Design tourism / Published on June 1, 2021
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INT. IN THE CITY:
Marcus Restaurant, Four Seasons Montreal
Craving for happy hour after a hard day’s work at the office? Itching to feel the touch of a menu between your fingers? Well, hallelujah… Restaurants, terraces and bars are finally reopening… The city is gradually coming back to life!
Amongst the best spots in town, check out the Marcus restaurant at the Four Seasons, designed by Atelier Zébulon Perron, many times awarded for its bar and restaurant designs. The icing on the cake? It’s outstanding TERRACE!
Text: Juli Pisano. Photos: Olivier Blouin.
MARCUS & ZÉBULON
PLAYING IN THE BIG LEAGUES
After leaving Montreal in the ’90s, Four Seasons is back and has added Atelier Zébulon Perron to its short list of select partnering designers.
“This is major for us and certainly in tune with our sought-out goal of evolving into the luxury hospitality niche market,” explains Zébulon excitedly. “What an incredible door opener for us, to work with an international leader like Four Seasons and star chef, Marcus Samuelsson!”
Atelier Zébulon Perron’s team
Atelier Zébulon Perron addressed this major project like all others: with their trademark open ear and ability to imagine themselves in their clients’ shoes. This is one of the reasons that compelled the luxury hotel leader and its renowned partnered chef, Marcus, to work with Zebulon’s team.
“In meeting the team, we came to grasp their desire to create a dream, rejuvenate spaces, and avoid large voids.”
EVOKING THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM
Marcus was designed as a series of space-time capsules, evoking a day’s various moments in time.
To brighten the hotel architecture, its architects, Lemay and Sid Lee Architecture, sought lightness, transparency and fluidity. In the hotel’s restaurant, this results in open areas connected to each through the eloquent work of Atelier Zébulon Perron’s designers.
The effect is a space, which occupants naturally appropriate for themselves, whether they are out-of-towners or loyal regulars of this bar’s comfortable and contemporary luxury.
The idea was to design spaces in which ambiance and rhythm reflected the personalities of its clientele.
Guests are guided by a main thread connecting the different space-time capsules: an everlasting impression of infinity. The absence of visual obstacles, the slick custom lighting by Lambert & Fils, open spaces and a smart play of reflection, using mirrors, create this impression of infinity, from the entrance hall to the terrace.
HIGH-TECH & HIGH ART
Aesthetics and technology were pushed to new limits here.
As we enter the hall, the ocean calls us. An imposing art piece, imported from Paris, displays a crab and sits inside a Zébulon designed, Robocut custom-made, two-way glass, mirror column.
Enter the restaurant space and find the kitchen as an open concept where—surprise, surprise—chef Marcus and his team are preparing local seafood cuisine!
BEAUTY BY DAY
In the day lounge, a blue fresco evokes the sea. Beneath it, the legless custom-designed benches create a comforting feeling of weightlessness.
NIGHT OWLS
Connected to the day space by an open arch, true to the hotel’s architectural line, the darker, cocktail hour night bar showcases a 12-foot ceiling, lowered to foster intimacy. Look up and see a mural of photos of Mount Royal trees. These anchor the Marcus to its host city and celebrate the beauty and singularity of Montréal.
ON TOP OFMONTRÉAL
On the third floor of the hotel, the sumptuous open-bar terrace, connected to the kitchen offers a breathtaking view of the city and its Leonard Cohen mural while showcasing locally made furniture.
The Four Seasons Hotel is now open and has launched a new international health and safety program called Lead With Care. As for the restaurant and bar areas, they will reopen in accordance with the lift on sanitary measures in place in Greater Montreal. The hotel and its Marcus are located at 1440 rue de la Montagne, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.