Built in 2013, the warehouse-like building features full height windows with a brick surround, and exposed steel rafters with a corrugated metal ceiling. The lower floor takes full advantage of the soaring 23-foot / 7-meter high ceilings, with an upper mezzanine (of 600 square feet / 55 square meters). Facing full west, sun streams through the windows in the summer months and adds to the upbeat, vibrant atmosphere.

The Watson is located at the edge of Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant vibrant and walkable neighborhood filled with independent shops and cafés, in British Columbia, Canada. Behind the restaurant lies an alleyway called Watson Street – one of the older laneways in the neighborhood and inspiration for both the name and subtle Sherlock nods found inside The Watson.

The founder of the restaurant is Erica Colpitts’ brother, restaurateur Michael Gayman, who wanted to create an easy going, cocktail-forward dining destination. “This is the 4th project that I have opened with my brother and hopefully not the last,” says interior designer Erica Colpitts. “He and I love creating hospitality spaces together”

This restaurant/bar was inspired by libraries and apothecary shops from Belgium and The Netherlands for millwork design, and Victorian manors and estates for materials, artwork, and accessories. The main dining and bar space is impressive while maintaining a sense of ease and belonging. Erica Colpitts paired delicate and refined items with an abundance of warm woodwork, wools and tweeds. “The seemingly aged woodwork plays beautifully with the gilt mirrors and burnished brass arch, and the chains from the chandeliers feel like necklaces draped above the tweed barstools,” describes the interior designer. “The result is a mixture of unexpected materials working seamlessly together.”