Western Living Magazine
Kitchen Design Tip 1: A Little Practicality Can Be Beautiful
7 More Swoon-worthy Staircases
Great Spaces: Vancouver’s El Gato Gab Gab Cocktail Bar
Recipe: Lemon-Coconut Cream Pie
Recipe: Gingery Citrusy Sangria
Composed Winter Beet and Citrus Salad
Local Getaway Idea: Kingfisher’s Healing Caves Redefine Wellness and Escape
Editors’ Picks: Our Favourite Western Living Travel Stories of 2024
Winter Getaway Guide 2024: Wine, Bavarian Charm and Luxe Lodging Without the Skis
New and Noteworthy: 11 Homeware Picks to Refresh Your Space in 2025
Protected: The Secret Ingredient to Creating the Perfect Kitchen: Bosch
The Best Home Accessories Our Editors Bought This Year
Over 50% Sold! Grab Your Tickets to Our Western Living Design 25 Party Now
Join Us for Our First Western Living Design 25 Party!
Announcing the Finalists for the 2025 Western Living Design 25 Awards
How designer Jade Kwok transformed a 100-year-old room into a chic, modern Italian restaurant.
What do you do when tasked with renovating a restaurant in a century-old building? Celebrate the gorgeous historic design details without sacrificing modern comforts.That’s just what Jade Kwok did when she took on the redesign of Italian restaurant Cibo Trattoria in Vancouver: “We didn’t want to start from scratch,” says Kwok of the 100-plus-year-old downtown Vancouver building. “We wanted to highlight the existing features.” This Troy Lighting Epic light fixture adds a hit of glitz to the heritage-inspired space. robinsonlightingandbath.comTo achieve that balance between old and new, Kwok and her team took the original materials (terracotta floors, raw timber columns and brick walls) and added modern light fixtures, pops of colour in the artwork, and textured fabrics throughout. The brick walls tell the history of the place, in Kwok’s view: “You can’t find that new anywhere. It’s got the perfect texture.” The glitzy, tinted glass details on the chandeliers provide industrial glamour and an additional touch of luxury to the space, while chairs upholstered in soft wool blend layers in comfort. (The stylish striped pattern of the fabric plays off both the geometric light fixtures and the horizontally structured Douglas fir beams.)There’s a playfulness to be found in this space, too: a portrait by Bruce Pashak hangs above the bar, so Kwok decided to cover a wall across the room in smaller portraits…though ones printed on rows of ceramic plates, not canvas. “It’s a conversation starter,” Kwok laughs.
Are you over 18 years of age?