Design Crush: A Swoon-Worthy Ice Cream Parlour with Romantic Appeal

The mint-and-gold palette of Vancouver’s La Glace Ice Cream Parlour has got us feeling nostalgic.

When you step inside La Glace ice cream parlour, you’re likely to feel a rush of nostalgic memories, which is exactly what owner and pastry chef Mark Tagulao wanted. “Mark kept talking about connection and his family and gatherings,” says designer Margherita Porra. “It was one of the most important things to him and that’s why he started to bake—he really likes the camaraderie and the connectivity of bringing people together with food.”With this concept as her guide, Porra and the team at Arithmetic Creative “worked on creating a value set that really focused on connectivity, intimate moments and attraction.” They wanted to create a space that was romantic, with a nod towards Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles: “Everything at the core of is about how two people could connect with each other,” she says. Using elements like brass, marble, gold and mint green, they created a welcoming space where geometric shapes and delicate curved lines meet; each detail was crafted to invite customers to connect with the space and to share memories with each other.A large marble bar is the central element in the room, where guests are invited to try different flavours of ice cream and see the decadent hand-made treats (meringues, marshmallows) that top their cones.This custom-made curved bench, with its brass-coated frame and mint cushions, is designed to encourage people to sit close to one another. “There isn’t a table suggesting that you should sit by yourself,” Porra explains. “You may strike up a conversation.”A large mural covers the opposite wall of the space with hand-painted gold and brass peacocks, flowers and vines. For Porra, colour was a way to trigger fond memories of summertime and to appeal to sentimentality. “We decided that mint was a really nostalgic colour when it came to ice cream and childhood,” she says. “Gold is often very nostalgic, too, because people think of something from the past: they think of an heirloom, they think of Europe. That’s why we use a lot of brass throughout the space.”The pair of peacocks on this wall mural, posed like lovers, reflect the heart of La Glace’s brand: connection. The sinuous curves of the branches and birds’ feathers, a recognizable feature of the Art Nouveau style, invoke romance.Gold leaf adds an extra layer of dimension to the feature wall, while the slightly distressed paint adds a charming touch of imperfection.

La Glace

2785 W 16th Avenue, Vancouverlaglace.ca

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