An an all-female crew joined forces to bring new life to a bona fide ‘petit grand café’ of Ghent, multidisciplinary design office, Altu, and creative direction specialists, Studio Stories, respecting café ’t Kanon’s 35 year reign whilst applying gently modern touches that make for a timeless new look for the much-loved venue.
The neighbourhood bar is open daily from 14:00 till late and features a menu created with a fondness of the Parisian café scene, utilising local produce and ingredients to turn out dishes such as homemade Pain Saucisse, a steaming Vongolé, and croquettes including the speciality ‘crispy, black chicken croquette with a heart of creamy and spicy chorizo’; each plate paired with a wine from their innovative and rotating list.
Elegant, classy, yet fun, café ’t Kanon is intimate by day, buzzing by night, the natural leather built-in sofas with deep warm dark mahogany wood bringing instant comfort during cold winter evenings. Refreshment on hot summer nights comes when the wall-wide guillotine windows are fully opened. An ‘open late’ sign indicates that ‘all are welcome anytime’, with a warm welcome and wonderful fare always guaranteed.
Indoor spaces connect with a large outdoor terrace, enabling diners to flit between them as they desire. Whether visiting for lunch, an afterwork with friends, dinner or late-night drinks, the vibe is convivial and easy. A new central horseshoe-shaped bar and wooden ceiling enter into a spatial dialogue with the original curved façade, its shape creating a buzz behind the bar where staff craft cocktails and pour natural wines.
Balancing between historical references and thoughtful details, the new interior aims to be timeless in the grandest sense of characterful old cafés. Original terrazzo floors and glass windows have been carefully restored and complemented by warm mahogany walls and ceilings that recall the old iconic bars of the 1950s. Hand-polished metal, mirror and glass details, meanwhile, bring a futuristic touch to the revamped premises.
Having been run by iconic duo Nadia and Gerard for 35 years, they recently passed the baton to three foodies, Steven Desmedt, Ahmed El-Saidy and Jules Gahide, who——in collaboration with their all-girl crew of designers——hope to inject a new and contemporary life into Ghent’s renowned petit grand café.
@cafetkanon
@studio.stories
@altu.space
Café ‘t Kanon Ghent Photography © Eefje De Coninck en Senne Van der Ven / An De Jonghe / Buro Bonito.
