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In Boston, a 100-year old space and a former grand dame of the city’s dining scene, was recently purchased by restaurateurs Chris Jamison and Mark Malatesta and transformed into to a lush supper club concept called Yvonne’s.
Locke-Ober was a celebrated restaurant that served the likes of John F. Kennedy and other elite New Englanders over the years, so Yvonne’s had some pretty fancy shoes to fill. That is why the owners and designers decided to buck the current trend toward sleekness and simplicity in fine dining and instead took the opulence and drama already inherent to the space up a serious notch.
While lighting often goes unnoticed by the average restaurant guest, it’s an incredibly important design element on a subconscious level, so it is important to get the lighting right.
“Light has the ability to take diners, from the moment they step off the street, from the ordinary to the extraordinary,” says Ryan Fischer, senior lighting designer at Focus Lighting in New York City and designer of Yvonne’s lighting plan. “It seems subtle and psychological, but most people underestimate the power of lighting to enhance the taste of a well-crafted drink, the flavors of an artfully prepared meal, the energy of a full dining room or the enjoyment of a good conversation. It has an impact on everything that happens in a restaurant. Ultimately, great lighting helps create memorable experiences that guests will want to share with others and relive again and again.”
Fischer explains how he created a lighting plan that achieves a sense of drama and luxury.
The “sense of history and luxury and opulence” sought by owners Jamison and Malatesta begins with downlights that accent the table and bar tops. In addition to being functional, this light reflects off of the white marble bar surface. (Fischer recommended the stone expressly for this purpose.) “Light from the ceiling bounces off of it and creates a soft glow on the face. It fills in the shadows and makes everyone feel warm and great.” The large, dramatic chandeliers are the apparent source of light for the room, but they’re more of a decorative statement that reinforces the history of the space. Careful concealment of the recessed features provides the illusion that the chandeliers are lighting the room. Fischer provides another tip: “Be sure you can dim the lights in stages to create a more intimate experience as the night goes on. It is a psychological effect that people expect, even subconsciously; a natural progression from being fairly light at happy hour and fading to extremely dim at 11:00 or midnight.
Another layer of lighting focuses on the perimeter of each room. “We light walls and vertical surfaces so that the room is welcoming,” says Fischer. “Instead of a blank, dark space, those surfaces become an object on which your eye can rest.” In this photo, five concealed layers of light work to highlight intricate details in a 140-year-old hand-carved back bar. Track accents hidden behind a dropped soffit graze the textured cabinet doors and griffin sculptures from above, while LED tapelight integrated into stemware cases and bottle risers creates hundreds of sparkle points to reflect in the pieces of glassware displayed behind the bar. Overlooking vertical surfaces is a common lighting mistake. “If you have artwork or a cool fireplace mantle, don’t miss this step. Always consider what’s in your view from every table or bar,” says Fischer.
These bar top lamps are a period-appropriate decorative element and also provide face-flattering light that bounces off the marble surface. Fischer offers another tip to restaurant operators: “Speak in terms of mood and feeling” when discussing lighting with a designer or contractor. “You don’t have to know the technical [aspects], but be able to describe how you want the guest experience to feel.” (Light and airy? Dark and dramatic?) Also, use photos of other settings—restaurants or other spaces—to communicate the atmosphere you’re going for.
Fischer incorporated lighting into the existing architecture in an unexpected way. Here, rope lights that end in a single light bulb come from the mouth of this carved lion. “We look for ways to create something special, something memorable to a specific location that gives a sense of place, sticks in your memory, and is Instagram-worthy,” says Fischer. (It is now standard practice for designers to create opportunities for social media photos when planning a restaurant.)
This wall fixture in the lounge at Yvonne’s is a modern repurposing of several vintage fixtures—curved metal chandeliers and wall sconces—salvaged from the 100-year old space before its renovation. “We re-formed it into a centerpiece in the lounge and it accomplishes multiple things: It is a layer of ambient light, and as well as a wall surface feature. It is also memorable—a hallmark of the space.” The details of the fixture are brought out by a nearly-hidden row of small black track lights placed in the ceiling beams. This photo also shows that the ceiling coffers themselves add a unique layer to the room. Each coffer features a cut-crystal light bulb in their center. “The ceiling is a grand feature that spreads throughout lounge. We wanted to hide the modern [lighting fixtures] and keep it feeling old,” says Fischer.
The library, a second lounge space where guests can order drinks and small plates, sits opposite the main lounge. It brings drama and beauty with the help of some smart lighting choices. “It was a special feature so the owners wanted to be sure [the shelves] were visible from the far end of the lounge,” says Fischer.
The glowing bookshelves in the library lounge captivate with the mystery of its seemingly invisible light source. A strip of LED tapelight lines the inner edge of each bookshelf. A one-inch gap between the wood trim facing the guests and the shelves themselves allows the tapelights to illuminate both the shelf above and the one below. Hidden in the molding of the ceiling coffers are rope lights that bounce off the brushed metal finish. “It provides a nice, warm feel when the light hits it,” explains Fischer, who adds that a common mistake restaurateurs make is choosing lights that are too “cool” in color temperature. “It was very important to this restaurant in particular to give the space that feeling of being in the '20s and ‘30s and lit by candles and gaslight.”
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