Commercial Design

Design Crush: Vancouver’s Gorgeous Juniper is a Celebration of Gin

With subtle nods to the distilling process, the restaurant design is an ode to the gin cocktails and Cascadian cuisine.

By Anicka Quin /

With subtle nods to the distilling process, the restaurant design is an ode to the gin cocktails and Cascadian cuisine.

In an area of town that’s quickly becoming the hottest spot for inventive dining, Vancouver’s new Juniper restaurant opened this past December with some notable buzz. It’s in no small part due to bar manager Shaun Layton’s inventive gin-based cocktails (with bespoke gins from all over the Cascades), along with chef Sarah Stewart’s take on West Coast cuisine (don’t leave without an order of perogies stuffed with Jerusalem artichokes)—but it’s also the gorgeous design of the room by architects Marko Simcic and Bill Uhrich of Simcic Uhrich.It’s quiet design has moments of wow as well—check out the tilework on the main bar—and provides a modern setting in keeping with the Cascades theme to the restaurant.

Click on the slideshow below for more on the space.

(Photo: Courtesy Juniper.)

The tiles on the bar spill down on the floor in a slightly different pattern. Where it feels three dimensional on the bar’s face, it’s more of a star pattern on the floor.

The room was once one cavernous space, so the architectural team carved it into a number of smaller spaces that connect with one another. The height of the booths on the lower level, for example, match up with the height of the bar in the centre of the space. The felt designs on the booth mimic the tiles used on the main bar.

Simcic wanted more intimate moments within the larger space, and the booths on the lower level are a part of that. “People want to feel contained,” he explains. “There’s a social connection and visibility to dining out, but we also want containment€”it feels more comfortable.”

The lower level, nicknamed the Valley, pairs open seats with the quieter booths. Tabletops are ash in a cool grey stain, which emphasizes the grain.

On the top floor, nicknamed the Bird’s Nest, a mural by artist Ola Volo adorns the back walls.

Lighting throughout the space is made of winding copper tubing, a reference to the distilling process€”the name Juniper itself references the gin-based drinks on offer from a wide range of Cascadian distilleries. “Those copper pipes also act as conduits,” says Simcic. “From a central point over the bar, they distribute light, and it’s something that ties the various subspaces of the restaurant together.”

Anicka Quin

Anicka Quin

Anicka Quin is the editor-in-chief of Western Living magazine and the VP of Content for Canada Wide Media. If you've got a home design you'd like to share with Western Living, drop her a line at [email protected]