Ménard Dworkind Architecture & Design created Supernat Cafe & Wine Bar to be a place that is like the neighborhood where it is found–contrasting, warm and future-proof and aims to bring people together or to provoke chance encounters.

Supernat opened its doors in Montreal’s Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood in June of 2022 as a cafe by day and wine bar by night. The neighborhood, which was historically quite poor, has seen a slow gentrification in recent years where it is now common to find pawn shops and dive bars located next to high end furniture shops and trendy restaurants. Supernat was designed to bridge that gap creating a space rooted in detail with a careful mix of high-end and budget materials and an emphasis on showcasing the space’s beautiful existing raw and rough textured walls. This mix of raw and contemporary elements creates a space that feels well balanced and refined yet casual and familiar.

The open, light-filled space offers a magnificent view onto Morgan Park where a permanent concrete patio with integrated corten planters creates an urban oasis with unobstructed views of the public fountain beyond. Entering the space, you are immediately welcomed by a large monolithic terrazzo bar crowned with sleek modbar espresso heads and a series of taps for the changing series of natural wines on offer. The central bar design allows for views of the action from the baristas and sommeliers from everywhere in the space.

Custom light fixtures, designed in collaboration with Lambert & Fils, contrast and coexist with industrial pendant lights while bespoke furniture harmonizes with vintage picked tables and chairs. The imperfect masonry walls discovered during the demolition were preserved and restored to add a unique and inimitable character to the space, while the Douglas fir wood panelling balances with warmth. Framed mirrors in the front of the space add a sense of grandeur and dynamism and a large bookcase with rolling library ladder displays a mix of wines, coffee and merch for sale.

Design: Ménard Dworkind Architecture & Design Photography: David Dworkind

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