At the animated corner of Bay and Cumberland Streets, Amadeus is a celebrated Toronto patisserie known for its contemporary desserts. Our design of the bakery’s new Yorkville location evokes both the art and rigour of pastry-making to cultivate a transportive interior experience that confidently establishes the brand in its new downtown locale.

Located on the ground floor of a commercial tower, the patisserie thoughtfully transforms its existing structure via the establishing gesture of a sculpted architectural ceiling. Soft curves stretch from the perimeter walls to form a dropped canopy at the centre of the shop, directing the eye to the vibrant pastry bar, at once the focal point of the space.

Melting wall into ceiling, each contour abides by the same radial measurement, instilling a unity and discipline to the curvature as it turns corners, forms tunnel-like visual pathways, and harmonizes previously unrelated areas through an organized, clear geometry. Much like the precision of pastry-making, the architecture applies a meticulous formula to yield expressive results, in which the curves layer upon and dialogue with one another. These smooth, continuous lines stretch and shape the space into something entirely new, manifesting a calm, nuanced experience that counterpoints the urban busyness outside.

Amidst the shop’s muted, minimalist interior, bold Rosa Chiara marble draws the eye to the primary form of the expansive, L-shaped counter. Rich and variegated, the pink-toned marble invokes the grandness of the pastries above and offers a substantial, energetic form that balances the surrounding ambience.

Primarily a daytime business, the patisserie is designed to establish a welcoming atmosphere that feels elevated but not overly adorned. The L-shaped counter facilitates flow between the shop’s two entrances and a sense of ease during peak hours. We carefully planned the 2,200-square-foot space to optimize operations both in the front-of-house and the large assembly kitchen. Engaging with the site’s concrete structure, we designed dropped ceilings around existing windows to create intimate carved niches for dine-in customers. In the centre of the space, we absorbed a large existing column into a boulangerie alcove for the bakery’s rustic sourdough offerings.

Both activating and understated, the interior is a testament to the way in which technical rigour can produce something flexible, organic, and full of life. While instilling a strong sense of spatiality in the patisserie, our design allows the desserts to remain its centrepiece — an atmosphere that functions just out of view, and an architecture that is felt more than it is seen.