Creme Brasserie - Our 1st Restaurant Design

This spring, we were asked to design a restaurant, our first! And in Yorkville no less. We met the owners, the 2 Ricardos, on a cold, blustery March day in the space that used to be the much loved and design award-winning Michelle's. We had to turn this dark space into a bright and airy French bistro. Our timeliness were going to be tight - they didn't even have possession of the space yet and they wanted a late spring opening. Everything had to go! And did I mention the design budget was tight? Of course, we could do it!











The inspiration came from Manuela's fall trip to Vegas - the reception lobby of the Paris hotel. Cream coloured walls with moldings (Anna is “the molding queen”) and crystal chandeliers. It so happened we had a picture on our camera to show the Ricardos. They loved it. "That's it, that's what we're thinking of!"


Off to select dishes, glasses, flatware from a nearby restaurant that was closing soon. Okay, not really the order we would have done things, but it all had to get done sooner or later and we had to make the deal while we could. Did I mention, the budget was tight?








Back to studying the space. What could we keep? The built-in at the back would be perfect for the wine, it just needed some refinishing and new hardware. The cabinet on the other side was in rougher shape. Paint maybe? This was the easy part.


The big question was the bar. The existing bar was at the back of the space. It was beautiful – it had the potential to be beautiful once again. It was massive and had a ledge, all it needed was new granite. The owners really wanted an open kitchen so the bar would have to move. Could we cut back this bar and move it to the side?

Hmm, we really wanted to work with the banquettes that were already there on both sides of the space and leave the bar at the back. It would allow for maximum seating capacity and we’d save so much time & money by not moving the bar (including the plumbing which would have to be brought over through the under-ground garage below if we weren’t going to change the floor heights in the restaurant itself.)


So we played with the floor plan. The best layout was to leave the bar where it was, cut it back and create an opening to the kitchen. We also had think of something to block the view to the washrooms but the banquettes could stay in the same place.

This will be easy, no problem staying on budget... until we all decided that we wanted to maximize the overall height: The HVAC had to move. This is going to be a bigger job than we all thought and we were still working toward a spring opening. And as it turned out, they needed to do a lot of work in the kitchen – not our domain. That was left to the commercial kitchen designers – and they had a bigger budget.


Permits in hand, demolition began & we had to get all the furniture, fixtures, lighting, fabrics & art – in a hurry. Off we went with the Ricardos. They took us to see some things they liked: some we loved, some we didn’t. Over the next couple of weeks, everything was firmed up. It all had to be in stock or ready to ship quickly, so the hardwood floor we liked was replaced with porcelain tile that looked like hardwood. It was in stock and it turned out to be the best thing: it looks great & easy maintenance. Evidently, curious neighbours regularly dropped in and some started to take bets on whether the floor was real wood.








Checking in at the construction site: Marco of Calado & Lima Construction, and his guys were working so hard and yet May 10th deadline was becoming May 20th, then May 30th, then early June. Still it was unheard of to get a project like this finished so quickly.


One more thing about the design: Manuela asked Marco to keep some of the scroll work from the previous restaurant. Michelle’s was designed to look like it was situated under the Eiffel Tower. The ceiling was made up of MDF painted green (verdigris). We had no idea what to do with this (and Marco would have preferred getting it out of his way on the job site) but we thought it would be cool to preserve some of it. Reduce, reuse and keep something of the much loved predecessor. We’d figure out later where it would go. Everyone thought we were crazy but of course, we weren’t intending to keep it green. It ended up going all around the coved ceiling giving an interesting detail and hiding the new HVAC vents. It looks great.




Some of our other favourite finds: the ledgerstone used behind the bar and a few other key places; the red quartz bathroom countertops; the gorgeous granite for the bar; and great paintings provided by Joseph Capciotto. Anna did the flower arrangements, and the owners found the four pendants, the onions we call them, when learned at almost last minute that the pendants we had ordered weeks earlier weren’t going to make it in on time. This too turned out for the best.

CREATING AN OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE

• Decide on the type of space you would like to create based on your needs-dinning area, kitchen space, spa or pool area, reading area and a play area are just a few uses you might consider.

• Do you want the architectural style, furnishings and finishes of you outdoor space to reflect the style of your house or be distinct from it?

