An East Vancouver taproom brews up a modern-but-cozy design.

When friends Eleanor Stewart, Ryan Parfitt, Anique Ross and Federico Stucchi opened Luppolo Brewing last November on Vancouver’s Venables Street, they became the newest entrant to the well-established east-side brewery district. The team used their shared Italian heritage to put a fresh twist on the standard tasting room. “Implicitly, the space was inspired by looking at examples of Anique and Fede’s favourite place in Milan—an old-school microbrewery,” explains Ron Hart, the project architect.

In collaboration with Allison Holden-Pope of One Seed Architecture and Interiors, Hart decked out the tasting room with antique-looking dark wood wainscoting and mismatched coloured farmhouse chairs. The cozy stay-a-while vibe balances out more modern elements, like the concrete-based bar at the front of the brewery, and the focal point of the space, a striking triangular wall mosaic masking the brewery cooler. Each wooden triangle tile was hand-cut and hand-painted in pastel hues (yellow, orange and blue) by the owners; the offcuts became trays for beer flights. “Working with the clients to build the space meant we were able to experiment with colour and patterns,” says Hart. It’s this willingness to really get their hands dirty and get creative that gives the place originality and achieves a perfect balance of eclectic comfort, he explains. “They have their fingerprints on everything.”

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