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    Ivy Studio installs colourful marble in Montreal’s Hayat restaurant

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    Montreal-based Ivy Studio has chosen a variety of dramatic marble to outfit a Middle Eastern restaurant, which features a colour palette influenced by “the earthy tones of the Syrian deserts”.

    In Montreal’s Old Port neighbourhood, the 1,500-square-foot (140-square metre) Hayat restaurant is designed to reflect the cuisine served by chef Joseph Awad.
    The marble host stand at Hayat sets the tone for the restaurant’s Middle Eastern-influenced colour palette”This Middle Eastern restaurant’s colour palette was inspired by the earthy tones of the Syrian deserts and their surrounding greenery,” said Ivy Studio.
    Upon entering is a screen of black hammered-glass panels, which also conceals the kitchen in the far corner.
    In the main dining space, banquette seating runs along two walls below a fabric ceiling installationIn the main dining room, built-in benches form an L along two walls, while a pair of U-shaped booths sit against another that arches over them.

    The seat backs are upholstered in mauve velvet and the cushions are wrapped in contrasting deep green leather.
    Private booths are positioned below an arched ceiling and behind a partition of black hammered glassCloser to the kitchen is another small, semi-circular booth built into the walnut millwork.
    Here the cushioned seats are covered in ruby-toned velvet, and a metallic light fixture is suspended above.
    The bar is made from a dramatic marble variety with streaks of teal, pistachio and cream coloursIvy Studio selected a wide variety of striking, richly veined marbles, “each contributing their own touch of colour into the space” according to the team.
    The bar is made from a dramatic stone with teal, cream and pistachio striations, while the host stand and dining table tops in the main area are purple and white.
    A red-hued semicircular booth is tucked into the walnut millwork close to the kitchenThe building’s exposed brickwork is painted cream to match the other walls, while the original historic stone between the large windows is left exposed.
    “The ancient stone walls at the front and rear facades were left intact to showcase the building’s history,” Ivy Studio said.

    Ivy Studio renovates fire-damaged Piatti restaurant in Montreal

    Curved layers across the ceiling, which hide indirect lighting, are designed to evoke the smooth landscapes of the Middle East.
    A fabric installation suspended above the dining tables curves around more strips of lighting, diffusing the light to create a warm glow.
    The bar is made from a dramatic marble variety with streaks of teal, pistachio and cream coloursWalnut, stone and cream walls are also found in the bathrooms, which echo the colour and material scheme throughout the restaurant.
    “The overall intention of the palette was to bring together the worlds of Middle Eastern nature and Old Montreal construction,” the studio said.
    The same material palette continues in the moody bathroomsIvy Studio has completed several interiors across Montreal that include colourful marble.
    These include the Italian restaurant Piatti where the dark green stone contrasts the building’s rough walls and co-working office Spatial where purple surfaces pop against mint green millwork.
    The photography is by Alex Lesage.
    Project credits:
    Architecture and design: Ivy StudioConstruction: Groupe Manovra

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      Ivy Studio converts historic bank building into offices for Montreal ad agency

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      The offices that Montreal’s Ivy Studio has designed for digital advertising agency Cardigan include a mesh-wrapped mezzanine and a “futuristic” basement within a former bank building.

      For Cardigan’s expanding team, Ivy Studio has renovated a stone building that was built as a bank in 1907, in the Rosemont area of Montreal.
      Ivy Studio inserted a steel mesh mezzanine inside the historic bank building to provide additional spaceThe structure has had many uses, including most recently a religious establishment, and boasts plenty of historic architectural details.
      While the upper floor is a residential condo, Cardigan occupies 1,250 square feet (116 square metres) across the ground and basement levels – spaces with very different ceiling heights and light conditions.
      The mesh was painted white to accentuate the bright and airy feel in the office space”One of the main challenges of working with the building was the contrasting ceiling heights between each floor,” said Ivy Studio. “This made the spacial blocking very important at the start of the project.”

      To benefit from the 16.5 foot (5 metres) clearance and abundance of natural light, all the workstations are positioned on the ground level.
      Under the mezzanine sit multiple phone booths and meeting roomsHowever, the floor plate was not sufficient to accommodate all 25 employees as well as meeting rooms, so the studio took advantage of the ceiling height and added a mezzanine.
      This addition was placed in a corner to avoid blocking the arched windows, and was painted entirely white to accentuate the bright and airy atmosphere of the space.
      During the renovation, the building’s large arched windows were fully uncovered to let in more lightThe structure is made from perforated steel mesh, allowing light to enter the phone booths and meeting rooms tucked underneath, and a gap was left between the mesh and the glass partitions behind to make space for planters.
      Additional workstations are located on top of the mezzanine, which is curved at its corner. “The newly-built mezzanine structure interprets the curves of the existing space without competing with them,” Ivy Studio said.