• If your space lacks a canopy of trees for shade, a cozy space can be created under a overhang, pergola, or gazebo. Consider your furniture before building to ensure it will fit.

• Check with local authorities about regulations regarding setbacks, permits and size restrictions.

• If your creating a wooden fence, consider running boards horizontally to create a more contemporary feel. This will also fool the eye into thinking there is more space.

• If you plan to spend much time there in the evening, think about screening the area in or use mosquito netting. Be sure though to leave it open when you are not in the areas, as raccoons and cats can do damage as they try to get inside.

• Buy the best you can afford to ensure longevity, comfort and durability. It is best to use furniture and fabrics that have been designed for outdoor use, even in covered areas, as they are designed to withstand the outside elements. Resin, cast iron or aluminum furniture have the best durability; rattan, wicker and teak are other options.

• To create a comfortable outdoor living space, follow the same design and layout principles as for an interior space.

• If you have large windows or sliding doors which look out on your outdoor space, consider unifying the space, and making the transition as seamless as possible. If you have dark wood inside, use dark wood outside.

• When choosing fabrics for your furniture, consider your choices and where they are meant to go. Colours will look lighter outside.

• Use an outdoor carpet (made of polypropylene or seagrass) to define a conversation areas and various lighting options (candlelight, torches and solar-powered garden lighting) for comfort and mood.

For more information, please visit us at www.gobbatomourtos.com

Cardinal Funeral Home

In 2009, we worked with Cardinal Funeral Homes in Toronto to update their Annette Street facility.

This facility has a long history in the area and especially in the Ukranian community, used by many generations of families.

In addition to update the decor, we sought to create an environment that was soothing, comforting and appealing to it's next generation of clientele.

The refurbishment consisted of replacing ceilings, carpeting, wall finishes, drapery, furniture and fixtures in two visitation rooms, an office, the hallway, washroom and foyer. In addition, improvements in the way rooms could be modified now allows Cardinal to achieve maximum flexibility in meeting their client's needs.

The design and implementation took only a few months without disruption to the operations of the funeral home and has met with favourable reception from staff and clients alike.

FOYER - before & after




Though we updated the wallpaper, paint and carpeting through out, we took inspiration from a few elements we were asked to keep. In the foyer a couple of new charcoal grey chairs with abstract gold markings became the inspiration for the paint colour used both in this space and most of the refurbished areas. To enable the funeral home to quickly freshen up with an easy coat of paint, we opted for minimal use of wallpaper. A soft yellow palette created inviting, bright and comforting interiors.


VISITATION ROOMS - before & after



In the visitation rooms, we removed heavy drapery and where they were needed to block windows, we used fabrics lighter in visual and actual weight. Paint and fresh textured wallpaper was used in other areas.

VISITATION ROOMS - before & after

New ceilings with sound system replaced the previous panelled ceilings; energy efficient light fixtures improve the facility both visually and environmentally.

So as not to disrupt the day-to-day operations of the funeral home, much of the work was done after hours. (A few contractors approached to bid on the project admitted to being a bit uncomfortable - shall we say afraid ? - to work in a funeral home in the wee hours.) ZP Construction, however, did an amazing job, working day & night with no fears.

We designers weren't so crazy getting out of bed in the middle of the night to resolve issue on the job site, but it's what we must do and luckily there weren't many such nights.

All in all, it was actually a fun project to work on. The people at Cardinal were easy going, had good sense of humour, and continue to have such nice things to say about working with us. We enjoyed working with them and have subsequently continued to do so on smaller projects at both this and their Bathurst Street location.

"When our Annette Street location needed an update, we interviewed several designers but were most impressed with Manuela’s and Anna’s proposal and presentation. They clearly understood our needs and requirements. Not only did they implement all the ideas, but the project came in on budget and on time. Manuela and Anna were quick to respond and deal with every issue. Their project management skills were excellent resulting in a minimum of disruption in our day-to-day operations. Our Annette Street location is bright, warm and inviting and we continue to receive compliments on the new décor. We continue to work with Manuela and Anna as the need arises. As always, they deliver what we need within budget and on time."

Paul Smith
General Manager
Cardinal Funeral Homes