Tag: PRESERVE + RESTORE

ARIDO Award: FH Farmhouse

The standard for fast casual salad concepts in North America has somehow aligned fresh produce-based dishes with acid green accent walls, clinical white counters and loud graphics. FH Farmhouse reimagines this concept by embracing farming culture and sustainability.

Category: PRESERVE+RESTORE

Interior Designer: Dyonne Fashina, ARIDO
Design Firm: Denizens of Design Inc.

Photographer: Scott Norsworthy

A view of the entire shop looking toward the entrance, with the slaes and display caounter on the right and on the left the large wooden dining table against the large window.

Located in a converted heritage chapel, this calming, contemporary salad bodega caters to diverse demographics—from moms to trendsetters craving healthy options. The space is envisioned as a modern interpretation of a farmhouse, blending natural light, verdant greenery, and warm wood tones to evoke a welcoming ambiance.

The design harmonizes minimalist aesthetics with tactile comforts, featuring bespoke curved details like the planter wall with integrated cove lighting and a ceiling gently arching towards the service bar. These elements, from the reclaimed oak posts to the communal harvest table, reflect both rustic charm and urban sophistication, echoing the spirit of Canadian farm life in a city oasis.

A view of the entire front counter and display section, looking in from the main entrance direction. The entire spaces is covered in natural wood, in contrast to the clean, white counter base

Our design team avoided the typical clinical whites, acid greens of other salad/health concepts and focused instead on a space the reflected the roots of farming tradition. The interior needed to be somewhere people wanted to visit, stay and return to.

It was important to us and the client to reuse materials, so we worked to strategize on how we could improve the condition of existing elements and blend them in with what was going to be new.

We played with the idea of retail display as adaptable to other uses such as dining. The space is
grounded with an oversized harvest table with backless seats to facilitate the communal experience for
diners but can also double as a display table for merchandise depending on the locations needs.

Wooden built in shelf displaying potted plants and wooden rustic pieces and woven baskets
Arched door opening done in wood finish and beautiful green tile covers the wall to the left of the door

The design offers a setting where guests can truly stand out, infusing the space with life. It’s not about
following passing trends or flashy gimmicks; instead, every detail and decision reflects a deep sense of
thoughtfulness, integrity, and respect for the space’s history.

With 3 additional locations since this flagship project, we have been able to adapt the kit of parts to
other locations so that even more modern sites still reflect the ideals of the brand.

ARIDO Award: Conestoga College Cowan Centre for Medical Sciences and Biotechnology

Designed for the Health Sciences Bachelor of Applied Biotechnology and Medical Laboratory Science Programs at Conestoga College’s Doon Campus in Kitchener, the Cowan Centre transforms existing academic classrooms into state-of-the-art laboratories for cutting-edge research.

Category: PRESERVE+RESTORE

Interior Designer: Valerie Gow, ARIDO
Design Firm: Gow Hastings Architects

Photographer: Scott Norsworthy

The design needed to meet highly technical requirements while also supporting Conestoga College’s vision to “put science on display.” The team created bold and bright showcase laboratory spaces that featured the innovative research being done. Being very efficient with organizing the floorplan, the team quickly discovered that the shallow building footprint offered a unique opportunity to layer glazed openings, creating visibility into the laboratories, views to adjacent laboratories, and views out to the woodlot.

Another view from the lab, showing the green glass wall partition looking onto the hallway

By colour-blocking with brightly coloured doors and flooring, individual laboratories are given their own
identities helping visitors to navigate the space. Strategically placed panels of floor-to-ceiling green coloured glass provide framed views of the outdoors, heightening the experience of the woodlot. While
inside the labs, scientists can refresh by looking up and out to the tree line. Atypical of most research
spaces, scientists are encouraged to peek into adjacent laboratories, transferring the energy and
excitement from the research being conducted by their peers.

Hallway outside one of the laboratories, features a seating area with a brightly coloured wall right above the bench

Large, bold graphics were incorporated to facilitate wayfinding and create a clear identity in a sterile
laboratory environment. Vibrant greens are featured in lettering on the ground, spelling out “Biotechnology” and “Medical Science,” creating an abstract floor pattern, providing the program with an identifiable character and intuitively drawing users in through passive wayfinding. A feature wall anchors the space with an abstracted and magnified split tissue cell sliced by a microtome, one of the key instruments of the lab. The colourful graphic playfully connects back to the research conducted and brings presence to the Health Sciences Wing.

The design strategy resulted in bright, colourful, light-filled research spaces that are not typical of laboratories and generated a unique condition where research could be displayed and celebrated.