Building & Investment (Jan - Feb 2016) (Jan - Feb 2016) | Page 65
Design Feature
Restaurant in Old Montréal
gets Mediterranean makeover
Designer BlazysGérard adds Greek accents to the interior of Ikanos Restaurant.
Photos by: Jean Longpré
IKANOS, AN OLD Montreal restaurant with
Mediterranean flair, is located along McGill
Street in Montréal, Canada. For his new
Mediterranean-styled restaurant, the owner
chose an imposing space in an old warehouse
that had more recently served as an artist’s
studio. He appointed designer Blazysgérard
to take on the challenge of crafting a strong
identity for the restaurant.
The concept is based on a re-interpretation
of the characteristic architecture of Greece
and neighbouring countries. The goal was
to develop an architectural language that
would meet the client’s requirements while
remaining consistent with the theme, without
becoming a mere pastiche or stage set.
Designers Alexandre Blazys and Benoit
Gérard approached the problem from a
fresh, modern angle. The bar sets the tone
with a blackened steel arch, antique mirrors
and deep blue bar stools. By installing a
constellation of smoked globe lights of
varying sizes, the designers sought to echo
the Mediterranean sky.
Wood and leather banquettes structure
the restaurant’s space and different zones. They
help maximise the restaurant’s capacity while
giving guests excellent views of Old Montreal
outside the restaurant. The wood and seagrass
chairs are accented with sheepskin, giving the
space a playful feminine touch.
Meanwhile, the designers approached
the ceiling as an infinite pergola made of
suspended wood planks. Spaced at regular
intervals, the planks generate an interesting
interplay of shadow and light on the brick and
straw paper walls. Lights and service conduits
are concealed above the planks, giving the
space a warm, intimate character and a more
human scale. Lighting at the base of the
partitions is concealed inside steel mouldings,
creating a visual horizon for guests.
The placement of the kitchen in the
basement made it possible to consolidate
all technical services on the left side of the
building. The kitchen is a major technical
achievement in its own right. Faced with the
need to run an enormous exhaust conduit
across four levels, including a huge elbow
behind the bar, the designers turned the
constraint to their advantage by making the
conduit the focal point and unifying element
of the bar.
Alexandre Blazys and Benoit Gérard
joined forces in 2003 to form Blazysgérard,
a Montreal design and architecture studio.
Their mission is to create balanced, functional
environments at a human scale.
More information at www.blazysgerard.com
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