5 Design Lessons from Restaurants
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst, and a stay-at-home mom.
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst,... More »
The other night, while out to dinner, I spent some time looking very carefully around the restaurant. It was a small chain and had obviously been carefully designed to evoke a certain feeling and to make the most of diner experiences (also, I'm guessing, to make the most MONEY off diner experiences).
It got me thinking about the careful planning that goes into restaurant design, especially in larger (or more heavily financially backed) places, and which lessons from restaurant design are also applicable to homes.
Regular people don't need to make room for dessert carts or worry about quick table turnover, but we are better off if we design spaces that absorb noise and, well, look pretty. So here are five design tips that we can take from restaurants and apply to our own spaces:
It got me thinking about the careful planning that goes into restaurant design, especially in larger (or more heavily financially backed) places, and which lessons from restaurant design are also applicable to homes.
Regular people don't need to make room for dessert carts or worry about quick table turnover, but we are better off if we design spaces that absorb noise and, well, look pretty. So here are five design tips that we can take from restaurants and apply to our own spaces:
1. High ceilings create a feeling of spaciousness. Even in smaller spaces, high ceilings make a room feel better, airier and less crowded.
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Plus, ceilings that draw the eye up open up people's perception of a space, as they're looking up and down in addition to at eye level.
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| 2. Noise control is key. One of the risks of high ceilings, though, is that rooms get noisy - but carefully placed fabric, like in the form of throw pillows, can absorb a lot of that noise. Private Comment
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Fabric-covered furniture, rugs and tablecloths are also good noise cushions.
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Fabric on the walls works nicely, too.
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3. Big windows are best. Restaurants with big windows are fabulous in the daytime, when natural light floods the food...
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and great at night when a sparkly evening view is as pleasant as the best art.
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4. Create spaces that allow for a feeling of both privacy and activity. One of the great things about a restaurant meal is the ability to have a private experience with just those you came with, but in a public space.
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Homes with carefully arranged open floor plans acheive the same goal with partial walls and open spaces between rooms.
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5. Upscale casual is hot. The restaurant we went to the other night specifically called itself "upscale casual" - which sounds like an oxymoron, but it's actually a good description of what many Americans look for in their spaces - comfortable rooms that still look really nice.
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Achieving this is all about paying attention to detail. Individual pieces should be comfortable, but also very pretty, and carefully arranged to minimize sloppiness.
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Comments
Celeste says:
Very nice. We're building a small cottage and went with open rafters in the first floor ceiling and a large opening/overlook between the second and first floor living room and it really does seem to make the small amount of space seem larger. You also mentioned noise and I don't know if it's the open rafters working like baffles or the pine planks we used on the walls are absorbing noise but we've noticed it's a lot quiter than our other houses that had tall ceilings and wood floors. You're right, the added height seems to usually makes them noisy.
2 years ago ·
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Kit Pollard says:
I wonder if that happens in the second photo, too - if those rafters act as a buffer.
Your cottage sounds wonderful!
Your cottage sounds wonderful!
2 years ago ·
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zealart says:
I think 1 and 3 are great if you are looking to buy a place, or are building one. There is not much people can do about having a condo and it doesn't have high ceilings or you can't really change the windows.
The other ideas are good. I'd also like to add lighting. It's a big key in setting moods especiallly in restaurants.
The other ideas are good. I'd also like to add lighting. It's a big key in setting moods especiallly in restaurants.
2 years ago ·
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Sharon Schieffer Baird says:
I love the chairs in #4. They are industrial yet comfortable because of the cushions. I know I've seen them but can't think of the source. Anyone know? Great ideabook. Thanks.
2 years ago ·
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Sharon Schieffer Baird says:
Sorry - Need to clarify - it is the chairs in the room by Nicole Hollis. Perhaps that is #5, not #4 - hard for me to tell.
2 years ago ·
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