Montreal’s Izakaya Kinoya has been a hit on the city’s food scene since its opening in 2012, but Jean de Lessard’s recent renovation of the Japanese tapas bar is expected to draw even larger crowds eager to experience its chaotic, but cozy atmosphere. Covering an area of 4,500 square feet, the reclaimed wood creates a fractal geometry that is glue-laminated onto the walls and ceilings in all directions. Graffiti and other artwork reinforce the urban grittiness of the place. The furniture and lighting were reused from the restaurant’s previous design.
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“It’s a fantasy cave where people are in a constant visual exploration mode,” says carpenter Dominic Samson, who handled the project’s woodworking. The restaurant is set inside a box frame to create a well-defined boundary between the mundane surrounding streetscape and the chaotic interior “that is totally focused on the business of partying.” Lessard created a vertical drop of four to five feet between the front and back parts of the ceiling to create a cocoon effect.
+ Jean de Lessard
Images via Jean de Lessard
