olive house

about this project

This project was a collaboration between ACLA Architecture and SDC Design, with interior staging by Lindsay Kong. It transformed the historic Olive Walke House, a 3200 SF space in Maraval, into “Olive House,” a restaurant and cocktail bar. The architectural challenge was in harmonizing contemporary design with the building’s rich, 100-year-old history and cultural significance. The house was once the residence of Olive Walke, a pioneering figure in Trinidad and Tobago: the first black, female senator, a dedicated patron of the musical arts, and a key figure in the region’s cultural development. The chef’s vision centered on amplifying traditional Trinidadian ingredients, creating the opportunity for guests to experience them in a thought-provoking and exciting light, and requiring a design that acted as a visual and spatial extension of the menu’s philosophy. The project leveraged the existing renovations by SDC Design while preserving the house’s inherent character, offering a unique dining experience within a space that honors its past.