Renovating or starting a new restaurant in Greenwich or the surrounding area invariably requires planning to get the décor and, therefore, the atmosphere just right.
While the back-of-the-house and kitchen areas are usually only seen by staff and simply need to be functional, the dining area needs to be visually appealing, even enticing to customers.
One key consideration is the colour scheme for a restaurant, which needs careful thought before calling up your local commercial painter and decorator.
Understand the psychology behind restaurant colours
Researchers have investigated the impact of colour on eating behaviours and what colours used in tableware and food make us crave it.
Humans’ relationship between colour and food consumption is complicated, and while the research looked at food and plate colour rather than wall colour, the theory can be applied across décor.
- Large amounts of blue are thought to suppress appetite and be calming
- Red, yellow and orange are related to craving more food
- Green is suggestive of health
- White can make the food seem more bland than it is
Stay on brand
For an already established brand, the colour choices are far more obvious. Choosing paintwork palettes that are in keeping with your brand logo and style guide will ensure that customers get a consistent brand experience from the menu to the skirting boards.
Matching the colour to the type of restaurant
The colour scheme can add to the feeling a customer gets when entering a dining area. Unspoken expectations of the type of establishment can be expressed in the colour of the walls and furnishings.
For example, a Mexican restaurant might be expected to have bright colours and patterns that reflect the landscape of the food’s origins. However, a Scandinavian-inspired coffee shop might go for more hygge colour palettes of soft creams, apricot and green.
It is not just limited to cuisine type, though, fast food restaurants might go for functional neutrals with bold highlights of sunshine yellow, scarlets and lime greens.
A more upscale eatery could opt for a combination of monochromatic greys or whites, or rich emeralds and burgundy paired with dark woods that exude luxury.
Think about the light levels
It is common for fine dining restaurants to be darker coloured and more dimly-lit than their cheaper counterparts. It’s thought that the lower-level lighting gives a more luxurious and intimate feel for the patrons.
One of the thoughts behind this is that it focuses attention on the food and the company you’re with, rather than the surrounding room.
Low lighting and dark paintwork have the bonus of hiding any flaws and damage to fixtures and fittings, too.
However, some customers find these spaces too dark to even read the menu.
When thinking about paint colours, consider the levels of natural and artificial light needed in the dining area. Light colours can reflect sunlight and spotlights better, making the space feel more open and spacious, clean and uncluttered.
Matching the fittings
When repainting, you might not want to or need to replace some of the key fittings and furnishings. To save time and expense, you could match their colours with the paintwork.
Colours for floors, furnishings, fittings and walls need to complement each other to make a seamless whole and a great ambience for the customer enjoying their food.