Nemesis Rolls Out Its New Bakery in North Vancouver
Inside Dope Bakehouse, where baking becomes architecture.
Walking into North Vancouver’s newly opened Dope Bakehouse is like walking into a surreal cinematic scene. Designed by Sml Studio, which has offices in Vancouver and London, the immersive interiors take direct inspiration from the process, textures, and forms of baking. “When you go through the door, it’s almost like leaving the world behind,” says architect Benny Kwok, who worked alongside fellow co-founder Mira Yung on the project. “It’s a surreal space, it’s almost like you’re inside a pastry.”
The Sml Studio team opted to use typically industrial materials in a playful way, with whimsical forms and soft textures intended to evoke pastry and baking. The sculptural coffee counter is meant to appear as if it was poured like melted butter, with softened corners and a glossy surface. “We finished the counter with paint, something like 20 or so layers,” Kwok says. “The whole piece actually got transferred to a car shop to be painted to get that effect.”
Elsewhere, a built-in bench coming up from the ground suggests dough rising in the oven, and a translucent orange curtain falls from the ceiling like sugared glaze. Throughout the space, warm tones and curved lines are reminiscent of perfectly golden, freshly baked viennoiserie.
The space was designed in close collaboration with the owner, Jess Reno, the founder of Vancouver’s Nemesis Coffee, which counts five locations across the Lower Mainland. “It was a supercollaborative process,” Yung explains. “He’s a design enthusiast and really wanted to make sure that it was fun and immersive. We wanted to do something out of the box, and took the idea of pastry and ran with it.” Bold and futuristic, the space reveals Reno’s playful approach, with speakers built directly into the signage and a DJ booth that reflects his passion for music and atmosphere.
A seating area with custom-made stools in stainless steel with velvet upholstery provides flexible seating. “We like the contrast of the stainless steel against something softer like the limewash walls,” Yung explains. A wide bar, also in stainless steel, provides a vantage point into Dope Bakehouse’s kitchen, revealing the artful complexity of the baking process. Overhead, the 24-foot ceilings expose the intricate ductwork, providing a sculptural counterpoint. “That’s usually our approach,” Kwok explains. “Not to hide everything but to make it visible, giving the space more depth and layers.”
Intended as the first standalone location for Nemesis’s pastry program, the bakery serves a selection of signature and seasonal pastries and baked goods, such as a mango coconut milk danishes, orange blossom canelés, or classic options like butter croissants and pain au chocolat.
“We want people to feel like they’re leaving the world behind, and for the space to evoke happiness and joy,” Kwok says. And visiting Dope Bakehouse feels decidedly different from your typical bakery. Sensorial and fun, the space is a playful exploration of the textures, forms, and hues of the baking and pastry world.
Photographs by Juno Kim.
