5 Facts About Your Culinary Heat Lamp

Looking at beautifully designed bars and restaurants is always a pleasure and can serve as an inspiration for your own projects. The UK and International Restaurant & Bar Design Awards is a unique and independent award focused exclusively on hospitality design. Last year's event saw more than 600 entries from over 60 countries. They were hosted by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The top awards went to two European projects but the other categories saw winners from all over the world. We've picked out some of the winners of last year's awards which we like for their nice design and atmosphere.

Top Winners:

• Best Restaurant award was given to A Cantina, a project by Estudio Nomada based in Spain, in the "City of Culture" of Galicia. The museum which houses A Cantina is meant to serve as a cultural hub and meeting place of past and present expressions of culture. The restaurant itself is situated in a long and somewhat vast hall. The dining tables are designed as shared spaces, in a communal fashion, which gives meaning to the name "The Canteen". The legs of the tables grow high up into the air where they turn into trunks and branches of trees, so as to further underline the naturalness and simplicity of the design.

• The Best Bar Overall and Best European Bar award was given to Graffiti, a bar based in the city of Varna, Bulgaria, designed by Studio Mode. Graffiti is located within the building of the boutique Gallery Hotel. Its design is inspired by the works of M.C. Escher and creates a feeling of spaciousness through the three central timber pillars which run the length of the rear zone of the venue. They are covered with linear plywood slats which continue along the whole ceiling in a series of intricate radial patterns. These serve to reduce depth of space while still retaining a panoramic feeling. The front zone on the other hand, with its different floor and roof design, is designed to create a sense of public space.

UK winners:

• In the category of Multiple Bar or Club, Dirty Martini (Hanover Square, UK), by Grapes Design, took the prize. It represents a stunning and luxurious subterranean cocktail bar. The aim of the designers was to create a vintage feel but still provide it with a unique look. This required some structural alterations of the site which was chosen, so as to improve its general circulation and transform some of the spaces. One of these, for example, was turned into a private hire VIP champagne bar. Additionally the bar houses some of the beautiful artworks of Russell Mills, which add a slightly sinister but very seductive edge to the interior.
• Zizzi (Leeds, UK) by d_raw, received the award for Restaurant or Bar in a Retail space. Situated within The Light shopping centre, its design was inspired by Leeds' industrial heritage. This includes the knitted woolen stools, as well as the loom motif, created through interwoven wooden slats which reach up to the ceiling – a reference to the city's famous textile industry during the industrial revolution. The ceiling is also a reminder of the city's industrial past, as it is covered with restored concrete ribs. On a more modern note, fluorescent strip lightning is meant to denote the location of the restaurant within The Light while the blue and yellow colors are a sign of the city's football culture.

International:

• Pump Room (Chicago, USA), a collaboration between Yabu Pushelberg and Ian Schrager, located within the Public Hotel, won the award for North America & Canada. The idea behind the design of the restaurant was to recapture the atmosphere of the 1930's and '40s. This was achieved by using beiges, greys and dull whites as the main colors, along with the dark and leather-covered oak banquettes which provide for a very intimate and indeed vintage feel. Additionally, there are photos of the former patrons of the restaurant, while the wall behind the bar is covered with gold leaf.

As the above examples show, taking time to design our restaurant or bar can not only win us an award but even more importantly, will create a unique experience for our customers. This will make them want to come back or recommend our establishment to others.