Toronto’s newly opened Daphne, designed by Studio Paolo Ferrari, is a finalist in the 8th annual GRAY Awards in the Hospitality Design category. Photographed by Joel Esposito, the space is a contemporary and eclectic reimagining of the American bistro.
A Space Built on Cinematic Contrasts
The restaurant sits at what the design team calls a “natural tension of eras.” It’s sprawling, set across several distinctive rooms that mix the unexpected with the warmth of New England prep. Guests first hit an intimate arrival space, where a full-height wine cabinet offers a glimpse of the dining rooms beyond. That transparency is meant to build intrigue before a draped passage leads into the voluminous, vaulted Great Room.
The entire kitchen is on display, from plate finishing to the prep kitchen, evoking the feeling of being hosted in an raised and welcoming home.
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Rooms That Read Like a Residence
The Drawing Room takes a different direction. It’s enveloping and color-blocked, softened by greenery and playful touches. Commissioned pencil drawings on red ochre walls read as photographs from a distance. A botanical-inspired pendant hangs overhead, with forms that echo early Karl Blossfeldt photography.
A mirrored corridor with a hand-painted setting mural leads to the bar. That space has gently curving walls and a conservatory feel, with a back-lit, glass-topped bar as the focal point. The design pulls from two very different references: filmmaker Stanley Kubrick inspired the bar’s atmospheric quality, while the fluting on its exterior nods to Beaux-Arts architect Henry Bacon. Separating the bar from the dining room creates two distinct but unified experiences, a departure from the usual restaurant layout.
All of the furniture and lighting is custom. The designer’s interiors often reference art, architecture, and cinema, and Daphne follows that pattern. At the heart of the project is a cinematic duality: Kubrick-inspired experimentation against the softness of a Nancy Meyers film aesthetic.
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Nostalgia With an Experimental Edge
The design team behind the project includes Paolo Ferrari, Shelley Tang, Stuart Mcquarrie, Joanna Wenderska, Janine Yeung, Lukas Chan, Patrick Augustynowicz, Wandia Muchiri, John Gaitan, and Rajeshta Julatum. Studio Paolo Ferrari was established in 2016 and works on hospitality, retail, and residential projects.
The restaurant’s submission materials emphasize the “joy of discovery” and the “effortless comfort of home” as the core guest experience.
