When she was asked to design Canada’s first Ace Hotel, Brigitte Shim—of acclaimed architecture firm Shim-Sutcliffe— said no. She didn’t want to be known for the arrival of “just another hotel” in downtown Toronto. But before she changed her mind and ultimately agreed, she set out some conditions and did a careful analysis of what the popular American brand stood for. There are now 10 Ace locations, mainly in the United States but also in Kyoto and Sydney, and most of them are in converted buildings.

This new one in Toronto is built from the ground up. Located in the Garment District, on the corner of Camden and Brant, the building lies outside of the financial district but close to downtown, Chinatown and Queen West, facing a small square. And it has an imposing but discreet facade. With its slightly Art Nouveau curves and clever brickwork, it fits in with the visual identity the city has been known for since 1890, which was dictated by the millions of bricks produced from the red clay of the Don Valley.

Although it’s hard to tell how old this large 14-storey building is from the outside, you won’t be any the wiser when you go through the revolving doors to the suspended lobby. The structure itself, defined by numerous huge concrete arches, further clouds the issue, and the abundance of vintage furniture, which forms a pleasing Scandinavian patchwork, adds to the ambiguity. This confusion between old and brand new is one of the Ace’s great strengths. It creates a kind of cozy timelessness—something that almost feels like familiarity.

That said, the real feat of this new hotel is the way it successfully connects the interior with the exterior, the inside and the outside, both in form and material. The key here is that the architecture firm, in collaboration with Atelier Ace (the chain’s creative agency), took charge of every little detail of the interior setup in addition to designing its framework. This peaceful, 123-room nest is all about coherence, fluidity, warmth and simplicity. Did I mention warmth?

Absolutely nothing here is ostentatious or pretentious. That’s what allows the building to gracefully blend in not only with the Ace portfolio, but also with the emerging neighbourhood in which it’s located. “See St. Andrew’s Park across the street? It’s one of the oldest parks in Toronto,” says Brigitte Shim. “And what I like about this park is that there’s nothing special about it. There are no monuments in it, it’s just a purely local gathering spot.” Shim-Sutcliffe aimed to recreate this simple, unintimidating feel—one of well-being. “For alcoves and storage areas in the rooms,” says Brigitte, “we deliberately used low-end, construction-grade plywood.” In those rooms, designed in a kind of “urban cabin” spirit, works by Canadian artists abound, and brick, concrete, wood and copper come together to form a consistent whole and a satisfying colour palette. “The unusual combination of clay and copper, for instance, is one of the elements that contribute to creating a whole, an atmosphere,” the architect adds.

The day of my visit, amid the mismatched mid-century-style lobby furniture—an inviting mix of wood-framed armchairs, long comfy sofas and well-chosen coffee tables—an old brown Labrador was curled up asleep in a rather busy area, while whipped matchas and generous-sized black-sesame croissants were being delivered from the long bar to customers of all ages and origins.

You can count the stars here at night from the rooftop terrace, but an appreciation for Ace Hotels tends to go beyond the usual starred rating system. They’re aimed at people with a different concept of luxury. Indeed, it’s tempting to hand out more than five stars for the kind of urban haven that can offer a cozy room equipped with a turntable, where a romance-minded traveller can create even more atmosphere by dropping the needle on a Herbie Hancock album.