With its fresh colors, custom-made wooden furniture, round design and intuitive circulation, Fraîchement Bon is a new neighborhood grocery store that participates in the active life of the small commercial artery on Villeray Street.

Small commercial space / concept

Slightly off-center with respect to the room that follows the orthogonal urban grid, the proposed plan was dictated by the constraint of an imposing refrigerator in a space of 818 sq. ft. The misaligned main space is consistent with the corner door typical of corner shops. The wood lattice ceiling is a reminder of these two intersecting wefts. The architects have taken care to optimize the blind spots around the perimeter of the room in a functional way so as not to lose any space.

Dupont and Blouin succeeded in the challenge of optimizing each square foot selling groceries while giving an impression of visual lightness thanks to the strip furniture that accompanies the route and dresses the store: a continuous, elegant and unifying gesture. The choice to place the refrigerator in the center dictated the loop, a unique circuit that makes circulation more fluid.

Freshly Bon is rethinking local retailing through an aesthetic that is more residential than commercial. The roundness of the floor mosaic inspired by the original ceramics of the duplex apartments, Studio Botte’s local lighting and the curves of the furniture provide a softness and conviviality that contrasts with the rectilinear typical shapes of commercial spaces.

Materiality / colors / wood

The choice of pre-painted steel makes it easy to wash surfaces such as checkout furniture, refrigerator and display baskets. To balance the industrial and cooler aesthetics of metal, the architects opted for integrated wood furniture and a crisp color palette. Between soft green and forest green, the tone is vegetal and fresh, reminiscent of the fresh produce served. The clear and luminous aesthetics, Marc-Olivier Lamothe’s exterior mural fresco and touches of accent colors contribute to the cheerful ambiance of the place.

The north orientation has allowed the natural light that bathes the business in a soft luminosity without harming the food. Along the windows, the products available in the store are those displayed in the window on integrated wood displays. The design guides product placement habits by requiring more frequent attention and presence of grocers in the store. A layout that contributes to improving service, maintenance and human contact with the merchant.

With Fraîchement Bon, Dupont Blouin signs the new concept of a family business and conceives a neighbourhood store with a luminous, colorful and soft design, favouring curves and fluidity.