"Quietly magical" Toronto cafe provides family-friendly third place

Toronto firms Denizens of Design and DS Studio have created a community space in the city's Junction neighbourhood, which offers a cafe for parents and a play area for kids within a walnut-panelled interior.

The Willow Play Cafe occupies a former dive bar and caters to the growing number of young families in the area.

Cafe entrance with a wavy service counter and an arched portal — At The Willow Play Cafe, drinks are ordered from a wavy service counter before moving through into the seating and play zone

The space is designed to offer adults a space to unwind and relax, while their children can play and interact within eyesight, using specially designed toys and equipment.

"So many of us grew up lingering in cafes, watching the world go by, dreaming and daydreaming," said Denizens of Design principal Dyonne Fashina. "We wanted to create a place where parents could reclaim that ritual, but now with their children beside them. The design had to feel familiar and grown up, yet quietly magical."

Walnut benches with cubby holes under a window — Kids can remove their shoes and store them in cubby holes under walnut benches

Instead of leaning into the typically industrial, primary-hued aesthetic of indoor play areas, the team envisioned the cafe space first.

Walls and ceilings are wrapped in walnut panels, creating a more mature backdrop for the whimsical, colourful elements to be layered over.

An arched portal with a key-shaped opening leads to a cafe and play area — An arched portal with a keyhole-shaped opening leads to the cafe and play area

The service area at the front of the cafe, featuring a checkerboard linoleum floor, allows customers to order their drinks from a wavy fronted counter.

Meanwhile, their kids can remove their shoes on low benches and store them in designated cubby holes underneath.

A floral-upholstered banquette and vintage bentwood chairs — Seating is provided by a floral-upholstered banquette and vintage bentwood chairs

An arched portal with a keyhole-shaped cutout leads through to the compact seating area, where a floral-patterned bench runs below a red-trimmed scalloped backrest.

Small circular cafe tables and vintage bentwood chairs run alongside the banquette, facing the play zone where colourful, interactive elements emerge from the millwork.

Green foam steps leading to a mezzanine hideout — Integrated play apparatus includes green foam steps that lead to a mezzanine hideout

"As a parent myself, it was important that seating be integrated directly into the play area," said DS Studio principal Dina Sarhane. "Parents should feel close to their children, not separated from them. Comfort and proximity are part of the experience."

A willow tree provided the concept for the play area, which includes two-tone green foam steps up to a raised mezzanine hideout and a red slide back down.

An interactive wall with illuminated pegs and another pegboard of colourful cogs are also provided to keep kids entertained.

"We imagined the space as if it were part of a story, where things are not quite what they seem," said Fashina. "Like in Alice in Wonderland, the environment itself is alive. A cafe becomes a forest. A wall becomes a game. Play is not added on. It is embedded into the architecture."

A red slide curves down from a mezzanine to the floor — A red slide curves down from the mezzanine to the floor

Arched niches lead to further spaces for workshops or parties, where the walnut surfaces are paired with yellow bead details, vintage lighting and a floral ceiling installation.

"We wanted everything to feel like it belongs," Fashina said. "Nothing is decorative for its own sake. The cafe and the play world are one. Every element serves both imagination and use."