Toronto’s Art Deco Westinghouse building is a grace note in Toronto’s cool but not particularly warm downtown. Its recent restoration gave the city a handsome, new Sutton Place Hotel with a rooftop pool. And now the main-floor restaurant has opened with a welcoming interior by DesignAgency, inspired by the ‘infectious joie de vivre’ of Mediterranean women – or, rather, one fictional Mediterranean woman.

Abrielle – the imagined name of this fictional muse– was designed with the hallmarks of popular restaurants in Rome, Nice and Barcelona. To recreate the intimate atmosphere of a spirited taverna at the Toronto restaurant, the team reshaped the expansive room with smaller, cosier areas for dining, drinking and socialising and designed sculptural seating in jewel tones to define each.

Banquettes amped up with plush contrasting trim line the perimeter and provide grounding for the distinguished art collection, including a hand-painted mural by Tammy Flynn Seybold. A wide-hipped bar faced in supple leather and a smoky mirror reception desk, both footed in brass, are stand-out pieces surrounded by Calcatta Viola marble and porcelain tile. Each space throws out new patterns and textures, confidently juxtaposing unlikely materials and lacquered finishes. Big, bold lighting hangs from the shiplap ceilings yet varies from space to space.

This is still a hotel restaurant, so a people-pleasing breakfast menu touches on French favourites like pain perdu and chive-dusted omelettes. In the evening, the Mediterranean theme is represented by oysters, octopus and yellowfin, supplemented by lamb and hearty Canadian ribeye. And the wine list omits nothing.

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