The name of Vancouver’s new cocktail lounge and raw bar AMA takes after the Japanese word to refer to cold water divers, usually women, who harvest seafood and pearls, a tradition which has been in practice for around 2,000 years. The tradition is reflected in the bar’s food and beverage concept—but its interior draws from a different, much more futuristic lore.

Canadian design studio &Daughters likened the interior of AMA to Denis Villeneuve’s Bladerunner 2049. Located in a 2-story, 1970s walk-up, the bar is sealed off from the outside world. It’s signaled from the outside only by an easily missable sign fabricated from horizontal sheet metal whose shadow, lit from above, casts the name of the restaurant onto the exterior white wall, an eccentric and intriguing introduction apt for the space. A coral red cage door marks the entrance of the restaurant, leading up to a long, dark stairwell, letting guests know they’ve arrived at a destination.

The designers injected the space with a permanent orange glow that stems primarily from a cove cut out of the bulkhead and lining the perimeter wall. The hue is reminiscent of the hazy scenes in the movie, reinforced by the designers’ material choices: golden mirrors, glossy finishes, and velvet curtains and banquets.

The central element comes in the form of the U-shaped bar. It’s topped with polished black granite and lit by rows of clean, linear shelving. Venetian plaster walls frame the bar while continuing the hazy design of the space.

Elsewhere, rectilinearity and clean lines continue via cutouts, bulkheads, and counters, furthering the futuristic and cinematic feel. The bulkhead becomes the datum line into which banquette seating is integrated. A line of rectangular glass follows the banquette wall, continuing the symmetry of the space.

The lighting, materials, and rectilinear approach make for an immersive space, sleek enough to be part of Villeneuve’s own world-building.