The Room Wanted to Be Dark. The Business Did Not.
Carletto is an Italian restaurant inside the Metcalfe Hotel in downtown Ottawa. It has arches, barrel-vaulted coves, sage-green tile and walnut trim, the kind of bones that make you want to reach for a deep, moody plaster. We did the opposite, and it was the right call. This post is about that decision; the full project breakdown is on the Carletto case study page.
Project Snapshot
| Client | Carletto, Italian restaurant at the Metcalfe Hotel, 123 Metcalfe Street, downtown Ottawa |
|---|---|
| Finish | Custom light two-tone smooth limewash, hand-brushed |
| Why light | A strong lunch trade and daylight from the front windows. A dark finish would have made the room feel like evening at noon. |
| Areas finished | Dining room walls, arched coves above the banquettes, mirror surrounds, arched passage to the kitchen, vaulted ceiling sections |
| Wall finishes | Venetian Plaster & Limewash Ottawa (a Designer Wall Finishes studio) |
Why Not Dark?
Restaurant owners often ask for drama: dark plaster, heavy texture, candlelight. That works for a dinner-only room. Carletto does a strong lunch trade, with daylight coming through the front windows and a crowd that wants to see their food and the person across the table. A dark finish would have swallowed the light instead of shaping it, and the arches and coves would have disappeared into shadow.
So we built a custom light colour, warm rather than cold, that sits comfortably beside the sage tile and the walnut and lets the sconces and pendants do their job without fighting the finish.
Smooth Limewash, Two Tones, No Texture to Hide Behind
Most of our commercial limewash has visible brush movement. For Carletto we went smooth. A smooth limewash still has depth, because the two tones are hand-brushed in layers and the lime shifts as it cures, but the surface reads as calm and continuous rather than rustic. On a barrel-vaulted ceiling that matters: heavy texture on a curve looks busy, a smooth two-tone finish makes the curve the feature.
The two tones were kept close together. From a table the walls look like one soft colour with a quiet glow in the coves. Up close there is cloud and variation, which is what stops it from looking like paint.
Arches, Coves and Passages
Limewash was applied across the dining room walls, the arched coves above the banquettes, the mirror surrounds and the arched passage to the back of house. There are no seams and no changes of material where a wall turns into a ceiling. The walnut trim and tile stop the finish cleanly at the bottom, which is the detail that makes the whole thing look built rather than decorated.
Photo Gallery
What This Means for Your Restaurant
If your room serves lunch, brunch or daytime coffee, think twice before going dark. A light limewash gives you the same mineral depth, the same photograph-well quality, and a room that works at noon and at nine. If you are dinner only, we can talk about deeper tones. Either way we bring samples to your space and look at them under your actual lighting before anything goes on the wall.
See more of our hospitality and commercial finishes, or read how we handled a very different brief at Studio Eleven Pilates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a light limewash practical in a restaurant?
Yes. Limewash is a mineral finish that cures into the wall, so it does not peel, and scuffs are touched up by hand and blend back into the finish. At Carletto the tile wainscot takes the chair and table wear while the limewash above stays clean.
What is the difference between smooth and textured limewash?
Both are hand-brushed in layers. A textured limewash keeps the brush movement visible for a rustic, cloudy look. A smooth limewash is worked back so the surface reads calm and continuous with the depth coming from the two tones rather than the texture.
Can limewash go on curved ceilings and arches?
That is where it looks best. Limewash is brushed, not rolled, so it follows curves without seams or lap marks.
How much does limewashing a restaurant cost in Ottawa?
It depends on wall area, prep and the number of tones. Every project starts with a free consultation and a hand-brushed sample so you can approve the exact colour first. Request a quote here.
Planning a Restaurant or Café Interior in Ottawa?
Call 613-255-1512 or email Info@designerwallfinishes.com. Send us your drawings or visit the showroom at 2183 Carling Ave to see smooth and textured limewash side by side.