How Vancouver’s restaurants and cafes use design to create an immersive guest experience

When Jess Reno was creating the look and feel of North Vancouver’s Dope Bakehouse — the first standalone offshoot of Nemesis cafe’s trendy and delicious in-house baking program — he found inspiration hiding in plain sight.

“We mirrored a lot of the elements of pastry in the design,” the founder says.

The bakery’s whole interior takes its cues from the world of its own sweets. Brown banquette seating is designed to look like rising dough; translucent orange curtains hang from the ceiling, giving off the effect of sugar glaze; curved, rounded elements evoke whipped mascarpone cream; a high-gloss bar is reminiscent of melted butter (“We call it the butter bar,” says Reno). 

Because Dope Bakehouse is located in a sleepy part of North Vancouver that is removed from the bustle of Lonsdale, Reno knew he wanted to use design to attract passersby. Those orange curtains in particular, visible through the windows, were a highly strategic element, reminiscent of the ones that mark the entrance to the refrigeration section at Costco, which Reno confirms was where the idea originated.

“It’s a really new neighbourhood, and there have not really been many eyes on it,” Reno says. “So we wanted to have something that could grab the attention of the people passing by and be a great statement piece.”

Reno is one of a growing number of business owners in Vancouver and the region who are putting as much emphasis on the design of their establishments as the products served within. 

In the past, Vancouver has been guilty of falling into repetitive design traps, more likely to emulate what’s working down the street than to try something new. These days, though, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs are recognizing the value of design that goes beyond industrial stools and exposed light bulbs. We’re finally, it seems, developing our own distinct design language.

“People are trying to come out for an experience,” says Reno. “I think the product is a massive piece of that. But also the space, the brand, how people greet you—all those elements tied together are what really separates you from the pack.”

At Main Street’s one-Michelin-starred Published, food also plays a central role in the design. The garde manger section of the dining room, where cold dishes are prepared, features a flagship backbar of preserved and pickled delights in see-through jars, like an edible rainbow.

Plants are another important feature, and they dot the dining room and adorn the ceiling; a nod to the celebrated restaurant’s focus on local, in-season, and foraged ingredients. (The menu changes often, but a recent visit included such excellent dishes as cold side-stripe prawns with cucumber and horseradish, and a standout beef tartare with melted barley.) 

And at the new day-to-night cafe Ellipsis, the natural world is also incorporated, albeit in a different way. Here, a light projection of an orb is meant to resemble the sun, slowly changing from soft sunrise yellow to vibrant sunset purples and oranges as the day goes on: perfect for admiring with a matcha or a tea-infused cocktail.

“I really believe that most people are quite perceptive of their environment, whether they’re aware of it or not,” says interior designer Janine Spartano. “So things like lighting, or even just the finish of a velvet—those are all things that bring us a memory of some kind, or spark some kind of feeling in us.”

Spartano is the designer and part-owner of Pax Romana: a swish and intimate Mediterranean tapas bar on Commercial Drive with excellent cocktails (the martini is a must) and high-end meats and cheeses sourced from Europe. Upon entering the space, guests are immediately enveloped in a dark-red universe of brushed walls, exposed brick, and soft, warm lighting. 

“I really wanted it to feel like it had been there for a long time,” she says. “Like your neighbourhood restaurant.”

The space’s anchor is a mural at the back depicting a series of whimsical, flowing-haired women who appear to be dancing or floating through space—the restaurant’s very own patron saints of a good time.

“We used artwork to bring in that sense of play,” explains Spartano. “It’s something that you do see a lot of in those Mediterranean countries: the old frescoes.” Leafy green plants, accents of yellow, and lush banquette fabric complete the scene: one of coziness and warmth, like an impromptu dinner party that lasts well into the night.

“The things that you choose to put in a restaurant often can make somebody feel at ease; they can make somebody feel comfortable; they can make the space feel romantic and intimate,” Spartano says. “And I think that good food is important for sure, but so is creating a space where people feel comfortable—or whatever you want them to feel.”