GENTILE PIZZA PARLOUR
Type: Restaurant
Location: Montreal QC
Year: 2020
Size: 2,485 sqft / 230 m2
Inspired by family legacy, the new Montreal restaurant’s original concept pays homage to the classic pizzerias of 70s and 80s New York City, balancing retro and contemporary elements to create a chic and colloquial space, with a strong identity.
After a successful collaboration with owner, Anthony Gentile, to design his first restaurant in 2016, Atelier Zébulon Perron was selected to design the new adjacent pizzeria. The firm embarked on a concept of nostalgia within an iconic and contemporary space that is inspired by family history, with tributes to the flagship Café Gentile, first opened in 1959, as well as to a family arcade where the current owner spent much of his youth.
The studio’s designers focused on a contemporary interpretation of throwback references in order to create a dynamic space that is both rooted in time, and which embraces the future, reflecting the ambitions and passions of a new generation of Montreal family restaurateurs. The original space offered some naturally vintage qualities that the designers embraced, including a metal-slatted ceiling that was originally designed for signage. Despite a series of technical challenges, the Atelier Zébulon Perron team updated the concept with a metallic champagne paint finish and the installation of backlit screens emitting a soft pink glow.
To break down the existing space’s natural linearity, the team developed a continuous diagonal tile pattern that covers the floors, the walls, and the bar. The effect of the strong and deliberate gesture is one of the most striking aspects of the final design. A juxtaposition of old and new materials characterizes the restaurant’s light and playful furnishings and finishes, including a mix of marble and vinyl tabletops, layered, prefinished wood panelled walls with backlit mirrors, amber glass dividers, and old-fashioned vertical blinds. Vintage objects, including light fixtures, chairs, stools, and even an old Pac Man machine, were acquired through personal collections and classified ads, infusing the space with a strong visual impact of familiarity, originality, and warmth.
AWARDS
2020 Grands Prix du Design Silver Laureate
Photos © Jean-Sébastien Senécal