Restaurant Labarake

Taking over a former fire station in the 113-year-old Angus Shops building, Labarake restaurant and interior designers Mara Design used light to highlight original architecture elements and give Montreal foodies something unique.

"Whenever you open up a restaurant in our city, the competition is so fierce that you have to do something out of the ordinary," Labarake co-owners Andy Aboushaybeh and Denis Sobolj told the Montreal Gazette. "We had a goal to keep this industrial look, make it clean and nice and play around with the word Labarake, which is basically a camping site for soldiers or firemen," Sobolj said.

To achieve this, Lumenfacade luminaires were used inside the main dining hall to graze the original red brickwork. Concealed in wall-mounted, linear sconces, the luminaires use a narrow 10 x 60 optic and warm color temperature to bring out the character and colors of the century-old walls, creating a dramatic backdrop for diners.

"I wanted to create a comfortable space, which would be appropriate for a fun dinner among friends or an intimate face-to-face meeting," said Mara Costachescu, interior designer at Mara Design.

Outside, Lumenfacade luminaires were again chosen, this time to graze the building's unique tower. Using the same narrow 10 x 60 optic, the luminaires accentuate the tower's textures and bring out the details in the distinctive brickwork at the top, helping it stand out from a distance.

"The building speaks for itself; you fall in love with the architectural value and design of it," Aboushaybeh said.

"It's beautiful."

Equipment specified

8 x Lumenfacade (1', 10 x 60)
4 x Lumenfacade (4', 10 x 60)