ATELIER ZÉBULON PERRON has completed a project for the Hilton Doubletree Hotel in Montreal.
An office, hotel and shopping complex, the brief consisted of elements including conversion of an existing breakfast space into a multifunctional room, creating a new VIP lounge area for preferred guests, and the design and construction of a new bar, restaurant, and dining room.
The core of the project is an expansive breakfast area. Soft colours, walnut, white oak, marbles, velvets, and dichroic steel infuse a sense of lightness and into a clean design aesthetic.
The architects discovered a skylight that had long been sealed.
They reopened the ceiling to expose it, then sourced and planted a large tree, using a crane to insert the tree through the skylight.
To facilitate transitions from a breakfast area to other functions throughout the day, the firm positioned the breakfast service area between two monoliths, essentially removing it as a visual element of the main room.
Adjacent to the main space, a new VIP room provides comfort and light F&B services to the hotel’s preferred guest programme members, which is articulated by a glazed glass partition.
The client was set on creating a concept for the bar and restaurant area evocative of ‘glamping’, with references to Canadian wilderness landscapes and activities. One of the first elements introduced were neatly arranged, upward-facing canoe paddles, aligned to frame the external perimeters of the space and to serve as a gateway between the breakfast area and the new restaurant.
The theme is further conveyed through elements such as an intricate mosaic tile pattern surrounding the bar, backrests upholstered and cinched with leather straps that are reminiscent of harnessed picnic blankets, and totem-shaped light fixtures emitting lanternlike glows from beneath canvas shades offering a subtle nod to tent material.
The bar leads through to the dining room, designed with a warm ambiance highlighted by rich marbles, velvets and hardwoods. www.zebulonperron.com
