When it comes to designing a luxury restaurant, it’s the little details that make your establishment stand out from the rest. A luxury high end restaurant is not just a place where you go to feed your hunger – if you wanted to just eat and be done with it you could order a sandwich or a burger from any fast food restaurant. A luxury high end restaurant is focused on the entire dining experience, not just filling your belly. The process of being seated, nibbling on appetizers, savouring your main course, treating yourself to dessert and then sipping coffee or cocktails should be enjoyed leisurely within a beautiful and pleasing environment.
Everything from the wallpaper to the tablecloths to the music playing will contribute to the overall atmosphere of a luxury restaurant. When the guest is in this environment they will feel like they are somewhere special, which adds to the pleasure of the sensory experience. It also lets the guest know that this restaurant pays attention to the fine details, an approach that will also be carried through to the food and the service.
The Importance of a Beautiful Menu
One of the important small details that restaurant owners can pay attention to is the menu cover. After the customer walks into the restaurant and sits down, they will be given the menu so that they can choose their meal. What does the menu cover look like? Does the menu display the food options in an attractive, creative yet clear and easy to read way?
Does the branding and the design of the menu match the overall look you are trying to achieve with the design of the restaurant? Also, is the menu displayed within a high quality cover that feels substantial, well made and luxurious when the customer holds it in their hands? A high quality menu cover can really make the difference between the customer feeling like they are in a budget restaurant and feeling like they are dining out in a high class establishment.
Think Outside the Box
When you are designing your restaurant decor you don’t have to follow trends, you can be creative and go your own way. You might want to add in funky and unexpected elements to your decor, so that the experience for your guests is surprising, fun, entertaining and quirky. Look for found objects that might complement your decor, or try using art pieces by up and coming local artists or illustrators that are eye catching and interesting.
Focus on Lighting
Lighting is another important aspect of restaurant design. You want to find a balance between lighting that is flattering and atmospheric, but still bright enough for guests to be able to see the menu, each other and their food clearly. Think about having different sources of lighting, such as sconces, lamps and task lighting – or even decorative lighting such as strands of lights or lanterns.
Creating a Unified Brand
Take some time to consider your restaurant’s brand and how that aesthetic will be carried through all of the aspects of your design. For example, if your decor is luxe oriental inspired, you could be using colours such as black, red and jade and materials like stone, bamboo and silk. Your logo and the font within the advertising materials should echo the Asian aesthetic and the small details such as tablecloths, centrepieces and menu covers should tie the overall theme together.
However, don’t go too overboard. Sophisticated and luxurious menu design is always elegant and tasteful, never too matchy-matchy or heavy-handed. Less is always more. A minimalist restaurant design can be much more welcoming and relaxing and can put the focus on the food, where it should be.
Choosing the Right Colours
Some might say that a beautifully designed restaurant will actually influence the palate of the customers and make the food taste better. This may or may not be true, but there have been a lot of studies that suggest that choosing the right colours for your restaurant will influence the customer’s perception of your food. For example, the colour red has been said to stimulate appetite, whereas green will make people thirsty. Think about the colours that you choose for your restaurant, so that you can create the right type of reaction in your guests.
These are just a few tips to keep in mind when you are designing a high end luxurious restaurant, so that you can set the right tone for the dining experience of your guests.