Studio Illumine designed the lighting atmosphere for a Mediterranean-inspired gastronomy quarter, which is made up of three F&B outlets with distinctive concepts – Bonica, a fine-casual dining restaurant; La Mezcalería, a Mexican specialty bar and La Barra, a tropical cocktail lounge bar.
At Bonica, a courtyard restaurant, lighting is designed to accentuate the richness of materials made up of walnut wood and rustic concrete flooring, carefully highlighting the copper and stone details where they are elegantly curated. As dusk falls, night lighting creates a cozy dining environment through indirect lighting- light fixtures are custom-made and integrated into the furniture. The Mediterranean plants, one of the main design features, are lit up to accentuate their texture.
At La Mezcalería, the design takes cues from Mexican handcraft construction methods. Lighting is manipulated to create strong contrasts and shadows to create a sense of drama. Spotlights are fitted with different beam angles and dimmed. Diners’ attention are directed to a series of alcoves and light niches, leading them to the grand reveal of the grand-arched bar. In the private room, the drama of the wall of masks is further emphasized by casting strong shadows on the masks through narrow beam spotlights.
La Barra is a tropical bar inspired by the Mediterranean open-air dining culture. The lighting is designed to create a lounge atmosphere, surface-mounted downlights are precisely located to lit highlight features and areas. Color changing light fixtures are used to set the mood of a tropical night lounge in the evening.
Location of the Project: Shanghai
Completion Date: July 2021
Design Team: Carlos G Galán, Tang Tang, Eric Zhang
Interior Design: Ortiz León Architects
Photography: Wang Zilu