Bacaro is a Venetian-inspired restaurant serving cicchetti and lambrusco at the street level of Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel. The interior design is an embrace of mid-century Italy, featuring rich walnut paneling, colourful furniture and metal work, contrasted with subdued lighting, timeless marble, and a collection of Venetian masks, displayed in the custom millwork, as emblems of hedonism. The intention is that guests will feel like they have stepped into a hidden, Venetian cocktail bar in the 1970s, down a narrow alley just off a busy canal; a romantic, old-world kind of luxury.

Completed in 2021, the reimagined space plan features high-top seating in the bar area, which also functions as a cafe in the afternoons, and a standing counter running down the middle of the room parallel to the bar which features a 40-tap Enomatic wine system. An intimate private dining room is up a short set of stairs, tucked away in a dimly lit room.

Ste. Marie was engaged by Kitchen Table Restaurants to integrate the new Bacaro concept and brand in the built environment. The space was originally operated as a cafe called "Giovane", meaning young. The original name was inspired by a beautifully written and vulnerable letter from Italian designer Enzo Mari, humbly placed as an ad in Domus Magazine (issue #875) seeking collaboration from a young entrepreneur. Bacaro was to be the evolution from cafe to Venetian restaurant and wine bar.

As this was a renovation of an existing space, our team inherited materials and elements that we had to respond to and integrate into the new concept. Our team worked closely with the millwork shop to find a match to the existing walnut veneer. Carefully selected Calacatta Manhattan marble and pops of colour transformed the current dark wood finishes. We wanted to celebrate the existing brand colour of Giovane, yellow, and find a complimentary colour that would make it pop, red. These red & yellow feature colours are seen throughout the space, and feel intentionally placed.

Giving careful consideration to the interpersonal experience, bar height standing tables were designed to fit into the tight spots, which provide many intimate, yet casual, venues for conversation. Being connected to the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel provides a natural energy to the space, a sort of transient mystique offset by the nooks in Bacaro which provide a welcome reprieve from the comings and goings of the lobby. Fronting on Cordova Street, with a long patio that follows the sidewalk of the busy downtown Vancouver street, allows the energy of the street life to filter in through the wooden blinds. The low ceilings and indirect lighting evoke a sense of privacy, especially in contrast to the bustling lobby next door.