Vintage items for Restaurants Posted on 9 Jun 00:00

In keeping with the theme of my first post, I have chosen my top 5 vintage styles for restaurants.  I love eating out – yes the food is great but a beautifully styled restaurant can go a long way too. What I look for most is a welcoming warmth as soon as I walk through the front door that you can only get with that vintage vibe. The feel of an old fashioned restaurant with its dim lighting, soft music playing and candles lit up around the room brings an authentic touch that you wouldn’t get from any fast food place.

 

  1. BIG VINTAGE RUSTIC LIGHTS – Becoming a favourite in restaurants and bars across the UK, these big rustic lights that hang low from the ceiling with vintage barn hooks bring warmth that you would only find from old bars allowing for that classic meets contemporary ambiance.

Even better if they were our LED filament lamps!

 

  1. CLASSIC MEMORABILIA - The Breakfast Club in Soho is the perfect example, it has a 1980s vibe – with funky furniture, quotes written on the walls, a big fridge that opens and leads you to the bar downstairs and even a Nintendo game area situated in the corner of the restaurant. Not only is the food amazing, the décor will leave you feeling as if you’ve gone back in time to your childhood (or parent's childhood) and offer a sense of nostalgia from its entire memorabilia.

 

  1. FLOORING TILES – Bring a pop of colour to your restaurant floor with colourful tiles. No matter what theme you have or the type of restaurant it is, bright tiles can bring life to restaurants that have less going on. Seen in vintage food joints from the 1950s or classic Italian pizzerias, tiles are a statement all of their own.

 

  1. BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS/ BOOKS – In a few restaurants I have been to recently, I have noticed a trend which seems to extend beyond your typical picture on the wall. There seems to be a lot of black and white photos hanging on more than one wall. Having a picture(s) in either black or white or this sepia filter brings a very 1920s old Hollywood feel that you would get walking into a smoky bar downtown. Top it off with a few warn out books on a large shelf covering a whole wall and you have the perfect classic vibe.

  1. CANDLES – I’m a sucker for romance – and there’s nothing I love seeing more than beautiful candles lit up on the table in fancy holders. It brings an element of romance which is great if you’re on a date. Having dim lights with just a candle lit on each table gives you the feel you’re in a swanky restaurant in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower (even if your view is of McDonalds across the street). Having long vintage style candles placed in glass bottles or holders made from kitchen utensils is a must for that elegant and sophisticated feel.

Join in with the conversation on Twitter #lightmytuesday and look out for next weeks' blog post with Sophia.