A Sunset-Coloured Cocktail Bar Opens on College Street
Brought to life by Atelier Sun, Suite 115 feels more like a moody movie set than a bar
At 532 College Street, bi-folding glass doors open up to a red entrance room, reflecting the sunset lit streetscape; this is the not-so-inconspicuous entrance to Suite 115 Cocktail bar where guests must enter a secret passcode to enter. Peaking past a vault door, the tone shifts from surprise to warmth as the softly lit bar invites you to pull up a chair.
Traditional bar culture to Oliver Leung and business partner Jacky Ha, both veterans of hospitality in Toronto, meant pulling back the curtain on service at Suite 115 – focusing on the relationship between the guests and their hosts. This was the pitch they made to Toronto-based design studio Atelier Sun, the team tasked with translating Ha and Leung’s concept into Suite 115. “We really wanted the space to feel almost like a stage play, or watching the cinema. The space was designed to enhance interaction between the customers and the bartenders,” says Andrew Sun, the studio’s founding Principal.
Playing with the earnestness of Ha and Leung’s concept, the design is minimalist, prioritizing user experience above all else. “Andrew painted the entire picture just from hearing our story,” says Ha. “We said very little but he ran with the concept.” Instead of turning to the usual finishes and colour palettes typically associated with cocktail bars, the team drew from Ha and Leung’s personal lives to inspire an intimate setting that enhances connections and puts guests at ease. Point in case: The dark beige that contrasts the sunset-like reds and oranges that frame the entrance and bar counter were inspired by a recent viewing of Dune II.
In order to break up the linearity of service (two side-by-side bar counters allow for additional circulation) — but also provide a dazzling mirror image illusion — Sun divided the room using sharp lines of light along its width and length. “When you are standing at the entrance, it almost feels like you’re looking at the reflection of the bar at the front. Every further design idea was trying to enhance this concept,” says Sun.
Provided by Anony, a Canadian-made, Toronto-based lighting studio, the lines of light that cut the room are contrasted by gentler light spilling from atop the bar. “The lighting of the bar was carefully designed to make the bar really, really moody,” says Sun, “But at the same time the menus are still readable… no one should be taking out their phone light to read them.”
