WL Design 25 Winners 2026: Midnight Market (Good Thief)

This spot doesn’t so much invite as beckon you in. And, like two thoughts you wouldn’t necessarily put together, take, for example, the words “Good” and “Thief,” the cocktail lounge drops you from Vancouver’s bustling Main Street straight into the nhậu culture hum of ’60s- and ’70s-era Saigon.

Craig Stanghetta from Ste Marie Studio channels that spirit with a room rich in texture and nostalgia: faux-leather booths inspired by Vietnamese designer Quasar Khanh, retro-patterned upholstery, soft green drapery by WallyWool and rattan screens that cast a warm, lantern-like glow.

The bar offers its own little drama. A jade-toned quartzite counter curves in a double bullnose edge, supported by custom stainless steel millwork built for quick, intuitive service. Above it, an Erich Ginder fixture in cast aluminum, brass and machined acrylic echoes the layered geometry of Vietnam’s terraced rice fields. Áo dài prints and light-box lettering add a playful East-meets-West wink.

READ MORE: Great Spaces: Vancouver’s Good Thief Cocktail Bar Redefines Rebellion

Sustainability shows up in smart, quiet ways: triple-glazed motorized windows for heat control, renewable rattan, high-quality faux leather and storage tucked into banquettes to keep the room efficient. With CDC Construction bringing it all together, Good Thief lands as warm, witty and a little dangerous in that fun, “we should probably order one more round” kind of way. After all, you have nothing to do, that is, until you step back out onto Main Street again.

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