer Tadanori Yokoo ventured into the mountains and holed up in a cabin for years, and based the interiors on what the result might have been.
“Taking cues from the unlikely juxtaposition of Japanese psychedelia meets spaghetti western meets mountain cabin, Hello Sunshine is bold, playful, and distinct,” said Frank Architecture, which has an office in Banff.
The wood-panelled restaurant features a rounded bar at the backThe eatery is located in the middle of the town, which is a popular destination for tourists and winter sports enthusiasts and is laid out to offer a sense of discovery.
“The spatial planning is intended to feel organic and meandering,” the team said. “Upon entry, the restaurant isn’t immediately visible but is slowly revealed as one moves through space.”
Japanese elements like paper lanterns and textile artworks and paired with plaid curtains and plenty of woodThe restaurant occupies a tall open space lined almost entirely in wood, with the rounded bar located at the back and a variety of table seating options scattered around.
Diners can choose between communal benches, four-tops, booths, bar stools, or sit at one of two special tables.
Booth seating is lined up against angled, shingle-covered wallsThis pair of large circular counters both feature a raised fire pit at their centre, below fluid-shaped flues clad in glossy, glazed ceramic tiles.
Japanese design staples like paper lanterns and ceiling-hung textile artworks are combined with mountain tropes such as plaid curtains, exposed stone and plenty of wood.
Frank Architecture creates intimate setting for Calgary’s Lonely Mouth noodle bar
Blue corduroy fabric is used to cover banquettes, while the booth seating is tucked into a niche formed by angled walls covered with timber shingles.
In the karaoke rooms tucked away at the back, patterned carpet, lava lamps and disco balls add colour and sparkle to the wood-panelled spaces.
Karaoke rooms are enlivened by disco balls and lava lampsThere’s also a concealed tiny bar based on those crammed into the alleyways of Golden Gai in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
“The result is a bold and encapsulating space that surprises and delights guests with unexpected moments and distinctive style,” said the team.
A tiny concealed bar is based on those found in Golden Gai, ShinjukuThis isn’t Frank Architecture’s only Japanese restaurant – the studio also created an intimate setting for the Lonely Mouth noodle bar in its other home city of Calgary.
For another spot in the Western Canada metropolis, the team drew inspiration from author Truman Capote to set a 1960s vibe at Major Tom on the 40th floor of a downtown skyscraper.
The photography is by Chris Amat.
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