In November 2019, Le Germain Hotel Montreal reopened its doors after being closed for a year, in a new decor signed LemayMichaud. Inspired by the 1967 building, the concept of the now iconic hotel transports visitors in the heart of Montreal’s most influential period. Held in Montreal, the 1967 World Fair, was a year of innovation and openness for design and for the city; a period that leaves a legacy of bubble chairs, the Biosphere and some of Montreal’s iconic buildings.
LemayMichaud was given the challenge to create a new design of the hotel, which resulted in neat and distinctive aesthetics. A signage system as well as a mural were created to complete the design of the premises, transporting visitors in the heart of 1967.
Signage that integrates with the design
LemayMichaud was asked to imagine a new wayfinding system for the hotel. It resulted in personalized, modern signage, rooted in the creative angle developed for the interior design: Circa 67. Circles and curves were omnipresent in the ‘60s aesthetics. Therefore, their use in every aspect of the new design for Le Germain quickly became an imperative.
Our design team played with constructed and deconstructed circles for the floor numbers, in a retro-modern way. Curvy pictograms, color scheme and a modular geometric system, all useful for orienting visitors. In another reference to the era, the choice of typefaces is another reference to the aesthetics of the 1960s.
The signage results in a stylish but fonctionnal system that blends perfectly into the interior concept.
A suprising time capsule
Le Germain Hotel Montreal wanted to offer a meaningful experience for the new guest room bathrooms. They wanted an expressive place that would immerse visitors in history.
The team decided to focus on the history of the city. Designed to feel like a time capsule, the restroom was imagined as an archival space. Featuring some of Montreal’s most effervescent moments from the World Fair, it also transports us through the cultural, social, sports and political scenes of Montreal during the late ‘60s.
To achieve such a result, LemayMichaud and Groupe Germain’s teams joined forces to create a small research comittee. Marked by surprises, encounters and many hours spent in antique and collectors shops, this collaboration has proven to be more than beneficial. The result is a playful mosaic, a perceptive spotlight on one of the city’s most significant period.
