Ste Marie set out to tell the Monos story of awe and craft a world that celebrates the moments of discovery that travel brings.
Tucked just blocks away from Toronto’s Little Portugal on one of the most coveted streets in the city, Monos opens its newest outpost. The space invites guests to embark on a multi-sensory journey that connects them to moments of awe, discovery and the joy we crave with travel.
Drawing on the Japanese concept of “mono no aware,” Monos, in collaboration with its design partner Ste Marie, celebrates the collectible beauty of fleeting moments and arrival. This dreamlike space on Ossington, influenced by gentle surrealism and the cultural hospitality of Portugal’s Pousadas, is timeless and wistful.
In the heart of the room stands an olive tree, rising against a backdrop of a feature light installation that seemingly bursts forth from a narrow parting of waxed plaster and monoliths of split-faced cottonwood limestone. Artful plinths formed of honed Turkish Rainbow Onyx give way to a delicate water flow, cuing the simplicity and connection between nature and humanity. Softly encased wall niches, adorned with subtle Italian Onice Striato Avorio stone, showcase the brand's curated collection of luggage and accessories—thoughtful products for the mindful traveler.
This is Monos' new home in Toronto, where every moment is a journey of growth, exploration, and gratitude.
About Ste Marie
Ste Marie, established interior and concept design studio, offers glimpses into possible worlds. From meticulously crafted retail and immersive restaurants and bars, to boutique hotels and community-shaping large-scale mixed-use projects, Ste Marie approaches their work with the same thoughtful distillation, transcending boundaries of time and boldly challenging the status quo.
With work dotted throughout urban centres including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, Mexico, Vancouver, and Toronto, Ste Marie has established itself as a leader in guest experience and hospitality-inspired design. However, Ste Marie is not just a typical design studio. Known for their proprietary approach to developing immersive concepts rich in narrative and founded in authenticity, Ste Marie seamlessly blends aspiration with the essential practicalities of performance. Driven by the notion of world-building, the studio’s work evokes the timelessness of nostalgia and the intimacy of personalized, human-centered experiences. Reinforced by data, science, functional and operational influences, the resulting design solutions are at once transportive and activating, delivering the ideal conditions for their clients' businesses to thrive.
