A light touch to African and Greek spaces
A light touch to African and Greek spaces
September 2022,
We have been privileged to be associated with a range of prestigious restaurants in the Middle East for their lighting and controls requirements. It goes without saying that lighting plays an important role in attracting and retaining the right clientele. Even within a restaurant, lighting has to be flexible to adjust to different times of the day as well as to the occasion.
Each project related to restaurant lighting is unique and our expertise is in delivering the appropriate solution that helps to realize the vision of the lighting designer/owner. Eat Greek and Tribes are two such restaurants that had contrasting requirements. Eat Greek has a brighter space as reflected in the interior design while Tribes has a more subdued and contrasting setting. Our vast experience in this sector enabled us to successfully implement vastly different lighting solutions for these two restaurants.
A light touch to African and Greek spaces
Client: Foodfund International
Contractor: Arco Group
Lighting Designer: Tristan du Plessis
Eat Greek Kouzina’s monochromatic colour scheme and warm ambient lighting teamed with its airy and spacious interior done up in linen drapery, warm wood and textured accents lend it a tranquil setting that in an instant transport you to a breezy Greek seaside.
Newly opened at the Dubai Hills Mall, this is the fourth restaurant of the chain developed by Greek-South African restaurateurs Foodfund International. Eat Greek Kouzina is already popular across the UAE and exists in prime locations such as The Galleria, The Beach at JBR and Mall of the Emirates.
Tribes restaurant, by the same owner, presents itself as a fun, casual dining restaurant located in the Mall of the Emirates and now at Dubai Hills Mall next to Eat Greek. The menu at Tribes draws its inspiration from the wide and amazing food and flavours of Africa, where there are numerous tribes, speaking different languages, with very different foods influenced by the Spice Islands of the East, the French in the West, the Malay & Dutch in the South and the Arabic flavours of the North.
Professional Touch
While Dubai based ARCO Group oversaw the fit-outs, Creation coordinated and supplied the architectural light fixtures and control systems for both restaurants. Considering the brand value of the project, the client sought a professional lighting team to be on board to bring their visionary project to reality. They entrusted the supply and commissioning of lighting and controls for both restaurants (including the main area, kitchen and some external sitting spaces) to Creation, enabling better coordination and execution of the project.
In both restaurants, lighting is discreet but paradoxically is at the forefront of design given its role in creating a soothing ambience. Throughout the spaces, highly efficient downlights / adjustable spotlights by Lamp83 are employed to deliver a warm and tranquil feel in both restaurants.
Reliable, Robust and Flexible Controls
Given the scope to supply, test and commission both lighting and controls, for Creation a crucial aspect of the project was to ensure compatibility between the two. Lutron was Emaar Mall Management’s preferred choice for controls. The brand with its rich history and reputation is renowned for reliability.
Focus on design elements
Accent lighting used alone or in addition to ambient lighting is often used to illuminate a specific object or work surface. It is visually appealing, attractive and versatile. Staircases, false ceilings, cove lighting, architectural elements, lettering, displays, staircases, walls, framed pictures, murals, paintings, signs, bottle racks, cornices and much more, can all serve as design elements that deserve careful lighting. Their potential should be explored.
