Image credit: Pinterest
Do you ever walk into restaurant and get that instant feeling of relaxation, intrigue and excitement to what’s coming next? This is engineered, and is all apart of the plan to get you to keep coming back. The way the elements of acoustics, lighting, colour and space planning come together harmoniously is all apart of this feeling of calm within the space. Interior design’s key elements work across spaces whether it’s the home or a hotel, but the use of them within the commercial environment and how brands invest in the customer experience truly demonstrates the importance of good design.
Colour
Colour is important. I will always champion this element across all types of spaces, as it really does impact the mood and feeling of a space. In eateries, the use of warmer tones such as reds, yellow and oranges has been linked to a brain stimulant that increases the appetite. It’s a lot of the reason why fast food restaurants use that bold red colour within their branding. Look out next time you’re dining to the warmer tones subtly added into the room. Green, is also there to encourage the natural and healthy brand ethos of certain places. Rarely cooler tones like grey and blues, are used as the singular colour, as they’re not well linked with food, and can often trigger the opposite affect desired. That doesn’t mean you won’t ever see them, but likely the balance will be more warmer tones vs cooler within the space, to ensure diners are ready to eat and enthused too!
Image credit: Pinterest
Lighting
Clever use of lighting, from table lamps to allow you to see your menu, to the lighting levels of the ambient lighting from bright and bold, to moody and subdued. Depending on where and when you’re dining, the lighting changes to suit the desired atmosphere and has a significant impact on how you feel. The three elements we always refer to in design, the task, the ambience and the decorative lighting too. Layers of lighting, in appropriate warm or cool levels depending on the function is all contributing to the way you feel and how comfortable you feel in the space.
Sound
Balancing the sound, so its not too loud with plates bashing and people chatting is all controlled through acoustics and baffling. Some restaurants have open kitchens, music or vaulted ceilings for dramatic effect so ensuring the sound is appropriately absorbed is crucial to the comfort of diners within the space. Next time, look up- can you see anything on the ceiling or walls which looks like is there to help baffle and absorb the sound?
Image Credit: Pinterest
Space
Space planning the restaurant, to ensure everyone is happy with their seat is vital. The worst is when you have a comfy booth seat everyone is fighting for, because the chairs on the other side look hard and uninviting. The way the room is laid out, and the furniture you use within this space is carefully considered to avoid anyone being disappointed about their table allocation. There’s always been a stigma about sitting near the loos too, so you will likely find, the toilets in the best places are discrete and inoffensive to those sitting nearby.
The “Gram”
Despite these core elements of interior design which make a commercial space functional and inviting, I do feel there’s now a huge push on areas for people to take photos. Nice backgrounds, sexy seating and delightful table settings are all going to push more photos, more tagging and overall more desire for people to come back for more. Elan, spring to mind. The pink paradise coffee shop popping up all around the world, a beautiful “instagrammable” spot for those on this vibe to table stunning shots. Then, before long, it’s online, tagged and reeled for all to see and makes others run for the same perfect shot for all their followers to see.
So are you with me?
So tell me, and be honest… did you choose the last restaurant you went to because the space on Google images looked stunning? If not, try it. They’re usually the ones you spoil yourself with, or take a date to, for an all around immersive experience that isn’t just about the fabulous food.
Preet x
