The primary objective of the lighting design for this iconic restaurant relocation was to create a high-end dining experience for patrons where everyone “looks and feels beautiful.” The bar and tunnel are more dramatic, with darker finishes, and minimal small-scale accent lights that emphasize the moody ambiance. The central sunken bar is highlighted with table lamps and a linear grazer under the counter-top, visually anchoring the center of the room. Linear grazers recessed into the floor highlight hand-blown glass beads along the perimeter, adding sparkle reminiscent of the original, Landmarked restaurant space. The tunnel acts as a palate cleanser between the contrasting bar and dining room atmospheres, leading patrons from dim to brighter light with randomly spaced miniature LED point lights highlighting the wrapping bronze interior. A custom installation of intersecting bronze tubes provided soft, indirect light in the Dining Room, capable of light levels ranging from 1 to 20 foot-candles for the lunch to dinner transition.

Collaboration between the architectural lighting designer and custom fixture fabricator ensures the aesthetic, color temperature, output, and dimming range is appropriate for the application. Custom table lamps provide flattering front lighting at an intimate scale. The windows in the dining room are encased with gold-threaded mesh panels, with LED grazers integrated into their bottom support frames. Grazing the mesh from the outside provides privacy screening for the restaurant at night. The lighting of the entire restaurant is seamlessly integrated into architectural details whenever possible, leaving only the decorative fixtures visible. As a prime example, the restrooms are entirely clad in stone, with coves and custom sconces providing soft front lighting at the vanities.

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