‘I know it looks crowded with lots of stuff,’ says Sophie Dikeakos of her Kits living room, ‘but it is intimate. Cozy. I like to read in here.’

Sophie Dikeakos
Now 20 years old, her Sophie’s Cosmic Café is a Kitsilano institution that came by its Summer-of-Love vibe belatedly but honestly. Her home is a warm homage to its Arts and Crafts beginnings: ‘The cushions were done with fabric from Zonda Nellis. I like the idea of the English country living room.’

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ORAF

It is one of those perfect days to be in Kitsilano with the sun shining, the ocean sparkling, the mountains a glorious backdrop to this old Vancouver neighbourhood. I am on my way to Sophie Dikeakos’s home in the heart of Kitsilano. On Fourth Avenue at Arbutus I pass the business she owns with her husband, the artist Chris Dikeakos: Sophie’s Cosmic Café. The old Arbutus Restaurant certainly has changed since it was taken over 20 years ago by the couple. Sophie’s Cosmic Café has become one of the most popular and well-known businesses along Fourth. Will the eclectic décor of this café be matched at her home?

I apologize for being a few minutes early. Sophie is not concerned but the family pet, Tula, a miniature poodle, has other ideas. Dikeakos offers coffee, good cheese and muffins, then takes a seat on one of the couches in the living room, with Tula close by.

The living room is filled with artifacts, curios and more of the same in glass cabinets. Yes, those are souvenirs from Crete, her native land. But she was raised in Penticton and has been married to Chris since 1970. Chris also is Greek, which helps explain the Cycladic sculptures and the works of well-known Vancouver artists that are scattered throughout the rest of the house.

Oraf: What is your favourite room?
Sophie Dikeakos: The living room. I know it looks crowded with lots of stuff, but it is intimate. Cozy. I like to read in here.

O: How long have you lived here?
SD: Since 1972. This is the first room we did. This is an Arts and Craft house built around 1910 and we chose the master of the Arts and Craft movement, William Morris, and his hand-rolled wallpaper. [Laughs] We ran out of money and had to paint the rest.

O: Is the couch Arts and Crafts?
SD: Yes. One of our finds. The cushions were done with fabric from Zonda Nellis. I like the idea of the English country living room. Intimate, cozy, personal and relaxing.

O: Do you get to spend much time here after all that work at the café?
SD : Chris and I split the workload. I work three shifts, mostly days. Chris does mostly nights. We have been married since 1970 and we try not to work together at the café. [Laughs. Chris appears with a paintbrush in hand. He has been sealing an upstairs porch. They both work together at home, obviously.]

O: OK, how did it get to be called Sophie’s Cosmic Café?
SD: Well, the Arbutus was actually two businesses joined together at one point. There was some unreasonable demand made about the old sign and when we took it down we found a Summer of Love classic: the old Cosmic Circus sign. [Another laugh] The old head shop of Fourth Avenue. I also insisted we keep the old restaurant’s red booths. And we incorporated the name with mine. And the rest is history.