Local studio La Firme used exposed pipe and white tiles to create an airy, industrial coffee shop in Montreal’s Ville-Marie neighbourhood.
With only a tiny, triangular floor plan to work with, the designers had to make the most of the building’s cramped space. This meant embracing an open-plan layout and emphasising the cafe’s high ceilings and existing concrete walls and overhead pipework.
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Montreal%E2%80%99s-Melk-Cafe-hones-a-retro-industrial-vibe-3.jpg)
Photography: Ulysse Lemerise
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Melk-aerial-1024x654.jpg)
Photography: Ulysse Lemerise
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Montreal%E2%80%99s-Melk-Cafe-hones-a-retro-industrial-vibe-2.jpg)
Photography: Ulysse Lemerise
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Melk_3.jpg)
Photography: Ulysse Lemerise
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Montreal%E2%80%99s-Melk-Cafe-hones-a-retro-industrial-vibe-6-1024x683.jpg)
Photography: Ulysse Lemerise
La Firme’s new additions – such as concrete flooring and banquettes covered in white tiling – inject some extra polish to the Montreal coffee shop. Huge windows flood the coffee shop with light, while a wood-covered serving counter adds warmth to the industrial palette. A flash of colour, in the form of mint green window frames, finishes the whole thing off.
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Montreal%E2%80%99s-Melk-Cafe-hones-a-retro-industrial-vibe-5.jpg)
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Montreal%E2%80%99s-Melk-Cafe-hones-a-retro-industrial-vibe-4.jpg)
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Montreal%E2%80%99s-Melk-Cafe-hones-a-retro-industrial-vibe-7.jpg)
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Melk_4.jpg)