Calgary House
A Hotel Bar Energy for Everyday Use

Situated in the heart of downtown Calgary, Calgary House represents Alykhan Velji Designs’ most ambitious commercial transformation to date — a full reimagining of the building’s lobby and former main-floor restaurant into a hospitality-driven arrival and tenant lounge experience. Tasked by Title Properties to eliminate any trace of corporate sterility, AVD anchored the design around a monumental brutalist metal mural by Krystyna Sadowska, Pan and the Three Graces, whose strength, mythology and patina informed the project’s materiality, curves and palette. The lobby was recast as a boutique-style welcome, featuring a sculptural terracotta-wrapped concierge-like reception, custom patterned stone flooring, a white oak grid ceiling with glowing globes, and hand-applied plaster walls that echo the mural’s geometry. This warm, residential sensibility extends into the elevator lobby with oak paneling and custom Concord Lighting sconces. The former restaurant space now functions as a richly zoned tenant lounge with casual seating pockets, meeting nooks, a boardroom, and a dramatic curved bar, all organized around a brutalist-inspired bronze fireplace that acts as both sculpture and spatial divider. Layered furnishings in deep greens, cognac and charcoal pair with tactile textiles, while custom lighting and curated Canadian art reinforce the building’s identity. Repeating architectural devices — the grid ceiling, sweeping curves and white oak detailing — unify the lobby and lounge into one cohesive, hospitality-infused environment.