Bel Café

Our design for David Hawksworth’s Bel Cafe is a reflection of the heritage materials used in the Hotel Georgia lobby, utilised in a contemporary setting. Materials selected reflect the character of a European cafe: rich dark wood panelling and cabinetry; zinc service counters and tabletops; honed black granite floors; and classic leather and wool upholstery seating. The cafe features a long service counter with display cases, display shelves and a dining area that seats 20.

A custom chandelier, fashioned from chromed ribbons of aluminum, greets customers at the entrance, with banquette seating on either side. Menu boards supported by the wood ceiling give a casual, vintage nod to the typical French cafe. Custom designed wallpaper, in a palette of soft colours, reflects the overall aesthetic of the cafe.

Photos © Copyright: Janis Nicolay. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

A series of posters of Irish icons created for The Cascade Room.

The Union Bar

Our latest project, The Union, opens tonight at 219 Union Street, Vancouver.

We got a sneak taste of what’s in store the other night with some food and cocktail tasting (photos below). Chef, Lisa Henderson has created a Southeast Asian inspired menu, while barman Arthur Wynne uses the regions ingredients, sourced from neighbouring Chinatown, to infuse his cocktails.
More photos to follow. In the meantime, here’s a brief description of the design.
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The Union is a 2,100 sq.ft. modern yet eclectic space utilizing dark woods, reclaimed barn board, exposed concrete walls and floors, large-scale pendants, custom wood tables and benches, and neighbourhood imagery, creating a contemporary and inclusive room. The space is organized around the bar and kitchen.

Upon entering the space, the 14 seat bar (with emeco Lancaster bar stools) is prominently highlighted by four backlit cabinets featuring detail images of texture and colour of the grittier aspects of the Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood (Photography by Janis Nicolay). Chalkboards above present the bar’s offering, which focuses on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, also prominently displayed.

The 70 seat dining area is comprised of three long wood communal tables and benches. A long banquette at the back of the room separates the diners from the service spaces. Above the communal tables hang nine Jielde Augustin large pendant lamps, chosen for their simple and industrial aesthetic.

Adjacent the bar, the open kitchen is wrapped in reclaimed barn board panels. The installation was inspired the Union Street locale.

The lyrics to “Crosstown Traffic” not only reference the young Jimi Hendrix who ventured up to Vancouver to spend his summer holidays, but also the Georgia Street viaduct which was constructed in the early 1970′s as part of an extensive freeway system which was to flow traffic from the suburbs “crosstown” to Vancouver. Hendrix would spend his summer holidays with his grandmother, Nora Hendrix, who worked at Vie’s Chicken Shack (next door to The Union, where the Jimi Hendrix Shrine now stands) The lyrics have been broken apart and reassembled to represent the fracturing of the neighbourhood caused by the viaduct, which went directly through the predominantly black community of Hogan’s Alley (Park Lane).

There is a common design language used throughout The Union with Evoke being responsible for: interior design, custom-designed furniture, feature wall installations, menus and all branding (including name development, logo identity, collateral graphics, signage).

The Union Bar: 219 Union Street, Vancouver. www.TheUnionBar.ca | Twitter: @TheUnionBar

Working For The Union.

Our latest restaurant project, The Union Bar, is moving into the final stages as the installation takes shape wrapping around the kitchen wall and equipment starts moving in.

Stencilling for wall installation.

The install.

Site discussions.

The Union Bar is located at 219 Union Street, Vancouver (at Main & Union on the edge of Chinatown).

Follow updates on twitter @evokeid and @theunionbar.

See also: Scout MagazineHabit & Cascade Folks To Open New Southeast Asian Restaurant “The Union”.

Heavy Metal.

Interior/exterior metal work is now installed in preparation for the October unveiling of our design for new Yaletown restaurant, Chinois.

Upcoming: Hawksworth’s Bel Cafe

Construction is underway on one of our latest projects: the new Bel Cafe for David Hawksworth at the Hotel Georgia. The cafe will be a compliment to David’s new restaurant at the hotel, but will focus on great coffee, pastries and desserts, as well as light lunches. The interior will feature dark wood panelling, honed black granite floors and zinc counter surfaces. The fantastic Christiaan + Planck are supplying a custom bright chrome plated chandelier measuring out to 2.4m diameter. The cafe should be open by end of October.

Electric Owl

Our design for the recently opened restaurant & Live music venue, Electric Owl is complete. The large open space broken up by raised seating areas, steel partitions and a back izakaya dining area featuring a large neon wall installation. The best part though, our design gets to play host to one of our favourite artists next month, Paul Kelly – September 18 / 19. If you’re in Vancouver we’ll see you there!

Photography by Janis Nicolay.

Now Available in 6 Packs!

Main Street Pilsner, our ongoing experiment of becoming self-sufficient, in conjunction with Public Lounge and The Cascade Room is now available in 6 Packs! Just in time for the Stanley Cup Finals & summer BBQ’s! Go Canucks, Go!

(Main Street Pilsner is brewed under licence by Russell Beer for Main Street Pilsner Co.).

Latitude Revolution.

It was a snowy Saturday spent indoors graffiti-ing our design/message onto the concrete block wall at Latitude on Main Street. Latitude, now part of the growing Cascade Company, reopens this Thursday, March 3. So, if you want to see the finished message drop by – we’ll be at the bar, quaffing mojito’s.

SPACE: Commune Cafe

We’re proud to announce that Commune Cafe, which we completed towards the end of last year, is featured in the new hard-cover book, “RESTAURANT“. The book is part of the SPACE Series by Hong Kong publishers Beisi Studio.

Commune was recognized for it’s overall design aesthetic and the melding of interior and graphic design.

Not a bad way to kick off 2011.

Photography: Janis Nicolay Photography.

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