elgin beer project

Type | Hospitality

Location | Ottawa, ON

Date | 2017

Elgin Beer Project is a beer-focused restaurant in downtown Ottawa specializing in locally crafted beers and creative snacks.  It provides a casual and laid back environment housed in a space that is both dynamic and vibrant.  Large slabs of oak wood were used to form the bar top, tables and shelving, inviting the classic warm qualities of a pub.  Creating a vibrancy not typically associated with the dark feel of traditional pubs is accomplished by introducing unconventional materials and colours to the space - the bright blue hallway wall and pendant lamps over the bar, the white corrugated metal bar front and a base palette of shades of grey and blackened barn wood walls bring texture and brightness to the space.  Taking inspiration from the graphic design and branding of the different breweries in Ottawa featured at Elgin Beer Project, logos were used to create dynamic art installations - the drop-ceiling in the back hallway and bathrooms that have been covered in brewery stickers and the can wall behind the bar that shows 125 cans placed on plexiglass shelves that appear to be floating on the wall.  At just 50 seats, the space is planned to promote a casual atmosphere - the bar running through the entire restaurant, showcasing the beer can installation and open kitchen, as well as custom tables for two which can be reconfigured to accommodate guests.  Though smaller in size, this restaurant has a large personality that strides between a comfortable casualness and a dynamic vibrancy.

Photography | Alicia B Webster