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    Ménard Dworkind outfits Montreal restaurant with custom wine storage

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    Canadian studio Ménard Dworkind has created an intimate French restaurant in the Villeray neighborhood of Montreal complete with warm interiors and a custom white oak wine cellar.

    Known as Casavant, the 850-square foot (80-square metre) brasserie-style restaurant was completed in September 2023 on the ground floor of a 1920’s residential building, replacing a sandwich shop.
    Ménard Dworkind has created a restaurant in a 1920s Montreal buildingMénard Dworkind (MRDK) designed the small restaurant – which seats 45 patrons – to bring diners together in a space that combines art deco influences with Montreal’s vibrant culinary scene. It was designed to “blend timeless elegance with a contemporary twist”.
    Located on the corner of the block, the guests enter the rectangular interior through a white brick facade. Natural light comes in from multiple directions through large, black-framed storefront windows.
    Large windows let in plenty of lightThe floor is speckled with 3D-patterned matte tiles by Daltile arranged in a custom mosaic, while beige tile climbs up the walls.

    Burnt orange corduroy banquette seating wraps around the two outside walls with two linear high-top tables floating freely in the space. The vintage French bistro chairs were acquired from another restaurateur.
    Vintage furniture was usedThe party wall serves as the focal point with the bar and custom white oak wine cellar and displays a selection of natural wines in raw wood cabinetry with rounded corner glass-front doors.
    “The wine cellar has been the focal point as soon as we started discussions with the clients,” said partner Guillaume Ménard. “It was important to be able to see it from everywhere you sit or stand.
    “Since it’s wall mounted, it attracts the eye pretty quickly with action going on behind the bar as well as the light coming out of it,” he said.

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    The compact kitchen – with an open pass-through window into the dining space that shows off the lively action of cooking – and the dark blue restroom corridor are tucked at the back of the restaurant.
    “The ceiling boasts a unique, funky patterned alcove made from colorful acoustic panels, contributing to the restaurant’s eclectic and inviting character while helping with the acoustical comfort,” the team told Dezeen, referencing the tray-like inset with a blush, maroon and peach abstract graphic.
    It has a ceiling clad with acoustic panels”We really like the addition of the patterned acoustical panels on the ceiling,” Ménard noted.
    “It adds depth, comfort and colors to the space. It also acts as a lantern since it is lightened up by a dissimulated LED strip.”
    A custom wine cabinet was installedIn addition to the locally crafted and sourced materials, artistic details occur throughout the space like a painting from local artist Nicolas Grenier and a vintage Medusa pendant light by Carlo Nason, which displays the restaurant’s charm through the glazing to passers-by.
    Two of Ménard Dworkind’s previous restaurant interiors in Montreal include the Italian 1960’s-inspired design for Tiramisu with a chrome service counter and large leafy plants and the retro-themed design for Caffettiera Caffé Bar with a checkerboard floor and teal accents.
    The photography is by David Dworkind.
    Project credits:
    Team: Guillaume Menard, Fabrice DoutriauxContractor: Avodah ConstructionCeramic floor and wall tile: DaltileLighting: humanhomeStools: UlineUpholstery: Bisson BruneelAcoustic panels: Akustus

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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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      La Firme reorganises centuries-old Montreal loft with contemporary finishes

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      Montreal architecture studio La Firme has reorganised an apartment in a 1800s textile mill, using cabinetry to shape the new interior configuration.

      The Elmire Condo was completed for a young couple in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal area.
      “This project took a space in a mid-19th century building that’s been a textile mill, a Campbell’s soup factory, and finally a condo complex,” said La Firme, a local studio whose name means simply The Firm.
      The apartment is located Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal areaLa Firme left much of the original structure exposed, including tall, rough-hewn timber beams and brick walls with structural arches as passages between rooms.
      According to the studio, these original elements serve as a “counterpoint” to their intervention, which consists of a series of white oak cabinets that delineate that redefine the rooms, while offering an abundance of storage for the owners.

      La Firme left structural arches and brickwork exposed”These contrasting elements organise the space into a rectangular area for the kitchen and salon, and an L-shaped loft for the master bedroom and bath, with a combination gallery, conservatory and meditative space,” said La Firme.
      The studio was able to include two bathrooms as part of the renovation: one for guests and the other within the primary bedroom. Plenty of stone is used throughout the apartment, reflecting the owner’s passion for geology.
      The apartment features a raised salonWithin the ensuite bathroom, a wall is finished in Calcatta marble that was bookmatched to create a subtle geometric pattern with the veins of the stone. “Natural light comes in from the gallery space through a band of glass blocks, in a wink to 1980s condo design,” La Firme explained.
      The long kitchen countertop sits partially at bar-height, then transitions to table height due to a step in the apartment floor. “The kitchen embodies [the client’s] love of minerals and culinary passion,” said La Firme.

