Daphne Restaurant Terrace
Toronto, ON

Nestled between two historic buildings sits a new 2,000-square-foot terrace in the heart of Toronto’s Financial District. The outdoor dining space, located at 67 Richmond Street West, is an extension of the Daphne restaurant, a modern American establishment which opened last summer.

At its street entrance, the terrace is framed by imported patchwork-blue tiled gates. Entering the space, diners are welcomed to an animated, yet intimate space purposefully decorated with biophilic design elements—including trees sourced specifically for the laneway. An escape from the city beyond the gates, the green-filled alleyway did not exist a few years ago. Instead, in its place stood an aged and abandoned infill building, wedged in between the regal Graphic Arts Building, and 1940s-red-brick building.

Seeing a potential for the laneway to connect and revitalize the streetscape, our client Dream Office REIT removed the existing building and sought out a design which honoured the surrounding buildings. Seeking a modern approach to the plan, Dream enlisted the help of Cumulus, Studio Paolo Ferrari, and STUDIO tla to redesign the space, transforming it into a highly sought after garden terrace.  

With the infill building demolished, an issue remained: the alleyway’s original function as a service lane. With graffiti-tagged walls, garbage, grease barrels, and other waste occupying the space, the area was often overlooked. To reposition the space as a multi-season patio, the team increased visibility from the sidewalk and introduced windows to the restaurant to bring life into the alleyway. Ramping was added and the ground was leveled to ensure access and ease of movement for all patrons and staff. 

Today, the garden terrace attached to the Daphne Restaurant is a part of the Dream Collection—a strip of pre-War buildings between Adelaide and Richmond that Dream is working to restore and revitalize. By strategically designing and reorganizing the space, our firm was able to transform a previously underutilized space into an urban oasis.

Project Team
Client: Dream Office REIT
Architect: Cumulus Architects
Interior Design: Studio Paolo Ferrari
Landscape Architect: STUDIO tla
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: Hammerschlag and Joffe Inc.
Structural Engineering: Entuitive
Contractor: Broccolini