42
the World Of Hospitality
Restaurant Ikanos
A New Architectural Language
With Mediterranean Accents
I
kanos, an Old Montreal restaurant with
Mediterranean flair and the little brother to
Tasso, the Saint-Denis Street institution with
an expansive vision, officially opened on
October 14, 2014 at 112 McGill Street. For his new
Mediterranean-inflected restaurant, the ambitious
owner chose an imposing space on McGill, in an
old warehouse that had more recently served as an
artist’s studio. He selected blazysgérard to take on the
challenge of crafting a strong identity for the space.
The concept is based on a reinterpretation of the
characteristic architecture of Greece and neighbouring
countries. The goal was to develop an architectural
language that would meet the client’s requirements
while remaining consistent with the theme, without
becoming a mere pastiche or stage set. Alexandre
Blazys and Benoit Gérard approached the problem
from a fresh, modern angle.
The bar sets the tone with a blackened steel arch,
antique mirrors and deep blue barstools. By installing
a constellation of smoked globe lights of varying sizes,
the designers sought to echo the Mediterranean sky.
Wood and leather banquettes structure the restaurant’s
space and different zones. They help maximize the
restaurant’s capacity while giving guests fine views
of Old Montreal. The wood and seagrass chairs are
accented with sheepskin, giving the space a playful
feminine touch.
Meanwhile, the designers approached the ceiling as
an infinite pergola made of suspended wood planks.
Spaced at regular intervals, the planks generate an
interesting interplay of shadow and light on the brick
and straw paper walls. Lights and service conduits are
concealed above the planks, giving the space a warm,
intimate character and a more human scale. Lighting
at the base of the partitions is concealed inside steel
mouldings, creating a visual horizon for guests.
The placement of the kitchen in the basement made
it possible to consolidate all technical services on the
left side of the building, which is as narrow as most
others in the area. The kitchen is a major technical
achievement in its own right. Faced with the need to
run an enormous exhaust conduit across four levels,
including a huge elbow behind the bar, the designers
turned the constraint to their advantage by making
the conduit the focal point and unifying element of
the bar.
Other elements expand on the Mediterranean theme,
such as the use of stucco on certain walls and the
inclusion of raw steel posts, or black and grey slate
on steps and landings, giving the space an i ntentional
patina. Also worth mentioning are the openwork
partitions in thin, braided metal harking back to the
triumphal aesthetic of a bygone Greece.