For those lacking botanical vision, Toronto’s And/Ore restaurant is happy to oblige, with a verdant dining room designed by local firm Solid Design Creative. According to founder and principal designer Ian Rydberg, the space was inspired by “the feeling of opening a book and being transported to a place beyond.”

Walking past the Queen Street restaurant, you’d never know that an immersive multipart landscape awaits diners: from a subterranean grotto to a botanical lounge to tables floating in the clouds. With And/Ore, Solid Design created a Victorian-inspired fantastical setting, offering patrons a place in which to lose themselves.

The spaces are distinct, each a world unto itself. In the main dining room an expansive floor-to-ceiling mural, created by New Love Collective, in swirling clouds of blues and greens with flowing branches and leaves sets a dreamy backdrop. An iron structure, painted green and embellished with laser-cut flowers and scrolls, frames the tall, narrow room, giving the effect of dining inside a greenhouse with an arched roof and windows. On the opposite wall, vertical trios of crackle-glass globe lights are anchored to the structure, illuminating the wavy-backed floral banquettes below. An intimate seating area with restored vintage armchairs and settees tucked beneath the mezzanine’s overhang is surrounded by murals of trees, irises, and hydrangeas.

While downstairs is all garden sanctuary, up the stairs by the entry, the mezzanine takes its cues from the clouds. Billows of white iridescent velvet radiate from the central chandelier: a suspended collection of multi-sized bubbles. As the mural stretches up, the deeper tones become rosy and peach sunset hues.

Below ground, a completely different environment awaits. The client knew from the outset that she wanted to transform the low-ceilinged basement into a moody cave. According to Rydberg, “The basement cave was a feat to achieve the warm and cozy yet authentic feel of subterranean dining.” At the far end of the room, a backlit sandstone bar topped with brushed brass appears carved from the walls.

And/Ore “is a space that transports to a world far beyond your expectations,” an element of surprise that is Rydberg’s favourite thing about the project.

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