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      “Quebec’s geological richness is brought inside with the island countertop, a slab of Labradorite granite that extends into a table on a raised platform,” they added.
      Beyond the kitchen is the salon, which is raised a few steps higher, and enjoys clear views of the city’s Mont Royal. Within these steps, the architects included a concealed pull-out bed for guests.
      Contemporary elements contrast with the centuries-old buildingOpposite the kitchen is a counter with drawers offering flexible storage or a place to work from home.
      Through the brick arches is the conservatory, a secondary living area separated from the combined living room and kitchen.
      Two bathrooms are included in the renovation”The gallery/conservatory is the loft area’s raison d’être,” La Firme explained. “Bright and open, it puts on display the clients’ other great loves: an impressive collection of contemporary art and a space for playing music.”
      Besides the white oak cabinets and occasional stone accents, the architects kept to a relatively limited palette for the intervention.
      Other apartment renovations in Montreal include a 1920s unit that Naturehumaine renovated with curved walls and pale green cabinetry, and a residential extension wrapped in galvanised metal.
      The photography is by Ulysse Lemerise Bouchard.

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      Warm beige hues update Résidence Esplanade in Montreal

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      Design pair Michael Godmer and Catherine Lavallée created a sequence of meditative, beige-tone spaces in the partial renovation of this home in Montreal. Résidence Esplanade is situated in Mile End, a trendy area of Montreal host to various eateries, coffee bars and vintage stores.
      The property was originally built as two separate apartments, but five years ago was converted into the two-floor house it stands as today.

      The colour beige has been applied throughout Résidence Esplanade

      Much of the property’s unique decor details were eliminated during the renovation works. Its new owner, a young professional who collects furniture and works of art, tasked Michael Godmer and Catherine Lavallée with designing a slightly more distinctive interior.
      “We wanted to add identity to the house’s soul,” Godmer told Dezeen.

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

      He and Lavallée have, for now, overhauled the home’s upstairs landing, study and one of its bedrooms – the rest of the rooms will be worked on at a later date.

      Walls in the bedroom have been loosely limewashed
      The three revamped areas have been completed in various shades of beige, a colour that the design pair says is “reminiscent of the soft winter light” that they saw on the first day they visited Résidence Esplanade.
      In the bedroom, walls have been loosely rendered with lime paint that leaves behind an eggshell-coloured finish.
      A tall wardrobe inlaid with cane panels has been set towards the rear of the room, while a white-oak sideboard has been set beneath the window so that the owner can display personal trinkets or ornaments.
      In the corner of the room is also a blush-pink slouch chair.

      In the study, a work desk has been set into a niche in the wall
      Limewashed surfaces continue into the home’s study. An oak work desk has been built within a niche in the wall, accompanied by a simple black tub chair and a spherical pendant lamp that dangles from the ceiling.
      Textural interest is added by the corrugated panelling that has been set at the back of the niche.
      Finally, fluted glass doors with buttermilk-coloured framing have been fitted in front of each of the rooms on the first floor.

      The back wall of the niche is corrugated
      Godmer and Lavallée say they plan to apply a similarly calming aesthetic throughout the rest of the home when they start the second phase of the renovation.
      “We are also looking at adding a mezzanine and a rooftop terrace for [the owner] to enjoy summer days having views of Mont-Royal mountain,” added Godmer.

      Fluted glass doors have been installed on the home’s first floor
      Résidence Esplanade is one of several homes that Michael Godmer has designed in his home city of Montreal. Others include Elmwood Residence, a Victorian-era townhouse in the Outremont neighbourhood which Godmer updated by creating a sequence of monochromatic living spaces.
      Earlier this year, Godmer also made over the Montreal home that he shares with his partner, Mathieu Turgeon and their two poodles. Inside, it boasts fresh white walls and an array of wooden fixtures and furnishings.
      Photography is courtesy of Catherine Lavallée.
      Project credits:
      Design: Michael Godmer and Catherine LavalléeConstruction: Frédéric LalondeCabinetmaking: Il Fabrique

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