Restaurant Design Which Reflects Its Cuisine

Victoria Lim|Feb. 26, 2018 7:30 am EST

Everyone starts a restaurant with a vision. You envision the concept, you can see the type of people your guests are, you have an idea of the menu, but incorporating that into a greater picture, the décor, which will represent the face of your restaurant is the true challenge. Restaurant owners opt for certain cuisine because they feel connected to it in a way, but they need to make that connection transparent and let the guests feel it as well.

Choose the right colors based on tradition

Each of the cuisines you could potentially select for your restaurant bears a tradition of the country it originally comes from. You can choose colors associated with the origins and combine them to match the color psychology. For example, looking at the most common types of "ethnic" restaurants, Chinese have a tradition of decorating with red for happiness and black for power. Alternatively, you can dig deeper and find a more vivid Chinese spring color scheme of blue, green and orange and cross-reference it with the color psychology for a calming effect of pleasantness and content. And if you are looking into a modern design for your restaurant you are lucky. The traditional pallet of white, silver and gold goes really well with the modern industrial design of heavy wood and metal.

Choose the right theme

Each region has its own cuisine. Looking at any country in the world, you could pretty much say that they do not cook in the North, the same way they do in the South. Of course, most countries come with more than two regions and thus more than two themes for your restaurant. Choose the recognizable features such as, again, particular color schemes, building materials, décor and wall art depicting the region.

Choose the color scheme based on the ingredients

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Apart from the geography, you can also look in the kitchen and spice racks for the right palette. For example, Indian cuisine is marked by its spices, so use earthy hues of yellow, orange, red, green, beige, and even purple, all found on the spice rack, to paint the restaurant. If you look at most Italian restaurants, the colors they use resemble capriccioso more than they do Italy.

Be subtle

If you want to make a restaurant which will not fully be consumed by its ethnicity, you can opt for a more subdued approach. This perfectly matches the needs of a modern, high-end restaurant. Choose whichever styles and color suit your taste the most. Combine, geometry and glossy surfaces but incorporate elements which could be recognized by the more knowledgeable audience. Step away from tradition and think about what it is that determines the modern country the cuisine is coming from. Use work of contemporary artists from the country to decorate your space. Add scents which could remind your guests of the region. Use modern architectural elements typical for the country your food has originated from.

Attention to detail

Make everything in the restaurant meaningful. Each detail you use in the restaurant should have a story behind it and the reason why it is where it is. For example, almost every Chinese restaurant has feng shui elements incorporated and you know that each one of them has exactly what we were talking about, the meaning behind it and the reason why it is in a specific position. Put a cornicello as protection somewhere in your Italian restaurant. Incorporate Celtic carvings in your chairs and other wooden elements in your Irish restaurant.

But also the big picture

Wondering when is the proper time to do a full on face lift? Well the trick is to always be prepared and never actually wait long enough for your place to get to that point where it looks like it desperately needs it. As this is a huge job always look for good remedial builders who are ready to help you in this important job.

The uniforms

Well, the same way your staff is your most valuable asset, their uniforms they wear are a very important part of your décor. They have to perfectly match the image you had in mind for your restaurant. If you want to maintain the sense of style and step away from the prejudice tied to many ethnic restaurants which are not French, as the sense of style is in fact prejudice against the French, you will have to opt for something simple. Choose a classic uniform with some of the traditional elements incorporated, or matching your color scheme.

The waiting area

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The entrance to the restaurant, as well as the waiting area, should be very inviting. Having worked on quite a few restaurants, purpose of the waiting area is to get the guests very excited about the rest of the restaurant. Include a comfortable sitting area. Perhaps, you could even offer them with traditional appetizers and refreshments. It could also feature paintings, carvings, and boards with writings providing more insight into the regional tradition.

Your restaurant should essentially depict your taste and the taste of the interior designer you have trusted with the task. However, knowing where to look and what to pay attention to will help you provide directions which will build your brand and support the tradition, the cuisine, and the lifestyle you are trying to depict.