When you design your restaurant, you want to create a certain vibe and ambiance that your patrons will enjoy while dining. If you are a DIYer, you might be thinking about some fun DIY projects to help you design your restaurant, but with so many ideas out there, it can be hard to determine which ones are the best for your restaurant. That is why this article has put together some of the best DIY design ideas for your restaurant that can give you the atmosphere you desire.
Create a New Color Scheme
One of the easiest ways to create a new design for your restaurant is to develop and implement a new color scheme. It is incredible how something as simple as changing the color of your walls can change the entire dining experience of your patrons. Painting is a quick and easy DIY project, so you will not have to be closed for long while you complete it.
You do not need to repaint the entire restaurant either; you can instead create an accent wall to draw the eye to a specific wall. Paint your accent wall something bright that is eye-catching and bold.
Before you pick up your paintbrush, make sure that your new color scheme will complement your brand and the concept of your restaurant.
Draw Attention to the Ceiling
Even if you do not have a big cathedral-style ceiling, you can still draw attention to your restaurant’s ceiling in a few ways.
You can paint the ceiling in a flashy color to draw the eye up or even commission a local artist to paint a mural on your ceiling that will draw attention. If you want to give the restaurant an industrial feel, you can have some large pipes visible there and even install faux brick to give it a beautiful, exposed brick look.
Adding some pendant lights or even chandeliers can also make your patrons look up when they are in your restaurant.
Install a Unique Floor
Your floor does not need to be boring. Have fun with it and give your patrons something unique that they will love looking at. You can get carpet or tiles with a fun pattern or even paint a new design onto your existing wood flooring. Your customers need to look down occasionally, so why not give them something interesting to look at?
Go Green
Adding plants to your restaurant can bring the dining room to life and give it a fun splash of color. If you choose to use real plants, try succulents or cacti because these should not trigger any of your customers’ allergies or create smells that will clash with the delicious smells of your food.
You can also use some realistic-looking fake plants to create a beautiful visual without creating smells or agitating the allergies of your customers.
Highlight the Bar
The bar is where all of the drinkable magic happens, so drawing attention to it is a good idea. Give it some vibrant colors and lighting that catches the eye. You can go big with it and set it up in the middle of your restaurant with the rest of the seating fanning out around it.
Install Faux Stone
The look of stone can be charming and add depth and texture to your restaurant that is great to admire. The beautiful thing about faux stone is that you can DIY the installation yourself, making it perfect for any restaurant design ideas you might have. You can install it outside to cover an unsightly foundation or to dress up a support column. Inside, you can use them as wainscoting, cover the entire wall in faux stone, or get creative and use it as an accent to your existing features. It is a fun and affordable DIY design idea that gives you a beautiful look at a much lower price than its natural counterpart would offer.
Add Some Art
If you want to give your restaurant a contemporary or artsy look, hanging up some artwork on the walls is a great way to achieve that look. You can support local artists by displaying and even selling their paintings, photographs, sculptures, and even 3D art. You will be giving your restaurant some artistic beauty while helping your local community all at the same time.
If your restaurant offers ethnic food, you can display art and photos of landmarks and the landscape of the region your food is from. This can give your restaurant an atmosphere of authenticity.
Go Classic
The classic or retro interior restaurant design ideas are always a great choice. You can turn your interior into a beautiful blend of old and new. Add some bar seating or one of the old vintage booth seating areas with smaller restaurant tables, making them little tables for two or four.
Get Rid of the Tablecloths
Tablecloths are used to give a restaurant a feeling of elegance and fine dining. However, they require constant upkeep and washing, which can make them a nuisance to restaurant owners. Instead, leave your tables bare, showing off the wood and giving them a quick and minimalist look that is becoming popular. To protect the tables from scratches and stains, you can instead use table mats. If you really want the fine dining atmosphere, use cloth napkins; these are easier to maintain than tablecloths.
Add Mirrors
Mirrors are a classic design idea for a restaurant that is easy to incorporate into a design. You can hang bigger mirrors on the walls to give the illusion of more space. You can find mirrors in pretty much any style and shape, so you should be able to find something that goes with the overall decor and aesthetic of your restaurant. If you want to find some more unique-looking mirrors for your walls, try visiting some thrift stores or antique stores. They often have interesting mirrors that you can choose from to find the right one for your restaurant.
Get Creative with Light
The lighting in a room can make a huge change to its atmosphere, so getting creative with your lighting is a great DIY design idea to change your restaurant. Dim lighting can give your restaurant a romantic feel while having a brightly lit dining room has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to it. There are a few ways that you can experiment with the lighting of your restaurant. Replacing your current lighting with some pendant lights or recessed lighting with a dimmer switch is a great way for you to control the atmosphere you want your lighting to create. For romance, adding some candles or electric candles can bathe your diners in a warm glow.
LED lighting is the perfect choice for whatever type of lights you decide you want to implement in your restaurant. LED lights are more energy-efficient, and they last much longer, so you will not need to replace the bulbs quite as often.
New curtains can also help you adjust the lighting. Natural light is a great way to help you set the mood, and you can use the curtains as a splash of color to tie into your color scheme.
Give Typography a Try
Typography is a unique restaurant wall decoration that can incorporate your brand into your decor. You can create an accent wall with a typography mural that has your restaurant’s name and some of your staple ingredients on it, like adding images of bread, pasta, and tomatoes for an Italian restaurant.
Redesign the Menu
When looking for DIY design ideas, you might not think to include your menu in the project, but it is something that can change the way that your customers see your restaurant. If you have an old-looking menu with a fraying cover, you might be seen as cheap or shabby by your patrons. Take some time redesigning your menu online to make it stand out and look professional. You can get a stylish new menu cover to complete the new look and keep your new menus protected from spills.
Show off the Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of your restaurant. When redesigning the restaurant, consider showing off your kitchen. You can create an open kitchen layout, knocking down the walls so patrons can see their meals being prepared. To protect your cooks and ensure that germs do not get into the food, you can turn the wall into a window, so customers can see the chefs but cannot directly interact with them.
Update Your Tableware
While this is not a DIY project per se, it is something that you can incorporate into the design of your restaurant to give it a new look and feel. If you are still using your old tableware that has some scratches or chips, that can make patrons see your place as shabby. You might think it is expensive to get new dinnerware, but there are a lot of affordable options available these days that can give a restaurant the right look and feel.
