August 16
As important as the food and the service are, restaurant owners also have to create the kind of ambient space to really make their customers feel welcome and to present the kind of image they want to portray. This is not such an easy task.
Developing any kind of restaurant decoration, speaks volumes to the customer about what you value, what you are about, and what style you want perceived whether you are an Artisan Parisian Restaurant or an Authentic Italian Pizzeria. It can all be broken down into smaller, more palatable checklists that you can follow on the project's journey. In this article, we will show you how you can develop some cool restaurant interior ideas of your own and how to decorate a restaurant with the end results in mind.
No 1. Consider Your Brand
What is your brand? What sets you apart from other similar restaurants? What is the overall theme or style you want to convey? What do you want your customers to see, feel, and think when they walk through your doors? Simply put, you may need to decide exactly what kind of space you want to make. Will your restaurant be formal? Will it be cozy? Do you want a warm fireplace in the middle of the room? Are you inspired by the history of the building? Are you acquainted with local cuisine and would like to decorate your restaurant with local artifacts?
From the uniform of the waiting staff to the eating space, to the food you serve up, can you visualize the overall impression that it gives to people? Some of the best decoration ideas can come from the odd look in an interior design magazine, a quick search on Google, or even from competitors' restaurants. Your brand can be formed from the utilization of all your ideas. Even asking family, friends, and employees can give you extra inspiration. After all, the more brainstorming you can do at the beginning of your project, the better the results.
No 2. Choosing Your Color Scheme
Right. This may appear easy and you may already have a favorite color in mind, but many psychologists state that colors impact our brains. Different colors infuse different emotions and whether you want your customers to feel uplifted, want them to feel relaxed, or want them to feel invigorated, the choice of color you make will eventually create the environment or at least be quite a deciding factor in the whole impression of the restaurant. For example, Brown is associated with Ruggedness, Blue denotes Trust, Orange is referenced as Joy and Green means Energy. If you think about famous brands you can see they replicate their color scheme from their logos right down to the colors on uniforms and on the walls. This is no accident. Following a pattern of using the same colors throughout leaves a lasting impression on your customers and your brand.
No 3. Choosing Your Lighting
Lighting is particularly important. Probably because most people, especially your customers, want to feel relaxed enough to enjoy and eat your cuisine. Harsh lighting displays people’s complexions and the imperfections their skin may have. In a restaurant setting this is a No-No. No one, especially a customer and their families and friends, would like their skin so horridly on show. It can make people feel uncomfortable. Lower, more seductive lighting is far more friendlier and can help people feel more relaxed, feel beautiful, and more importantly look pretty hot as well. So it’s perfect for all types of customers especially those romantic couples dining in. There is also a difference between cold lighting and warm lighting. The bulb system itself will declare whether it is a warm complexion or not. Obviously, warm lighting is more pleasing to the eye and looks great from the outside looking in. Many diners of a restaurant can be people who walked by and saw the inviting lighting which piqued their interest. Walk-ins are quite evident with a superb lighting system creating a great atmosphere.
No 4. Choosing Your Furniture
Furniture although essential is a HUGE part of a well-decorated restaurant. The furniture you choose will highly affect whether your customer experiences a great time or a not-so-good one. Are your breath taken by bespoke wooden furniture? Do you get excited by white distressed furniture? Do you drool at natural, reclaimed wooden furniture? Just with your lighting, the color of your restaurant, and the ambiance you want to convey, your choice of furniture will leave a very intensive impression on your customer and you will want to get this right. Every restaurant will need to identify with its brand and its look and find furniture to accommodate its theme. However, looks are not the only thing to consider. The furniture needs to be robust enough to be used multiple times and sometimes by heavier customers. Flimsy furniture will not last long so investing in some commercially made seating will benefit your restaurant in the long term.
No 5. Using Artifacts to Glue the Look Together
Some of the best restaurants around the world like to use either authentic artifacts or invest in cultural artifacts to help create that first impression. It is a more flamboyant decoration idea but once the look has been created it does give such a nice effect. Some artifacts are quite affordable too and are usually a small way a restaurant can make a distinguishment and create a unique selling point. Sometimes, artifacts are necessary for themed restaurants and are expected by the customer.
Conclusion
There are many ways to help decorate a restaurant and how to create the look you want. We have listed the main points to consider and we would say it is all about your brand. Once you have a clear understanding of your brand, the rest will follow. The creation process is the best when updating a restaurant's decoration.
