With Olia & Mimi, the Canadian design studio Ste Marie in Edmonton is bringing to life an extraordinary hospitality concept that blends a restaurant, bar, and lounge into a cohesive spatial experience. At the base of a new residential tower, two distinct gastronomic worlds are taking shape, transforming throughout the day and creating different atmospheres for residents and the wider urban community. The interior design conceives of gastronomy not merely as a place to eat, but as a stage for encounters, rituals, and urban quality of life.
Dining as Part of Urban Daily Life
In downtown Edmonton, Ste Marie is collaborating with the Corso 32 Group and Executive Chef Daniel Costa to develop a usage concept that transforms the ground floor of the residential building into a public gathering place. Residents have direct access to the dining areas via an internal passageway, while visitors use the street-level entrances.
This creates seamless transitions between private living and public life. The spaces serve as an extension of one’s own home and, at the same time, as a vibrant gathering place for the neighborhood.
Instead of a traditional restaurant design, the project focuses on a spatial narrative that evolves throughout the day—from morning espresso to dinner and on to the nighttime cocktail bar.
Olia: Italian Elegance in a Serene Atmosphere
Olia sets a more tranquil tone at the beginning of this sequence. The restaurant draws inspiration from Italian dining culture and creates an atmosphere that invites guests to linger. The design deliberately evokes the understated elegance of exclusive private clubs, without coming across as aloof.
Custom-made tables crafted from Portuguese walnut meet soft benches upholstered in ecru-colored leather; diffused light; accent lighting; light; light; variation; light; light: Light refers to electromagnetic radiation in the visible range of the spectrum. In architecture, light is used to illuminate spaces or as a design element., furnishings, and music intertwine to create a spatial drama that changes with every hour of the day.
The result is two distinct characters that together tell a cohesive story—an architecture of arrival, lingering, and return, which enriches both the public space and life within the building itself.
Project Information
Project: Olia & Mimi
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Interior Design: Ste Marie
Client: Corso 32 Group
Culinary Concept: Chef Daniel Costa
Use: Restaurant, bar, and lounge
Completion: 2026
