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  • Canadian surf town informs design for taco restaurant by September

    Natural colours and beach textures from a Canadian surf town informed the design of this Vancouver restaurant by local studio September.Kit’s Burrito Bar is located on West 4th Street in the city’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. It is the latest outpost of Tacofino, a Mexican restaurant that serves tacos and burritos in a Californian style.

    September took cues from the “natural features” of Tofino, a small beachside town on the coast of Vancouver Island to outfit the 2,000 square foot (185.8-square-metre) space.

    “The client had requested a fresh space that made reference to Tofino, the Canadian Surf town where the clients live and started the business,” the studio said.

    “To do this we focused on using the minimal amount of materials necessary to make reference to the natural features the area is known for.”

    Exposed electrical wiring is strung across the white ceilings and walls in patterns intended to mimic the shape of ocean waves. Streaks of green paint curve up the walls in similar shapes.
    A banquette constructed with pale green cedar slats wraps around the water tap to form a wall of seating. The sculptural paneling also hangs above the all-black service counter fronted with black rocks and is used at the check-in desk at the entrance.

    To accent the plain walls and the black furnishings the earthy colour is also used on the countertop, bathroom door and bathroom wall.

    Green and yellow Eames chairs fill Tacofino Ocho restaurant in Vancouver

    Each of the rectangular dining tables is topped with black and white beach stone terrazzo slabs designed in collaboration with a local artist. Black chairs with slender wire backs from Afteroom Studio are arranged around the tables.

    Asymmetrical menu boards with black text display the eatery’s offerings. In the bathroom, an irregular, oval-shaped mirror by local designer Kate Richard attaches to the vibrant green wall.
    “References to water and natural forms appear in the wall menu, ovoid mirrors, custom beach stone tabletops, and artwork,” the studio added.

    To brighten the dark restaurant, which is situated partially below grade, a series of bulbs attached to the round sockets fasten to the curving electrical conduit that meanders throughout the space.
    September is a residential and hospitality design firm led by Brendan Callander and Shiloh Sukkau.

    Before establishing the studio in 2019 Sukkau worked on the design for other Tacofino locations, including Tacofino Ocho furnished with Eames dining chairs and bar stools and Oasis, modelled after mid-century Mexican resort towns.
    Photography is by Vishal Marapon.

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  • Renovated Montreal house by Atelier Barda contrasts black and white

    Black furniture provides a stark contrast to the white interior of this Montreal residence, which has been overhauled by local architecture studio Atelier Barda.Atelier Barda’s Portland Residence project involved adding an extension to the rear of a historic stone house located in Montreal suburb Mount-Royal, and reconfiguring the floor plan to improve the flow between spaces.

    “This innovative redesign has freed the building’s spirit from its original constraints, giving it fresh expression in a setting that is both classic and resolutely contemporary,” the studio said.

    Architectural details like rounded walls and simple mouldings were preserved and then painted white to offer a contemporary update.
    The team then installed a box clad with black anthracite oak to span all three levels.

    The volume includes storage, a bathroom, kitchen appliances and a staircase, and forms a passageway between the main living space and the bedrooms.
    Its black hue stands out against the white backdrop and chevron-patterned oak parquet floor, defining the material palette throughout the interiors.

    Black steel mullions also frame the glass curtain wall of the extension, which the studio said it chose to protect the house from harsh climatic conditions.
    The windows wrap the kitchen, living and dining room, offering views of the garden and natural light.

    Atelier Barda renovates Montreal apartment with minimalist finishes and custom furniture

    In the living room, translucent white drapes cover the space’s large windows matching the colour of the walls. A circular, plush sofa from de Sede and a grand piano provide touches of black, while the fireplace is grey stone.
    Foraine par Atelier Barda, the firm’s design studio, designed a number of furnishings in the house.

    Many are built with solid black anthracite oak like the rectangular dining table and bench, which have wide legs detailed with thin grooves, and a circular coffee table.

    Smaller round tables for the bedrooms are wrapped in the oak panelling and fronted with drawers.
    The bedrooms and a private office are located on the upper levels of a house. A skylight is situated above the stairwell to bring natural light into the space.

    In the bathrooms, white vanities are finished with a lime and tadelakt plaster and topped with marble, which is used to cover the floors as well.

    Atelier Barda was founded by Antonio Di Bacco and Cécile Combelle, it has completed a number of renovations in Montreal including a loft apartment with black and white interiors and custom furniture and the conversion of a shop into a two-storey residence with pastel accents.
    Photography is by Alex Lesage.

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  • Michael Godmer and Mathieu Turgeon renovate their Montreal design studio and home

    Designers Michael Godmer and Mathieu Turgeon’s home in Montreal features contemporary Danish pieces alongside oak, terracotta and marble. Located in the city’s Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood, the Victorian-era brick home was renovated by the couple to accommodate a design studio and residence for them and their two poodles. Completed in 1885, the residence has a slender width of 3.1 […] More

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    Ménard Dworkind recreates 1970s New York pizza restaurant in Montreal

    Thin ribbons of wood line the green ceilings and white pine wall panels in this Montreal pizza restaurant designed by local studio Ménard Dworkind. Vesta, located in Montreal’s Villeray neighbourhood, takes cues from the decor of New York pizzerias of the 1970s. Its funky colours, bold use of textures and use of vintage objects are […] More

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    Green and yellow Eames chairs fill Tacofino Ocho restaurant in Vancouver

    This taco restaurant in Vancouver, designed by local studio September, is filled with fibreglass Eames chairs and curvy black tables. Located in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, the Mexican eatery occupies a former factory building that Australian architect H H Simmonds completed in 1942. September designed the restaurant called Tacofino Ocho to riff off the […] More

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    La Firme transforms cramped space into Montreal's sun-lit Melk Cafe

    Design studio La Firme has turned a tight, triangular space into a bright and airy cafe in Montreal. The outpost is for Melk Cafe, a coffee shop and cafe that has three locations in the city. La Firme has also designed its locations on the corner of Saint-Urbain and Saint-Antoine streets. Called Melk Café Saint-Urbain, […] More

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    StudioAC designs Toronto house “disguised as a gallery”

    Canadian architectural practice StudioAC has taken cues from the work of late American designer Donald Judd for fittings inside this Toronto home. Called Shallmar Residence, the two-storey home was renovated by the local studio for a family of five with an impressive collection of Canadian art. It dates back to the 1950s and is located […] More