Wilfrid’s & Zoe’s

Wilfrid’s & Zoe’s are housed inside the Fairmont Château Laurier, a nationally recognized historic landmark in downtown Ottawa. Since its opening in 1912, the hotel has stood as a paragon of the grand Canadian railway hotel tradition, embodying the French Gothic Revival style with chateau-style massing, ornate stonework, and steeply pitched copper roofs. Its architecture captures the opulence and optimism of a formative period in Canada’s nation-building era.

The design concept of these two spaces — Zoe’s serves as the hotel’s main dining room while Wilfrid’s is the lounge — draws from the extraordinary love story of Zoé Lafontaine and Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a 50-year partnership rooted in devotion and national service. The narrative dualism of this great love story is expressed through two carefully planned spatial typologies: the ethereal and feminine dining room channels Zoé’s elegance and grace through a palette of soft hues and tactile details. While the moody, masculine lounge embodies Wilfrid’s gravitas, presenting a richly layered environment with historical resonance. A cohesive material narrative and tonal harmony result in a natural flow between the refined dining area and the more immersive lounge.

In Zoe’s, a restrained tonal palette of blush, lilac, and ivory serves as a soft counterpoint to the building’s robust historical bones. Carefully curated materials — botanical-patterned upholstery, lilac-toned marble, custom bar millwork and artisan-glazed tiles — imbue the space with warmth and intimacy. Bespoke lighting fixtures, inspired by the intricacies of fine jewelry, introduce moments of sculptural elegance. Finely detailed brass accents, ruched cushions, and tailored piping contribute to a heightened sense of craftsmanship. The interplay of reflective finishes — mirrors, polished stone and glass — reinforces a feeling of levity and visual expansion.

In contrast, the lounge embraces a bolder architectural language: jewel-toned fabrics, velvet upholstery and intricate patterns create an enveloping atmosphere. A richly articulated material palette — with dark wood, lacquered surfaces and ambient lighting — establishes a space of quiet opulence. The central bar, defined by a mirrored shelving valance, anchors the space as a dynamic and social core. A modern fireplace, framed in dramatically veined stone, stands as a counterpoint to the original mouldings and wood panelling, creating a tension between heritage structure and contemporary insertion.

Preserving an icon

The careful preservation and reinterpretation of the building’s historic envelope presented an architectural challenge as existing mouldings, panelling and other character-defining elements were sensitively integrated with contemporary design interventions. The design team also worked within the limitations of a protected heritage structure to devise innovative solutions for introducing new MEP systems without compromising the architectural integrity of the space.

With its reverent treatment of heritage fabric and its bold, contemporary sensibility, the design transcends nostalgia to offer a sophisticated, emotionally resonant experience. The completed project is a testament to the power of storytelling through architecture — it weaves together romance, history and innovation in a spatial composition that is both timeless and forward-thinking.