{"id":12836,"date":"2025-07-25T02:31:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T19:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/way-of-normal-carves-a-subterranean-bathhouse-turned-bar-in-canada\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T02:31:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T19:31:02","slug":"way-of-normal-carves-a-subterranean-bathhouse-turned-bar-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/way-of-normal-carves-a-subterranean-bathhouse-turned-bar-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"way of normal carves a subterranean bathhouse-turned-bar in canada"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wow wow-yellow\">temporal layering enlivens blue rock swim club in canada<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\nWay of Normal transforms a long-dormant brewing space beneath a popular local <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/restaurant-interiors\/\"><strong>restaurant<\/strong><\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/architecture-in-canada\/\"><strong>Canada<\/strong><\/a> into the Blue Rock Swim Club, a bar whose conceptual history is set within the scene of a forgotten underground bathhouse, long abandoned and slowly reclaimed. More than a spatial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/renovation-architecture-and-design\/\"><strong>renovation<\/strong><\/a>, the challenge of creation lay in crafting a compelling historical narrative within a context \u2014 and a city \u2014 that prioritizes new-build construction over historical preservation.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To conjure a sense of temporal layering, the studio selected materials for their tactile honesty and implied permanence. Board-formed concrete anchors the space with brutalist restraint, while wire-brushed, charred wood introduces the rich patina of age. Along one wall, a custom mural in soft, weathered tones has been sanded back \u2014 its faded surface suggestive of both art and artifact.<\/p>\n<p>all images courtesy of Way of Normal<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wow wow-yellow\">way of normal excavates imagined pasts for the design concept<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wayofnormal.com\/\"><strong>The team<\/strong><\/a> at Way of Normal approached the brief by mapping the spatial logic of traditional bathhouses. With no existing entrance from the street, access into the Blue Rock Swim Club was carved out through a neighboring service corridor. Recast as an immersive passage, this liminal space is clad in waxed stainless steel and monochrome finishes, guiding visitors downward in a quiet, reflective descent \u2014 like slipping beneath the surface of still water.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Entry begins in a moody \u2018locker room\u2019, now functioning as a subdued foyer. From there, guests are led through the \u2018remnants of changerooms\u2019 reinterpreted as individual washroom stalls, before arriving at the heart of the space \u2014the \u2018basins\u2019. This sculpted dining area is embedded within the building\u2019s original foundations, its sunken floor and tiered platforms evoking the eroded geometry of communal pools and long-lost rituals.<\/p>\n<p>view from the sunken seating space into the bar<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wow wow-yellow\">transforming a long-dormant, underground brewing space<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hints of LA and Brazilian modernism lend the project its warmth. Hand-cut zellige tiles and sculpted terrazzo surfaces offer an organic counterbalance to the concrete shell. Bespoke lighting, designed and fabricated in-house, traces vertical elements in charred wood and reappears mirrored above suggesting a subtle choreography of light and reflection. Furnishings are strategic yet distinct, and custom leather banquettes echo through the space, mingling with vintage pieces and one-off designs. The barstools, engineered in-house, nest within the footrail, forming a clean, continuous edge.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This attention to detail, paired with art direction and procurement handled by the studio itself, gives the space its unmistakable sense of narrative cohesion. The result is a richly layered venue that feels both cinematic and rooted in its fictional past, yet resolutely present in the city\u2019s evolving cultural and culinary landscape.<\/p>\n<p>raised tier seating space<\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- CLOSE ARTICLE CONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"fullwidth-image\">\n<div class=\"layout-box\">\n<div class=\"page-content\">\n<p>undulating bar-form, paired with bespoke seating<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\t<!-- OPEN ARTICLE CONTENT -->\t<\/p>\n<p>booth seating space with bespoke lighting<\/p>\n<p>the custom seating was created with an integrated rail system that follows the curvature of the bar<\/p>\n<p>the group seating space, easily privatized by the expansion of integrated drapery<\/p>\n<p>bar seating shown against marble bar top and zellige tile bar-front<\/p>\n<p>hand-burnt and wire-brushed wood planks, paired with the eclectic furniture and decor<\/p>\n<p>Way of Normal completes Blue Rock Swim Club<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>name:<\/strong>\u00a0Blue Rock Swim Club<br \/>\n<strong>interior designer:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wayofnormal.com\/\">Way of Normal<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wayofnormal\/?hl=en\">@wayofnormal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>location:<\/strong> Canada<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>designboom has received this project from our <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.designboom.com\/readers-submit\"><em>DIY submissions<\/em><\/a><em> feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.designboom.com\/readers\/\"><em>here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/architecture\/way-of-normal-subterranean-bathhouse-bar-canada-blue-rock-swim-club-07-24-2025\/\">way of normal carves a subterranean bathhouse-turned-bar in canada<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/\">designboom | architecture &amp; design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>temporal layering enlivens blue rock swim club in canada \u00a0 Way of Normal transforms a long-dormant brewing space beneath a popular local restaurant in Canada into the Blue Rock Swim Club, a bar whose conceptual &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[142],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.7 - 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