      Ivy Studio populates MAD Creative Hub with pink and purple elements

      To let even more light in, the boarded window arches were reopened to their original form, while the parquet flooring was replaced with natural oak to retain the warmth.
      Meanwhile, in the basement, low ceiling heights and a lack of windows called for an entirely contrasting strategy.
      “It is a different universe of its own,” said Ivy Studio, which took a “futuristic, in your face” approach to the sub-grade space.
      In the windowless basement, a contrasting “futuristic” aesthetic was chosenThis level accommodates the bathrooms, kitchen, lounge and storage, and features a mix of plastered ceilings, ceramic walls and epoxy floors.
      In the kitchen, all of the surfaces are coloured baby blue, while the adjacent bathroom block is completely grey.
      The spaces are colour-blocked to heighten their visual impactAcross the kitchen island, a circular mirror faces an opening that’s exactly the same shape and leads into a room painted in orange.
      “The spaces are all monochromatic, to increase the visual impact of their intense colors but also help camouflage the imperfections of the existing building,” said Ivy Studio.
      Baby blue and stainless steel cover the kitchenThe office’s levels are linked by two staircases: an older one made from wood and a newer minimal design that emerges from under an arched portico.
      Both are painted navy blue and are intended to reflect Cardigan’s contradicting “hard-working yet playful values”.
      The adjacent bathroom is executed entirely in greyIvy Studio’s portfolio of projects in its home city spans from workspaces and restaurants, to a spinning studio and a dry cleaners.
      Recently completed interiors by the firm include a creative hub populated with pink and purple elements, and a renovated eatery that was damaged in a fire.
      The photography is by Alex Lesage.
      Project credits:
      Design and architecture: Ivy StudioConstruction: Group Manovra

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      Ivy Studio populates MAD Creative Hub with pink and purple elements

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      Montreal-based Ivy Studio has turned a former print shop into offices and creative spaces, with a “work in progress” aesthetic punctuated by colourful moments.

      MAD Collectif organises global fashion, art and design events, and after rebranding from Groupe Sensation Mode in 2022, the company decided to look for a new base location for its team.
      The all-white interior of MAD Creative Hub is contrasted by a marble bar counter and lilac stoolsEventually, it found a 3,600-square-foot (334-square-metre) space on the ground floor of a two-storey building in The Village area of Montreal, which became the MAD Creative Hub.
      “The objective for the new location was to focus on creativity and collaboration and for it to be used not only by their team internally but also by their multiple partners and collaborators – a flexible space made for sharing ideas and working together,” said Ivy Studio.
      The space is designed to look unfinished, through the use of exposed wall studsBuilt in 1939 as a print shop, the long space only has windows on its street-facing facade.

      This dictated a layout where public areas are located in the front, while private rooms are situated towards the back.
      The front area is intended to host events, exhibitions, pop-up shops and moreA two-foot difference in the floor level helps to define these two zones.
      In both areas, colourful accents including vintage sofas and chairs stand out from the existing walls, plumbing and ventilation equipment which were all painted white.
      White ceramic tiles cover the floor and low partition walls that define the public areaSpaces are intentionally meant to look unfinished, with exposed metal studs, track lighting and unpainted metal door frames all adding to this appearance.
      “The ‘work in progress’ aesthetic makes it feel as if the place is undergoing a constant evolution and mirrors the brand’s new forward-thinking approach,” said architect Philip Staszewski, one of the four Ivy Studio co-founders.
      Purple sofas pop against the white tilesVisitors enter a cafe featuring a richly coloured marble bar counter, which starkly contrasts the white ceramic tiles that cover the surrounding four-foot-high (1.2-metre) partitions and the entire floor.
      A banquette follows the wall and runs underneath the window, its cushions covered in textured purple velvet.
      A ramp below a path of lights leads to the raised workspace at the backPink and orange poufs accompany galvanised steel tables, and lilac bar stools serve the counter, together providing a flexible and informal space for employees and events.
      On the other side of an enclosed stairwell that divides the plan is another naturally lit area used for photoshoots, exhibits or pop-up shops. Comfy purple chairs offer additional seating here.

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      A 16-foot (4.9-metre) ramp leads up to the raised level, where rows of open desks are positioned next to the periphery walls.
      “The ramp leading towards the back is meant to be an experience of its own,” said Ivy Studio. “The narrow ceramic-clad passage is placed beneath a series of linear lights, giving the impression of walking down some version of a runway.”
      Clear polycarbonate panels expose the pink fibreglass insulation around meeting roomsPrivate offices and meeting rooms are formed by partition walls that present pink fibreglass insulation behind clear polycarbonate panels.
      The insulation helps to soundproof the small rooms for employees taking calls, particularly during events or parties taking place in the front.
      Open desks for employees are laid out along periphery wallsIvy Studio has completed several projects in its home city, each playing with colour in a different way.
      They include a restaurant with a green marble pizza oven, a co-working office featuring mint green and burgundy hues, and a spinning studio dominated by black.
      The photography is by Alex Lesage.
      Project credits:
      Design and architecture: Ivy StudioTeam: Gabrielle Rousseau, David Kirouac, Guillaume B Riel, Philip StaszewskiConstruction: Gestion Gauthier Construction

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      Ivy Studio renovates fire-damaged Piatti restaurant in Montreal

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      Dark green marble, glossy black tiles and sculptural lighting contrast the rough stone walls of this Montreal restaurant that has been resurrected by local Ivy Studio.

