A poorly designed restaurant can ruin your appetite.
That’s why restaurant owners should pay special attention to these tips from Dale Atkinson, founder of the London-based interior architecture studio. Rosendale Designwho has been commissioned to work on three new restaurants for Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton.
Here Dale reveals common mistakes in restaurant design, the key signs that you’re in a well-thought-out restaurant, and why owners should pay special attention to the look of their bathrooms.
What are the common mistakes you see in restaurant design?
Dale told MailOnline Travel: ‘The first mistake I always see in poorly designed restaurants is lighting.
Dale Atkinson, founder of interior architecture firm Rosendale Design, has revealed his top tips for a well-designed restaurant (file image)
‘Sometimes there are too many downlights and the result is a “flatly lit” room. Well-lit rooms tend to be warm and inviting, and lighting is achieved through layering.
‘One particularly annoying thing is when you have good ambient lighting that is destroyed when a cold open light flickers into the room every time the toilet comes and goes.
‘Another aspect of a poorly designed dining space is when the tables are crowded and there is no space and you are basically sitting with the table next to you.
‘You can hear other people’s conversations, which is unpleasant.
‘Finally, it is when the furniture is uncomfortable and has poor ergonomics. This is most often seen in banquette seating, where there is nothing worse than a lightly padded seat and a completely upright backrest. ‘
What are the key characteristics of a well-thought-out restaurant?
Dale cites Rue Du Liban in Mumbai, above, as a restaurant with excellent lighting.
Dale told MailOnline: ‘A well-lit room can take a restaurant far. A layered lighting installation with descriptions of key features can help ground a design, such as on Rue Du Liban, Mumbai (pictured).
‘Obviously lighting alone cannot do everything, but it is one of the most important aspects of any room.
‘Consider this: you are in a white room and you have a series of fluorescent lights on the ceiling. This room would be flatly illuminated and very bright.
Dale reveals that he is proud of the bathrooms he designed at Mallow (above) in London’s Canary Wharf.
‘However, if you take the same room and simply place a candle in the middle, suddenly this room becomes dark and very romantic.
‘Acoustics are also important; If you walk into a room and can’t hear your own conversation, this can ruin your evening.
‘Lots of soft furnishings and details can help quell the echo and help produce a lovely atmosphere whilst providing a comfortable space.
It also helps to keep some spaces out of sight.
Dale explained: ‘A key aspect of a well-designed restaurant is when not all areas are shown immediately and designers create a journey where the space opens up. This helps the restaurant so that when diners return, they don’t always have the same experience as they might be seated in a different area.
‘One aspect of the journey that one always experiences in a restaurant is the bathrooms, but surprisingly, they are often overlooked or undervalued. But they are one of the most important spaces in a restaurant.
‘When you’re in a well-designed restaurant, you know the bathrooms are just as impressive as the main dining room.
‘One of my favorite bathrooms I designed was in Mallow (pictured) in London’s Canary Wharf. We use color to bring them to life.’
How important is the entrance and what can a restaurant do to make it welcoming?
Entry is “an important part of the customer journey,” says Dale. Above: His design for the entrance to KingsSocial at Badrutts Palace in St Moritz. The designer said: “This was an Instagrammable feature and it was very popular.”
Dale said: “I once had a conversation with a Michelin inspector and they made a very interesting comment that has stuck with me ever since: ‘A consumer’s first bite is always taken with their eyes.’
‘Much like the old saying: “You never get a second chance for a first impression.” So, entry is really one of the most important parts of a customer journey. If you’re not able to capture their imagination or interest right now, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle from here on out.’
Dale urges restaurant owners to think about installing a feature at the entrance, something that guests would photograph and post on social media.
He continued: ‘A great example of an entrance feature that really captures people’s interest is the light tunnel we created for KingsSocial, at the historic Badrutts Palace in St Moritz. Here, upon entering, the first experience of the space is a long staircase that leads to the main room. To make this trip memorable, we introduced color-changing LED arches leading down the stairs. This was a feature that could be installed on Instagram and was very popular. It is frequently talked about and mentioned on various social networks.’
How could a restaurant improve its design on a limited budget?
Dale said: ‘A good rule of thumb for where to spend money on any project is the main touchpoints. This means where consumers are most likely to interact the most. For example, each customer will touch and interact with the dining room table.
Designer Dale Atkinson
Dale said, “One of the best things you can do when redesigning a restaurant on a budget is to try to use as much of what exists, but change it superficially.” This could involve preserving some existing wood paneling or flooring, sanding it, and re-staining it. It could be to keep some flat leaf doors and simply apply some moldings to give them some visual interest.’
When it comes to design, where should the owner put his money?
Dale said: ‘A good rule of thumb for where to spend money on any project is the main touchpoints.
‘This means where consumers are most likely to interact the most. For example, every customer will touch and interact with the dining room table, so if you install a cheap melamine table with plywood substrate and you can see the layers of plywood on the edge of the table, customers will know and see which is cheap.’
Are there any design elements you see in restaurants that readers can incorporate into their homes?
You know you’re in a well-designed restaurant when the bathrooms are as impressive as the main dining room.
Dale revealed: “I think there are many crossovers that can work in both residences and restaurants. In one of our residential projects we used curved seating in the kitchen to create soft seating where the family could lie down and relax, as they saw the kitchen as the center where the whole family would gather most of the time.
‘Again, lighting can play an important role and many of the lighting details we use in restaurants can be used in the home to create elements in the dining room or kitchen. Of course, it could simply be a pendant over a dining table. This is as important in restaurant design as it is in our residential projects.
‘Finally, a design aspect we frequently take from restaurant design and use in residential design is turning a glassware storage item or liquor cabinet into a feature item, and even a wine cellar can be a feature. excellent and a topic of conversation in any home when a meeting is held. guests.’
For more information about Rosendale Design, visit www.instagram.com/rosendaledesign.