Design Crush: Botanist Restaurant Embraces a Greenhouse-Chic Look

A greenhouse effect steers this restaurant makeover at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

The Botanist may be one of the few restaurants in Vancouver that has covered up a breathtaking waterfront view—and on purpose. “We’re actually not trying to play into the views here, because that’s kind of typical; we wanted to make it a little more insular,” says Ste. Marie’s Craig Stanghetta, who redesigned the Fairmont Pacific Rim restaurant this past spring.

Here, the menu is influenced by the principles of botany—a fancy way of saying that local fare makes its way into each dish and cocktail—and Stanghetta’s design follows suit. The main dining space and outdoor terrace garden are filled with plants draping from the ceiling, light hues, leather fabrics and floral patterns that flow together, inspired by the undulating patterns in the limestone used for the dining tables; the cocktail bar flows from this light space into something darker, with a black marble bar and a glass-enclosed area where a bartender creates the signature cocktails—a conservatory of sorts.

The Champagne lounge (still being redesigned) will take a mix of both spaces and incorporate heavier metals into its design, in the hopes of also incorporating the downstairs part of the hotel. All in all, a dreamy space inspired by touches of nature where you’ll want to while away an afternoon. “We are fundamentally interested in places where you want to spend time,” Stanghetta says.

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