      Located in Rosemère, on Montreal’s north bank, Piatti opened 15 years ago in an old stone building that was previously extended to accommodate a larger commercial space.
      A pizza oven wrapped in green marble forms a focal point at PiattiAfter a fire ripped through the Italian restaurant over a year ago, damaging the roof and the interior, the owners chose to renovate and update the space.
      “From this tragedy rose the opportunity to give the space a much-needed facelift,” said the Ivy Studio team, who took on the project.
      Entrance to the kitchen is through an arch set into a pistachio-coloured wall”While the overall aesthetic is very contemporary, the decor was inspired by traditional Italian design and includes textures, materials and colours that project clients directly to the Mediterranean,” the studio added.

      The two-storey building is entered on the lower level, where the preparation kitchen, a private event room and the washrooms are situated.
      A sienna-toned banquette is installed beneath a mirrored wallUpstairs are the dining areas, each with a distinct atmosphere. When entering past courses of glossy black tiles, customers are met by a “monumental” pizza oven wrapped in green Saint-Denis marble.
      A black stained-wood and marble structure in front acts as a dining and service area, across from a hand-plastered pistachio wall with an arch that leads to the closed kitchen.
      The bar area is located in the old stone buildingAbove a sienna-toned velvet banquette, a mirrored wall helps to make the dining space feel larger – reflecting its cream walls and sheer curtains.
      Bistro chairs with green seats and caned backs are placed around tables.
      Lighting and stools were custom designed for the barA circular wood-topped table sits on zig-zag black and white tiles below a central bespoke chandelier.
      The bar occupies the old stone aspect of the building. Here, a U-shaped counter is clad with vertical oak boards and topped with a four-inch-thick travertine slab.

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      Custom stools made from velvet, steel and wood are lined up against the bar, colour-matching the banquette upholstery in the dining room.
      Minimal, custom cream-painted lamps are spaced along the length of the counter, while a steel structure suspended above holds bottles behind fritted glass panels.
      A pendant light hangs above a table in the corner of the bar area”The entire room has recessed lighting going around the ceiling to properly highlight the original stone walls in the evening,” said Ivy Studio.
      Montreal is home to a wealth of Italian restaurants with notable interiors, several of which have opened over the last few years.
      Ivy Studio based the contemporary decor on traditional Italian designThey include pizza spot Vesta and Tiramisu at the city’s Hilton hotel – both designed by Ménard Dworkind.
      Among Ivy Studio’s other hospitality projects in the Quebec capital is Jack Rose, an eatery in a former auto body shop.
      The photography is by Alex Lesage.
      Project credits:
      Team: Gabrielle Rousseau, David Kirouac, Guillaume B Riel, Philip StaszewskiConstruction: Groupe Firco

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      Black dominates moody ELMNT spinning studio in Montreal

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      Cycling shoes are tucked into all-black shelving in this boutique spinning studio in Montreal, Canada, designed by locally based Ivy Studio.Ivy Studio chose the material palette for the indoor cycling facility to reflect the monochrome branding of ELMNT, a boutique gym providing spaces for yoga, spin, barre and high intensity interval training (HIIT).

      Above image: Ivy Studio chose the palette to complement ELMNT’s brand. Top image: the spinning room
      Black runs heavily throughout the 1500-square-foot (139-square-metre) studio but is intended to provide a different atmosphere between the calming lobby area, with lockers and changing areas, and a spin room for “excitement and energy”.
      “Although both areas are united by the brand’s all-black colour palette, they each suggest opposing ambiances,” said Ivy Studio.

      Existing concrete beams are teamed with stained-black wood

      ELMNT’s space, which occupies the ground floor of a residential building in the city’s Griffintown neighbourhood, features exposed concrete columns and concrete floors in the lobby.
      This is teamed with built-in furniture made from black stained oak and reflective laminate.

      A curved black wall wraps around gender-neutral bathrooms
      Among these is a black wooden bench leading from the entrance door along a glazed wall and then around an existing column. A black plant pot filled with greenery is tucked into a nook on the other side of the column.

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      Facing the bench is a curved black wall that wraps around the studio’s gender-neutral changing rooms, including four showers covered in black tiles.

      Cycling shoes are stored in black shelves
      Before entering the studio, class attendees pick up their allotted spin-bike shoes – specially designed to click into the bike pedals – from black shelving. They can also store belongings in black lockers and fill up their water bottles from a cylindrical black fountain.
      The spinning room is intended to provide a more electric atmosphere.

      Red LEDs illuminate the spinning room
      “A series of color-changing LED lights span across the ceiling from one end to the other,” said Ivy Studio. “The walls are surfaced in acrylic mirrors that distort the reflections of their subjects.”
      Ivy Studio is led by architects Gabrielle Rousseau and Philip Staszeksi in Montreal.
      The firm has completed a number of interior projects in the city such as a dry cleaners that is modelled on a Parisian apartment, a grungy, tropical restaurant and a stark white boutique.
      Photography is by Alex Lesage.
      Project credits:
      Project team: Kyle A Goforth, David Kirouac, Guilaume B Riel, Gabrielle Roussea and Philip Staszeweski

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