lightfair international - Illuminating Engineering Society

LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL
SEMINAR PREVIEW
MR11 lamps placed in the footrests. The
back half of the bar top is underlighted
by amber-gelled fluorescents, giving it a
warmer tone than the front half of the
bar top. This creates a nice delineating
line down the center of the glass bar top.
The light also punches through the glass
Channeling
an owner’s
feelings
about a
restaurant
into the
atmosphere
of the space
is the
first step
to success
the extraordinary mosaic and marble
ceiling; they are hidden within a custombuilt
box, hidden on the second floor
balcony.
Le Cirque 2000 is truly a successful
marriage of landmark architecture and
innovative interior design, held together
by light.
The same basic design approaches are
implemented on other projects, with
results as stunningly unique as the owners
are different.
Missouri Loves Company
Another recent successful restaurant
opened recently in Kansas City: Lidia’s,
created by Lidia Bafgianich of Felidia’s in
New York, with architecture and interior
design by David Rockwell.
In Lidia’s, the same design principles
were employed, but in quite different
ways. Here, the challenge was to create
the comfortable atmosphere of an Italian
country home inside a Kansas City
freight house. The designers and archi-
internally lit by a cluster of torpedo
lamps, and externally accented by colored
MR16 track fixtures with snoots to
reduce glare. To simplify maintenance,
all lamps are 50 W MR16 spots. Spread
lenses are used if required.
Repeating pilasters along each side
wall are accented by two PAR30 bullets
from above and two PAR20 lamps integrated
within each base. Glowing art
glass sconces on the walls are lighted
from within. The hanging wine displays
are lighted by a single framing projector,
providing a crisp image of the bottles on
the scrim-like backing of the display.
Here the dining tables are lighted softly
by PAR38 downlights suspended from
the ceiling. The 120 W lamps are
dimmed below 50 percent, providing
increased lamp life and a warm glow.
Two-circuit track mounted to the sides of
roof trusses allows for flexibility while
providing multiple locations from which
to highlight architectural features, displays,
and art.
bar top in the two colors, creating a
beautiful mixture of theatrical uplight on
the faces of the patrons. The shelves at
the back bar are frontlit from above with
small halogen sources, adding dimension
and sparkle to the bottles and glassware.
In the Madison Room, the primary
sources of ambient light are uplighting
on the ornate ceiling and backlighting on
the sandblasted glass panels at the doorways
and throughout the room. The
clean and elegant aqua light complements
the gold detail in this room, which
is in turn accented by uplighting on the
marble columns.
Table lighting is enhanced by fixtures
attached to the banquettes, arching over
the seated patrons. The windows in this
room mandated that the lighting on the
ceiling and walls be bright during the
day to keep the ambient level up and the
contrast ratio acceptable.
The Great Hall best showcases the
contrast between the historic architecture
and the colorful, contemporary interior
design. Twenty pin spots highlight
Lidia’s in Kansas City has the feel of a comfortable Italian home. The blown glass chandeliers
add a strong colorful and visual charm and are internally lighted by a cluster of torpedo lamps and
externally accented by MR16 track fixtures.
tects worked together to highlight a
series of icons that conveyed Lidia’s passion
for Italian food, wine, and culture.
The first look as the viewer enters the
space is a dramatic one—-looking down
the length of the space at internally lighted
round “cask” wine displays at the end
wall. Blown glass “grappa bottle” chandeliers
are a strong and colorful visual
element as well. The chandeliers are
Accentuating these elements while
providing general warmth throughout
the space, a welcoming environment is
created for both patron and client.
Other restaurant projects which will
be discussed at the Restaurant Lighting
seminar include the Samba Grill at the
Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas,
and Ruby Foo’s Pan-Asian Restaurant
and Nobu Next Door in New York City.
56 LD+A/April 1999