A major hotel interior renovation by DesignAgency has established Canada’s first St. Regis Hotel, introducing Canadians to the elegant spirit of the historic New York brand in the heart of Toronto’s financial district.
The St. Regis brand was first introduced in New York by John Jacob Astor IV in 1904, symbolizing luxury and modern glamour. To create the St Regis Toronto, DesignAgency was hired to overhaul the ground floor lobby, Astor Lounge, and create the magnificent new hotel restaurant LOUIX LOUIS, with a design that expresses enduring quality, draws a connection to Toronto’s rich heritage, and sets a new standard of luxury for the city.
Entering through the elegant Porte Cochere, guests find a warm and welcoming milieu in the lobby and ground floor Astor Lounge. The focal point of the lobby is a double-sided stained oak reception cabinet with polished bronze and fluted glass detailing. Its transparencies invite exploration and views beyond, while a curated collection of artefacts and sculptural elements prompt curiosity.
A tall totemic sculpture by local artist Edward Falkenberg further emphasizes the connection between built structure and nature while above, a topographic ceiling designed by DesignAgency and brought to life by art studio Moss + Lam abstractly references Ontario’s topography.
The flexible Astor Lounge is de ned by soft, earthy colours, and exudes the artistry and craftsmanship of the St. Regis brand through the use of authentic woods, leathers, stone and bronze details.
Luxury items from the array of custom-designed elements, each conveying quiet excellence, while abstractly paying homage to a myriad of inspirations including geology, mapping, railway ties, wooden and leather snowshoes, birch bark canoes, and urban architecture including Victorian brick facades and modernist office buildings.
On the 31st floor, the glowing amber LOUIX LOUIS restaurant draws inspiration from Canada’s history as manufacturers of distilled whisky, the decadent spirit of the turn of the 19th century, as well as the grand hotel bars of France and America. Guests enter through a gilded mosaic lobby into a soaring space that takes cues from warm amber tones of whisky in a cut crystal glass.
