Designing the Intangible: How to Illuminate a Restaurant

31.07.2025

  • Light & Learn
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Choosing a restaurant does not only depend on its culinary offering or location. Increasingly, these spaces are sought for comfort, warmth, and a series of intangibles capable of turning an everyday moment into a memorable experience. Without doubt, light is one of the key ingredients contributing to the creation of such atmospheres. But how to achieve this?

Lighting is essential to transform a restaurant into a space where design, atmosphere, and experience blend together. Here are 5 keys to ensure that every evening is illuminated with character, elegance, and warmth; every dinner, every conversation, and every moment deserve the perfect light.

 

5 keys to enhance your restaurant’s atmosphere

Choose the right colour temperature

Before selecting a temperature for the room, it is necessary to consider what to convey and what to highlight.

  • Warm light (2200-2700K): creates a cosy and calm atmosphere, ideal for intimate dinners and gatherings where guests should feel at home.
  • Neutral light (3000K): balances a warm and natural feel. It is the best option when food should be the star and colours on the plate are to be enhanced.
  • Cool light (3500K-4000K): should be avoided in dining areas as it gives a more technical and distant feel. It can be used in kitchens and work areas, although warm temperatures are increasingly chosen even in these spaces to maintain visual and chromatic coherence throughout the restaurant.

 

See project “El Aprendiz”

El Aprendiz
El Aprendiz
Work with light hierarchies

Well-executed lighting does not rely on a single source but on the strategic combination of different layers of light working together. Applying the hierarchy concept allows light to be structured within the space, creating depth, guiding attention, and reinforcing the intended atmosphere:

  • Ambient: provides general, uniform lighting, setting the restaurant’s visual tone.
  • Accent: highlights specific elements such as tables, bottles, or textures, adding contrast and depth.
  • Task: offers precise, practical lighting for specific activities, ensuring comfort and accuracy without compromising the atmosphere.

 

See project “La Salita”

La Salita
La Salita
La Salita
Highlight key spaces

It is possible to make certain corners speak for themselves: showcasing the wine selection, a cocktail bar, the dessert area, or even a unique decorative piece.

 

See project “KEMA”

KEMA
KEMA
Opt for versatility

A restaurant may require different ambiences throughout the day or adapt to special events. For this reason, it is essential that the lighting is flexible.

Adjustable luminaires such as Track Lights, Coco Recessed or Fit Recessed can be incorporated to modify the light direction and transform the atmosphere with a simple gesture.

 

See project “Merkato”

Merkato
Merkato
Merkato
Respect the product’s aesthetics

Lighting is not only practical but must integrate with the space’s design. Using a consistent product family, such as “The Invisible Blackor invisible light, which offers multiple applications – recessed, surface, suspended, or track-mounted projectors – allows for aesthetic coherence and uniformity throughout the project.

 

See project “Flama”

Flama

Each project is unique

Every restaurant has its own essence; hence the importance of professional advice to understand its needs and maximise its potential.

Transforming the experience through light is one of the goals that can be achieved with the guidance of the Arkoslight team.