When deciding on the perfect type of restaurant lighting there are two major functions owners should focus on. Lighting in a restaurant must enhance the establishment’s mood, and type of food served. The lighting must also be bright enough for customers to read their menus without straining their eyes while maintaining an attractive appeal.
The main goal of building a solid light foundation in a restaurant is creating a balance. Owners want a balanced and even amount of light flowing through their establishment to avoid harsh shadows, glares and unflattering light.
Depending on the atmosphere of the restaurant the lighting may be high or low as long as it is consistent throughout the space. Even and balanced lighting can be achieved by ceiling lamps. The ceiling is the perfect spot to create a lighting foundation. The key to an even spread of light is spacing the light sources. Owners want their lamps to be close enough to each other so the light they give off overlaps creating a layer of illumination. This establishes balance and eliminates those previously stated lighting mistakes such as, harsh shadows.
Once a light foundation is found and implemented owners and their designers may then focus on other types of light to complete their style and mood of their restaurant. Such light is referred to as focal or accented lighting.