Restaurant and cocktail bar Florette has opened in Toronto’s Queen West neighborhood. Crafted by local studio Denizens of Design, the quaint space resembles the warm “second home” of the project’s muse, the fictitious Aunt Fern.
“I drew on my connection to my Aunt Cynthia,” says Denizens principal Dyonne Fashina. “Aunt Cyn was known for collecting vintage furniture, lived in houses with lush gardens, and was quite the chef. It was always a welcoming space where we felt cared for.”
A heritage mauve hue adorns Florette’s frontage, including its original pitched façade, to evoke a residential quality. Inside, expansive barrel-vaulted ceilings draw the eye upward with floral wallpaper and custom wood trim. Oversized custom lampshades echo the floral patterns at the front window as well.
Beneath the extravagant ceiling, bar seating is wrapped in Victorian-inspired chenille upholstery and the bar features custom wainscotting accented by integral wall-arm light fixtures. Further, the bar is topped with a resin-impregnated paper product often used for guitar fretboards—a nod to Florette founder Jerry Zhang’s career in music. Composed of dark-stained oak, the bar is punctuated by brass accents and a bronze-hammered mirror backbar, positioning the interior akin to a residential dining room. Banquettes with spindled legs and pleated skirts are installed in the sitting area to round out the theme as well.
“Often spaces are designed to adhere to a particular design style or period, but that doesn’t reflect how we actually collect items for our homes, which is much more organic,” Fashina adds. “We imagine each element of Florette to be part of Aunt Fern’s collection, some pieces conceived as original and others collected throughout her life to tell her story.”
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