A Contemporary Waterfront Restaurant Inspired by the Nova Scotian Coastline

Photo by Doublespace

On a pier jutting into Halifax Harbour, a wedge-shaped building designed by Nova Scotia architectural firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple is home to a restaurant that gives each diner a front-row seat to the bustling kitchen and waterfront views. Created by DesignAgency, Mystic’s interiors bring contemporary design to Maritimes fine dining, with a 75-seat space firmly rooted in a sense of place.

The building is part of Halifax’s new mixed-used development, Queen’s Marque district, created by Armour Group to bring new life to the downtown waterfront area. Armour Group approached DesignAgency, an international design studio with a head office in Toronto, to create a standout space that would bridge the gap between the stunning coastal landscape and the bustling urban centre. “From the beginning, Mystic was envisioned as the crown jewel of the complex—a creatively ambitious culinary offering that would be hyperlocal in its approach and global in its aspirations,” DesignAgency founding partner Matt Davis says. “We translated that vision with an interior concept that celebrates Mystic’s singular setting while giving centre stage to the theatre of the kitchen.”

Photo by Doublespace

Photo by Stephen Harris

To continue the language of the landscape inside the restaurant, the designers used a palette of colours and materials inspired by Nova Scotia’s rugged landscape, opting for soft blues and forest green, warm stones, and aged driftwood accents.

As guests pass through the steel-panelled vestibule, they catch sight of the open kitchen, foreshadowing the design ahead and adding an unexpected flurry of energy to the entryway. The bar area is both intimate and refined, with black countertops, custom millwork, and a stone backsplash accented with warm-brown veining. The bar area’s apothecary-like open pantry displays glass jars of preserves and concentrates on sleek open shelving. While the bar has the dark and woody feel of a forest, the dining room is all bright and airy seaside charm, with light-wood floors and panoramic views.

Grounding the space, a large open kitchen with brushed stainless steel and white engineered stone allows the usually exclusive experience of a chef’s table to be enjoyed by every diner, defying the usual disconnect between the front and back of house and encouraging connection between staff and guests. It makes for an immersive dining experience that’s all about authenticity.

Photo by Doublespace

Photo by Doublespace

Photo by Doublespace

Atop a custom rug inspired by the area’s rocky coastline, hunter-green banquettes curve through the space, paired with custom wooden tables that can be reconfigured to accommodate different group sizes and matching midcentury-inspired green-leather chairs. Around the perimeter, taupe velvet and terra cotta bouclé armchairs offer additional seating.

Windows wrap the entire space, making the entire dining room feel as if it were floating on the waves. “We were pretty excited when we realized that Mystic has angled, wraparound windows on three sides that look out over the harbour,” Davis says. “With such a spectacular setting, we wanted the interior design to enhance the feeling of total immersion, as if the walls didn’t exist.” DesignAgency opted for slim modern sconces and cove lighting rather than pendants or chandeliers that would impede the views, and it kept the chairs near the windows light and leggy.

Above limestone-panelled walls, a flowing plaster ceiling draws the eye to the kitchen. “It also creates a sense of drama and feels less like a ceiling than something else—say, the bottom of a ship’s hull, a billowing sail, or the edge of a cumulous cloud,” Davis says. “Creating curves inside the building’s angular architecture enhances the feeling of being in a more organic, free-flowing setting.”

Photo by Doublespace

Photo by Stephen Harris

Outside, a dynamic sculpture of steel, polycarbonate flappers, and lights by Ned Kahn, titled Tidal Beacon, protrudes from the top of the building. DesignAgency continued this inside, collaborating with Kahn and fabricators Heavy to create a sense of continuity and contemporary energy in the restaurant.

“Since there is no wind inside, we created a kinetic feeling by affixing glossy black acrylic fins to steel cables at angles precisely mapped to evoke rustling leaves,” Davis says, noting the construction inside Mystic is very similar to the exterior installation. “The wall surface behind it is finished with a lime wash paint, enhancing the sense of movement by producing little variations of light behind the fins. The effect appears to glow but with softness and subtlety.”

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