Restaurant interior design is like a magnet that attracts customers and can be the key to revenue generation. It is one of the reasons why, despite having lip-smacking food, some restaurants struggle to recover their costs while others keep buzzing with guests. With an appealing interior design, you offer an immersive culinary experience to your guests that satisfy their taste buds, mind, and soul.
Whether you are opening your dream restaurant or revamping your existing one, restaurant interior design should be at the top of your mind. Read on to learn some of the crucial elements of restaurant interior design and some trendy restaurant interior design ideas for an unbeatable dining experience:
What are the important Elements of Restaurant Interior Design?
The best restaurant interior design includes functional furniture, balanced decorations, and modern display fridges for your restaurants. You want to ensure your customers feel comfortable and enjoy the food and ambiance.
Let’s dive deep into the most crucial restaurant design elements below:
- Color
Colors in your restaurant need to be in sync and coordinated with its theme and concept. Did you know that color alone can influence as much as 90% of the initial impression of your guests?
- For small restaurant interior design, avoid dull, tacky colors, and select colors that make your restaurant appear spacious and bright.
- Red color, associated with aggression and passion, invokes urgency and stimulates appetite.
- Similarly, while vibrant colors are perfect for bars, use softer hues and warm pestles for family restaurants.
When changing a restaurant’s wall paint, consider brand alignment, desired ambiance, and lighting conditions. Choose colors based on the restaurant’s size and layout, with an eye for durability and maintenance. Complement existing elements and be mindful of cultural preferences and local regulations. Test paint samples and seek feedback from employees and customers for a cohesive and inviting dining experience.
- Lighting
Lighting in your restaurant can be another deal breaker or maker for your guests. When lighting your restaurant, you have multiple options – from classy chandeliers to funky scones to elegant pendants.
- A combination of natural and artificial lighting induces a soothing effect on diners.
- Go for adjustable lights to set the mood perfectly at specific times of the day. For example, a faintly lit table lamp in a semi-dark room sets the tone for an intimate dining theme at night.
- Thoughtfully selected lighting not only defines the ambiance but also prepares the background for clicking stunning photos that boost your brand’s image on social media.
Install dimmer switches to adjust lighting intensity to create different moods for occasions like romantic dinners or lively gatherings. Use accent lighting to highlight artwork, bar counters, or architectural features. This draws attention to focal points and adds visual interest.
Opt for energy-efficient lighting solutions, such as light-emitting diode or LED bulbs, to reduce operating costs and minimize environmental impact. LEDs also provide a wide range of color temperatures and are long-lasting. Warmer tones (e.g., 2700K) can create a cozy atmosphere, while cooler tones (e.g., 4000K) may convey a more modern and vibrant feel.
- Perfumes or Scents
Aroma or smell is a simple restaurant interior design idea and can be a game changer for any restaurant. Did you know that we are around 100 times more likely to remember a product we can smell than products we see, touch, or hear?
- Similar to colors, you can use scents to invoke different emotions in your guests.
- Lavender and Vanilla are perfect for fine dining restaurants as they relax the mind and reduce stress.
- Similarly, citrus and peppermint are fresh scents, ideal for corporate cafeterias.
Apart from these perfumes, consider using the aroma of freshly cooked food that stimulates your diners’ appetite. For example, freshly baked bread has a comforting, homely feeling on your guests. However, avoid using barbecue scent as it makes the space appear small and can kill your guests’ appetite.
- Music
Music can be one of the most effective restaurant interior ideas to enhance your guests dining experience. After all, music creates an engaging atmosphere and encourages your guests to stay longer. Therefore, it is no surprise that a recent study found that music can increase restaurant sales by as much as 9%.
- However, selecting proper music is more complex than it might seem at the onset. There are several things to consider – from clientele to your restaurant type, from genre to volume.
- The music you select must be in line with your restaurant’s format. For example, while soft instrumental music works best for fine-dining restaurants, upbeat and loud music with vocals is ideal for bars/pubs.
- Similarly, balancing volume can be a tricky thing to master. Keep the volume too soft, and your guests might feel distracted by other diners. On the contrary, your guest might perceive loud music as noisy. Most restaurants keep the music volume around 70 dB, which is soothing to hear and encourages conversation.
Align the music with your brand identity. For example, a high-end fine dining establishment might opt for classical or jazz music, while a trendy, casual spot might lean towards indie or pop tunes.
- Modern Restaurant Furniture
Before your guests can taste the food or experience the service in your restaurant, furniture creates a crucial first impression. Visit this website to order modern restaurant furniture to create a neat yet appealing setup.
Like other design elements, you must select the seat type according to your restaurant type and clientele. For example, while fast-food joints have comfortable seats, they are light and not ideal for sitting for a longer duration. On the other hand, fine-dine restaurants and cafes intentionally offer comfortable, cushiony seats to entice customers to sit longer and order more.
In addition to standard restaurant chairs, most modern restaurant interior designs offer multiple seating options like sofas, recliners, barstools, etc., for a vibrant look. Similarly, if yours is a family restaurant, keep tables of different sizes to accommodate groups of varying sizes.
- Layout
Setting a restaurant layout that mismatches its concept is the biggest blunder you can make. Before you can order your furniture and design the interiors, its layout forms the foundation for building your restaurant.
Your restaurant’s layout must be well conceptualized to make the most of the available space. At the same time, it should allow a seamless flow of food items and services in your restaurant. After all, what’s the point of having a beautiful restaurant if your staff can’t serve your guests properly or your guests aren’t comfortable?
A proper layout helps you envisage how things will be in your restaurant. It helps you allot spaces for the kitchen, restroom, utilities, reception, etc., and decide your seating capacity.
While working out the seating capacity for your restaurant, ensure you leave sufficient space for each guest. As a rule of thumb, spacing requirements vary from 10 square feet per person for fast-food restaurants to 20 square feet per person for fine-dine restaurants.
Summing it Up:
Restaurant interior design is about understanding what your guests expect from your restaurant and how you implement them. As you might have noticed by now, a stunning interior design tickles all your guests’ senses to result in a memorable dining experience.
This article discusses some critical elements for designing your restaurant’s interiors. Hopefully, by taking notes from these practical restaurant interior design ideas, you will be able to create stunning interiors that wow your guests, builds a brand image, and keeps you ahead of your competitors.
