It’s no longer enough for a resta urant to flag up its organic credentials. Boneta is trying to make sure that every part of their operation is eco-friendly.

Yes, green. This plagiarized marriage ditty is the essence of Boneta. Only in this case, the marriage is that of beauty with practical, affordable sustainability.

On first impression, Boneta looks like a piece of art. Although not the only Gastown restaurant to painstakingly peel off a modern façade to reveal historical origins, the surprise that Boneta hides is the way this was done. Its beauty is more than just skin deep.

The restaurant’s three owners – Mark Brand, Neil Ingram and Andre McGillivray, who together share 30 years of restaurant industry experience, found their immense passion to create a venue as unique as cuisine they planned to serve would need to be matched to an equally immense bank account.

Boneta's Meal: Belgian endive salad

This is where practicality, creativity and budget – not to mention more than a little help from family and friends – came into play. Who would believe the total renovation of the 1890s building could be completed for just $89,000 and in a record five and half weeks? The building at 1 Cordova was originally the Boulder Hotel, but had seen several incarnations over time, including a bank and, most recently, the Meat Market restaurant.

Of course, no one is saying that it was easy. All three partners put in long hours of hard labour, at times hacking and smashing through many layers. And there were surprises along the way: after ripping up the carpet and removing many coats of paint, they discovered 110-year-old, air-dried, eight-inch white oak flooring so dense they thought it was concrete. Laminate panelling was stripped off to reveal original tongue-and-groove cedar and beautiful bentwood saloon chairs with embossed seats, dating back to the 1920s, were found hidden away, forgotten for years, within the building itself.

Salvage was a key element in the renovation process. The huge 30-lb mirrors suspended from the ceiling adorned rooms in the Sutton Place hotel in the 1940s. Baseboards recovered from a section of the Windsor Hotel that had been sealed up since the ‘60s are installed vertically to form the bar and also, of course, as baseboards. The rugged 6” x 12” cedar beams now supporting tall tables were scavenged from the demolition of an old Point Grey house.

Whereas most local buildings are brick and beam, Boneta’s construction is mostly granite, quarried from Queen Elizabeth Park. The original bank vault, complete with bullet holes in its ceiling (the method used by bank robbers to gauge the thickness they needed to penetrate), is taking on a new life as a wine cooler. Ingram says another vault, with its permanently chilly temperature, will serve as a natural, walk-in wine cellar. What’s more, the original gas heating system is still in use, and works like a charm.

So, after the hacking and smashing, foraging and salvaging, the next phase of the renovation focused on sustainability in choice of materials. Counter tops are made from a material called plyboo – bamboo layered like plywood, three layers deep – which, say the partners, is strong enough to dance on, lasts “for ever” and leaves virtually no carbon footprint. Check out the stripes – it’s both attractive and unique.

Boneta's Meal: Braised Pheasant Thighs With Porcini Mushroom Gnocchi

The solid, yet elegant black dining tables are another optical illusion – they’re actually made from paper! The material is paperstone, made from highly compressed layers of recycled paper. Paperstone is dense, durable and heavy – with each 5’ x 12’ x 1” sheet weighing approximately 600 lbs. It’s said to be stronger than steel or hardwood, but is as cost-effective as plywood.

And next came creativity. Inspiration to make the “chandeliers” was found at a lighting design show. Inexpensive splitters found at most hardware stores form the base into which freeform combinations of low-wattage light bulbs are inserted. Create any shape you want, hang them upside down and you have lighting that doubles as an art form. Super-sized canvasses that cover many walls from floor to ceiling are the work of friends and local artists, some with day jobs in the restaurant biz.

Last, but possibly most important, there was, and still is, community. There’s a saying that it takes a community to raise a child, but that also seems to be true for this particular restaurant. As Andre, Neil and Mark will all attest, they couldn’t have done it without the support of friends, family and many helping hands in the neighbourhood.