Designing a restaurant – things to consider

We are delighted to be working on a new project.  An old pub saved from demolition by a young, up and coming chef, Henry Kremer-Ireson, much to the delight of the locals.  The dining venue will open this summer as a destination restaurant with a choice of dining areas on the ground floor and a chefs table upstairs.

Unlike residential projects, restaurants and all commercial projects require a different approach. The regulations are different for commercial projects to residential, for instance; fire and building regulations.

Did you know that not all fabrics are equal?  Residential fabrics for upholstery must be fire retardant to British standard, funnily enough not so for curtains, cushions and bedspreads, however, in a commercial environment all upholstered furniture and fabric have to be CRIB 5 – which is an elevated safety measure.  It’s a good idea to choose fabrics that are stain resistant, scrubbable and hard wearing in a restaurant environment.  We have several suppliers who supply commercial grade fabrics and whose collections offer every pattern, colour, texture and style you can think of!  It is great fun but time-consuming sourcing just the right one to complement the designs colour palette…we always find the perfect match!

Another thing to be aware of is potential noise problems, the problem with amny modern restaurants is that as the restaurant fills up the conversation levels increase to cover the noise from neighbouring tables, put that together with the noise from the bar and kitchen and it becomes an uncomfortable environment especially for those with hearing impairment.  No one wants to hear the clatter of crockery and other guests’ conversations whilst they try to enjoy a sumptuous meal. To avoid this, we are looking at various options to soften the noise with special acoustic wall coverings, which can be decorative, tactile as well as absorbing sound.  Restaurant tables can have an acoustic backing which keeps the dining environment serene.  We opt for upholstered dining chairs which again soften any sounds along with wooden legs which will soften the sounds rather than metal legs.

Lighting is key in any design, however, particularly important in a restaurant, we all like an atmospheric environment whilst dining but it must be practical too, who wants to get their mobile out to read the menu!  We are going with a layered lighting plan to include over table pendants, wall lights and portable table lamps for evening guests.  Luckily there is an abundance of natural light, with numerous windows so lunchtimes will be a bright affair.

Koubou Interiors like to think outside the box when it comes to design.  For example, for this project we are using a myriad of tactile surfaces for the upholstered furniture, window treatments and hard surfaces and have taken the character of the building and its surroundings as our inspiration.

Check out our Instagram page for a progress report!