PB Bakery, Toronto

Photography by Riley Snelling

Paris Baguette, a bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe, opened its Canadian flagship on Bloor Street’s Mink Mile retail district. The minimalist interior of white oak and limestone alludes to the colours of grain and flour that are key ingredients in the eatery’s bread and baked goods. The governing concept for the project was jeong, the difficult-to-translate Korean bond of social responsibility and camaraderie. In design terms, it called for an interior that was not only functional but also, as the project brief states, “a warm sensory experience [….] Even a simple coffee purchase, we felt, could hold a touch of joy.” Still, with on-site baking taking place throughout the business day, operational efficiency was paramount. Products are displayed on the eastern side and central plinth. At the back, the ceiling grid of cross-hatched beams outlines the curving, cove-lit prow of the glass-walled kitchen, where bakers put on a show as they decorate cakes.

As appeared in the July/August 2025 Best of Canada Awards issue of Canadian Interiors magazine.

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