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.

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.

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.

Noodlebox opens on Shelbourne

Evoke has been working on the new interior design concepts for the Noodlebox franchise. The first completed store is Shelbourne Victoria, with many more to come in short order.

Here are some shots from a quick site visit this week, highlighting some of the material features: pine beetle wood furniture & millwork, lights made from well-used woks, and vintage chairs.

PRESS: Evoke ID Discuss RABDA-Shortlisted Design….

We were recently interviewed by ArtInfo regarding the shortlisting of our design of Heirloom Restaurant for the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards (America’s category).

Read the full article > here.