Francophone nostalgia has a new home in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, where Buvette Daphnée, a Montreal-inspired wine bar and fine dining restaurant, opened last fall. The interiors offer a stimulating concoction of both vintage and contemporary elements within the historic ByWard Market. The new, 1,500-square-foot establishment is run by chef Dominique Dufour who wanted to blend her personal ties to Quebec and Ottawa under one roof. Leading the design behind this Canadian cultural marriage is Montreal-based architecture and interior design firm, Ivy Studio.
Upon entry, eyes are immediately drawn to the custom-designed tile floor that introduces the main color scheme of the restaurant: brown, caramel, cream, and light blue. The unique floor pattern zigzags across the entire restaurant from the bar to the dining area. It unites these two distinct areas of the space while striking a retro diner aesthetic on which the designers layer contemporary touches.
Ivy Studio seamlessly coheres duality at Buvette Daphnée. Old and new collide from the original exposed brick walls that stand alongside sleek cream-painted, v-board panels, offering textural contrast. Above the bar, vastly different light fixtures complement each other: the first is a one-of-a-kind, 30-foot-long burnt orange piece by Montreal’s Hamster that slithers above the 36-foot-long, U-shaped bar; the others are frosted glass globes taken from original 1960s street lamps in Montreal.
To add to the already rich material palette of the restaurant, the dining area offers a balance between rugged and soft textures. This is applied through the furniture application, ranging from the circular booth cutouts encased in vertical paneling with blue velvet seat covers to the vintage chairs complemented by a large banquette wrapped in a smooth cognac leather.
The design team created a space that is both cohesive and unexpected. One’s eyes can easily bounce across the entire place to see all of the elements harmoniously play off each other. Ivy Studio’s design efforts only enhance the dining experience for those who want a taste of Quebec while also being in Ottawa, of being in the past but also the present.