Westmount is a predominantly residential community. Located in one of the two small commercial areas - and that led to thoughts of creating an almost literal "coffee house" which generated the "house" form within the larger volume. In addition, there was the desire to really place a focus on the bar, the "theatre" in our space - since the space was two stories tall, we didn't want the bar to just be floating, it needed to be grounded somehow. The white walls with the refined, classical, painted moldings speak to the heritage of the area and its "buttoned-down" reputation in a contemporary way, while the house was clad in rustic reclaimed wood to contrast and stand out from the muted background, and give the space a casual, comfortable, welcoming feel. The house is also functional - it was built with a steel structure that provides the required lateral bracing to the exterior walls.
To bring local relevance to the design, the wood that clads the house was provided by a Montreal vendor who sources reclaimed wood from barns and other old structures in Quebec and Northern NY/Vermont/NH. A local artist was hired to paint the large coffee map on the wood wall. The photos of Westmount Square (the Mies van der Rohe complex adjacent to the store) were taken by a local photographer.
Links:
- https://vimeo.com/95820603
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