Colette Grand Café

Colette Grand Café is a traditional, upscale French restaurant and café located at the base of Toronto's Thompson Hotel. To create a light-filled, French-inspired restaurant and café that fit within the existing modern glass envelope, Audax's design proposal focused on subdividing the 7,200 sq. ft. space into a sequence of distinct zones to offer guests several dining experiences and to gradually transition them into more traditional interiors.

Audax's design approach married the traditional elements of a French bistro with contemporary materials, colours, and patterns. A European colonnade was designed to run along the interior glass wall to serve as a buffer between the interior and exterior. Elements of the colonnade were then repeated to frame the various seating areas. Varying shades of blue and yellow were used in the furniture, wallpaper, floor tiles, and fabrics to further differentiate each area.

Audax's design solution resulted in a restaurant where each area feels intimate, yet still connected to the energy of the space. Patrons, no matter where they are seated, feel as if though they have the best seat in the house.