Let's talk about fabrics for restaurants
In this social media age, the appearance of a restaurant can be just as important, if not more important, than the food and drink on offer. It's about creating an experience and transporting patrons from everyday life into a world where they can focus their senses to elicit feelings of relaxation and comfort.
When it comes to choosing fabrics for restaurants, they should be durable for the high traffic demand of the environment but also be easy to clean. As restaurants must meet health and safety codes, using products that can deliver a top-quality look with stain-free technology is an investment that pays off.
From an aesthetic perspective, there are two key considerations: colour and texture. Let's explore these design elements and discover how a performance fabric can offer what you need for your restaurant decor.
Colour in restaurants
The use of colour in your bar or restaurant can have a powerful effect on how diners perceive a space. Because of this, the way you incorporate colourful fabrics into your interior design could make all the difference to your guests’ opinion of your establishment. Colour psychology tells us that different hues can directly affect our behaviour, so it’s crucial to give careful consideration to the use of colour in your hospitality space.
Red is an exciting, stimulating colour which has been shown to increase guests’ heart rates and boost their appetites. Red can also encourage people to eat more quickly, which is perfect for establishments requiring rapid turnarounds, such as fast-food restaurants. However, red is also associated with danger, so it’s a colour to use in moderation if you don’t want to startle or overwhelm your customers.
More calming palettes for hospitality spaces tend to include earthy greens and browns. These colours reflect the natural world and, as a result, make us feel grounded and safe. These restful hues inspired by nature are the perfect choice for contemporary restaurants and bars where we want to encourage clientele to stay awhile and make themselves at home.
Blue, on the other hand, should be avoided in hospitality spaces as it can feel cold and unwelcoming. And, because there are so few naturally-occurring blue foods, blue is the colour most likely to suppress the appetite. A real no-no for hospitality environments! The only exception to this rule is coastal bars and restaurants. Incorporating blue in these interior schemes can work because the colour reflects the surrounding sea and sky.
Texture in restaurants
Texture can totally change the look and feel of a space, transforming it from something dull and lifeless into an environment imbued with character and personality.
By carefully selecting textures appropriate to your desired ambience, you can build a welcoming and engaging space that will speak directly to the needs of your ideal customer. For a rustic vibe, for example, you might choose to use exposed brickwork.
“Concrete and steel work well for an industrial look, and grained words paired with textured fabrics help create a more earthy, holistic feel.”
The additional benefit of introducing fabric into your hospitality interior is its ability to improve acoustics. Softer surfaces such as carpet and fabric absorb sound and reduce reverberation making it easier for your diners to hear one another without raising their voices.
Creating a feast for the senses
Two of the strongest weapons in an interior designer’s armoury are colour and texture. So, when these two elements are combined with skill and artistry, the results can be seriously impressive. The biggest pitfall with this approach, however, can be the tendency to go overboard and bring together too many different colours and textures. Too much and you will overwhelm your guests. Too little and they will be unimpressed and unlikely to return. It’s a tricky balance to get right.
The key here lies in creating layers of contrasting but complementary colours and textures to achieve the best possible aesthetic experience. Pairing a bold, magenta wall, for example, with textured beige linen upholstery works well, as does a richly coloured velvet combined with pale maple.
Choose the right fabrics
So, we know texture and colour can have a major impact on the look and feel of a space, but what about function? Well, durable fabrics such as those from FibreGuard bring major functional benefits to hospitality settings.
Thanks to their embedded stain-free technology, FibreGuard fabrics are easy to clean using just water, even with such notorious stains as coffee and wine. The FibreGuard stain-resistant effect is permanent which means our fabrics continue to look as good as new, wash after wash.
FibreGuard Pro fabrics, which have been specifically developed for commercial environments, are even more perfect for bars and restaurants because their embedded moisture barrier prevents liquid from passing through the fabric.
Designed to perform in demanding environments, FibreGuard fabrics are colourfast. They won’t fade, even after prolonged exposure to sunlight. Despite their impressive durability, FibreGuard fabrics are luxuriously soft to the touch, making them the perfect choice to bring warmth and texture into your hospitality space.
