There’s a new restaurant in town and it is standing out. Founded by the owners of the famed Nook Restaurants and tucked into a busy corner in the heart of Kitsilano, Oddfish is making waves with its beautiful interior and drool worthy menu.

We worked closely with the team at Studio CM to bring Oddfish to life. The existing space didn’t make it easy though. The previous restaurant(s) had a concrete pony wall running the length of the space. This just was not going to work with our new open concept design. Our team became very close with the jackhammer and spent days removing it piece by piece out of the restaurant. Once the room was clear we could then start the millwork build and installation. This is what will catch your eye as soon as you walk into the space. Much of the room is clad in individually cut, sanded, and applied narrow wooden slats. Yes, each individual piece was put up one by one. And 90% of it done by one person on our team! She crushed it and still receives pats on the back today for a job well done.

A space for exceptional creativity

The room is softened by gorgeous curved walls, the curved bar, and a “question mark” shaped banquette. We built solid ash countertops for the oyster bar that leads into the open kitchen where you can take in the action during the swinging dinner service at Oddfish. We were also able to include some sneaky closets and storage into the slat coverings, including one to the front display space where you will be greeted and/or sent off by a friendly scuba diver. Look closely – this diver’s arm tattoos were made to match a very special friend in our lives and that of the restaurant owners’ too.

With creativity also comes problem-solving. For example, we couldn’t find any tile to match what the design called for at a cost that was reasonable. What we did find, however, was different sheets of tile in those colours. So we picked those up, cut them down, and re-lay it in the pattern that we were looking for. This allowed us to get to our desired design without blowing the budget for our clients, which was a win-win for all of the stakeholders at Oddfish!