Private Residence: In Progress 5

The final touches have been added to our latest private residence project.

View from the street. The black-stained cedar upper form cantilevers over the stone base.

The north side of the house opens up to a large roof garden and pool with infinity edge. A covered and heated area provides outdoor living space.

Sliding doors fully open the living area to the outdoor space.

A steel and walnut staircase connects the atrium space to the upper floor bedrooms.

A steel and walnut staircase connects the atrium space to the upper floor bedrooms.

Details of the wine room.

Images courtesy of CE Miles Construction Ltd. and Ema Peter Photography

THNK Vancouver Nearing Completion.

Our current project for THNK: School Of Creative Leadership is nearing completion. Final millwork & acoustic installs, along with painting are all moving along, and set for a new year’s opening.

The Big Don’t Argue

 

“The Big Don’t Argue” is a piece of art created for the new Match Bar at Gateway Casinos in New Westminster. Throughout all our design work for Gateway we contribute, in addition to the interior design, ‘touch points’ based on local stories and iconography.

“The Big Don’t Argue” was inspired by the “no holds barred” approach of longtime New Westminster Bruins hockey coach, and later owner, Ernie “Punch” McLean.

Whil Offices

Whil. offices reside on the top floor in a 100 year old building in Vancouver’s Gastown. In addition to Whil, a private office for Lululemon founders Chip and Shannon Wilson, the space houses two other companies and a charity, requiring some separation within the shared walls.

As lead design consultant, we were responsible for all interior design and specifications, consultant coordination, permit applications and construction documents. Programme components included: reception, sample storage, meeting rooms, private offices, staff assembly space, lounge space, multi-function space, and washroom facilities.

As a contrast to the existing rusticated concrete structure, a modern and light ash wood palette was combined with neutral coloured felt wool hanging panels and white workstations to create a serene and calming work environment. Features include a cor-ten steel reception wall and perforated privacy door, a solid ash bar top for gathering at the front desk and a central meeting room with felt acoustic walls and ceiling panels by buzzispace. The kitchen features a marble and solid ash countertop combined with an acoustic buzzispace shade. Sliding felt panels by filzfelt create temporary separations for privacy when required.

Photography ©2014 Janis Nicolay.

Temper Pastry Chocolate

Temper Pastry Chocolate is a gourmet chocolate and pastry shop is located in West Vancouver.

The programme requirements for the 1400 square foot store included allocating space for fully functioning chocolate and pastry kitchens while maintaining an inviting open retail & café experience. The clean contemporary design was used to provide a clean and unadorned backdrop for the innovative quality of chef Steven Hodge’s handcrafted products. Custom glass display cases, natural materials and linear lighting were used in order to achieve the bright, clutter free layout of the space. An array of cut-off rolling pins and glass shelves were used to create a unique and functional display for the products. Windows in the wall separating the kitchen and retail spaces add to the open concept, providing a view for customers to experience the process and specialty of the product being created on site.

Subtle accents were used to support the overall design concept: from the pendant lights chosen for their “pastry” aesthetic, to the custom wall covering with embedded light box of original graphics and the custom entry door pull branded with the client’s logo.

Temper garnered an A.R.E. Design Award for Retail Design, recently held in Las vegas.

Photography ©2014 Janis Nicolay.

Private Residence: In Progress 4

A quick update with a few images as construction continues on the Point Grey Residence.

PRESS: Inside Pixar Canada’s Offices.

BC Business features Evoke designed interiors for Pixar Canada in this month’s issue.

“A collaborative atmosphere at Pixar Canada fuels a work-hard, play-hard culture.” Read the full article here.

Image by: Paul Joseph

White Noise at Dinner By Design

It’s been a busy past week getting ready for last night’s sold out Dinner By Design event.

We were invited to create an installation as part of the GEMonogram Dinner By Design, in partnership with IDSwest and benefitting the Dr. Peter Center.

The open ended brief was to come up with a ‘room’ to accommodate a dinner for ten. We decided to go the conceptual route of an all-white room, hence our “White Noise” concept.

“White Noise” represents a dining experience where all ambient distractions fade away, bringing the diners and meal into focus.

The recent trend of covering every surface with “found” objects in order to “curate” a room has diminished the importance of the diner. “White Noise”  is a reaction to that trend. Objects and table settings have been visually minimalized and conversations “cut up” and reassembled to form abstracted meanings.

Now, more than ever, there is a growing visual distraction in restaurant design where the patron has become secondary to the room concept. Add to this the constant “reportage” of the meal via social media, and the art of dinner conversation is vanishing.

As designers, and restaurant owners, we constantly remind ourselves that no matter how beautiful a room design may be, the dining experience is ultimately about the meal and human interaction. 

Thanks to the event organizers The Social Concierge, and to the amazing guests who joined us at our table.

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Light by ANDLight

Compas chairs by Patrick Norguet supplied by Inform Contract

Table by Norwest Millwork

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Thanks to Janis Nicolay for the photos

Chocolate and Pastries

Hands went up quickly in the office when our latest project walked through the door.

These design sketches show the soon-to-be “Temper Chocolate & Pastry” in West Vancouver. Utilizing vertical grain fir and Carrara marble, this 1,200 sq.ft. retail space is set to open later this year.

We’ll continue to update as construction begins as both the interiors and branding develop.

 

PRESS: Meet The Minds Behind Restaurant Design

The current online issue of Hospitality Design features an interview with Evoke regarding collaboration and restaurant design.

Full article > here.