For Interior Designer Minnie Bhatt pure materials like wood, cement plaster, metal and glass are timeless and hence, always in trend
Though every restaurant has a unique look, I feel materials such as wood, cement plaster, metal and glass are versatile materials and can be used in innumerable ways to suit the design language of the space
Concept
The interior design is often based on a concept or theme. The aim can be to reflect the restaurant’s name, its location, cuisine, the local culture, a popular trend, or the owner’s vision. In fact, all these aspects need to be considered while designing a restaurant. The name of the restaurant definitely directs the style and vibe of the ambience to be created, and the design language to be used. The branding design too needs to be in sync with the interiors. The cuisine too plays a big role in determining the interiors as all these factors need to come together to create a successful restaurant brand.
Materials
As regards materials, I love the homogeneous look and feel of poured cement floors (IPS); it is earthy and yet versatile in colour. Walls I like to enhance with various kinds of textures either created in cement plaster, seporex or Plaster of Paris and sometimes even paint. This lends a lot of character to the space. I like the chairs and tables to be of different designs and finished with different soft furnishings for an eclectic look. We use a combination of warm pendant lights and spot lights for the desired lighting in a restaurant space, all of which are on dimmers to create different moods and ambiance.
Challenges
Designing a restaurant is completely different from designing a store or an office space. The biggest challenge is to make sure that the operations and service is efficient and comfortable, by way of ensuring that the aisles are easy on movement, the noises from the kitchen do not permeate into the guest area, and the distance between the kitchen and the guest area is not too much. Another challenge is to ensure uniform cooling through the air conditioning, and making sure that some tables aren’t too cold or too warm.
