Many people assume that a "high-end restaurant" means spending money on marble and installing ostentatious crystal chandeliers. However, this design completely breaks this stereotype - the design of LEVEL 9 Restaurant does not have dazzling glossy stones or overly aggressive elements of Internet celebrities. Instead, from the moment the door is pushed open, one can sense a relaxed yet restrained sense of high-end sophistication. Do you also have such a question: Despite spending a considerable budget on decoration, the restaurant always seems "not upscale enough", either resembling a popular online store on an assembly line or a lackluster fast food restaurant. In fact, the core of creating a sense of luxury is never about piling up expensive materials, but rather about concealing ingenuity in every detail, so that guests can feel treated with care from the flow of movement, atmosphere to experience. Today, I'll take this LEVEL 9 design as an example to talk about how to make a restaurant exude an "effortless high-end vibe".
Good spatial layout
- Spatial design
The entire restaurant is a long and narrow space. The designer did not fill all the seats but divided the space into two dining areas, left and right, with a central aisle that runs through the entire area. On the left is a semi-open seating area, with soft partitions made of wavy wall designs, which not only ensure the independence of the seats but also prevent them from appearing closed. On the right is a whole row of button-pull soft package booths, lined up along the wall in a row. This not only makes use of the wall space but also provides guests with sufficient privacy.
- Circulation line design
Guests enter from the entrance, first pass through the bar counter area, and then walk in along the central corridor. At the end is a photo spot with an arched door. Behind the arched door are the restrooms and staff passageways, which not only hide the messy functional areas but also add a sense of depth to the space. When guests walk in, they will have a sense of exploration that "the further they go in, the more surprising they become". Moreover, the entire space has no extra hard partitions. The design of glass brick walls and arches allows light to flow freely. Even the seats in the deepest part do not appear dim or cramped.
Restrained colors and materials
Many people who run high-end restaurants always like to pile up all kinds of expensive materials, such as marble, metal and crystal, randomly smashing them. As a result, they end up looking tacky. True sophistication lies in the restraint of "less is more" and the harmonious combination of materials and colors. The main color of LEVEL 9 is a low-saturation warm grey, complemented by olive green, mustard yellow and navy blue as accents, and balanced by rose gold metal lines and the warm texture of terrazzo. The entire color scheme is like a richly layered cocktail, soft yet not insidible, bright yet not jarring.
Commercial grade material
The floor is made of light beige epoxy flooring. The reflectivity is just right to reflect the halo of the chandelier on the top, but it is not as cold and dazzling as glossy marble. The foot feel is also warmer than that of tiles. The desktop is uniformly made of white terrazzo with a few fine colored particles. It is not only warmer than pure white marble but also has a more textured feel than ordinary stone-like desktops. The walls have undergone differentiated treatment. The vertical striped wood veneer on the left is paired with wavy designs, while the dark hard cover on the right is matched with pull-down clips. The arched area in the middle is painted with texture art paint. The collision of different materials appears harmonious due to the unified color tone.
Metal line decoration
The rose gold trim on the walls, the copper-colored columns of the arches, and even the metal edge of the air conditioning vents - these tiny elements seem to add a delicate edge to the space, instantly enhancing its refinement without overshadowing it. The restraint in color is equally ingenious: the only bright colors in the entire space are mustard yellow and the navy blue chairs, as well as the olive green door at the entrance. The low-saturation tones not only break the dullness of the gray but also do not appear messy, like the finishing touch that brings the entire space to life
Layered lighting design
I have always believed that lighting is the second "soft decoration" of a restaurant. No matter how good the decoration is, it is in vain without appropriate lighting. Many restaurants, in an attempt to save money, only install a row of cold LED downlights. As a result, the entire space looks like an office, with no atmosphere at all. The lighting design of LEVEL 9 is completely textbook-level.
- Main lighting: The circular combination chandelier on the ceiling evenly spreads warm white light onto the table, ensuring basic lighting during meals. The brightness is just right to clearly see the food without being dazzling.
- Ambient lighting: The warm light strips under the booths, the backlights in the wavy wall designs, and the linear lights on the top of the corridors do not directly illuminate the guests. Instead, they use reflection and diffusion to create a soft warm tone in the space, reducing the heaviness of the dark walls and making the space more layered.
- Local lights: The string lights in the entrance arch, the wall lamps on the walls, and the decorative lights in the photo spot. These lights are used to enhance the theme atmosphere. For instance, the string lights in the arch wind along the wavy shape, and when combined with the "hand-held light" device at the top, it immediately fills the photo spot with an atmosphere.
- Detail lights: Each table is equipped with a small candlestick, which can add a bit of warmth to the tabletop even during the day and create a strong atmosphere when lit up at night.
Soft furnishings and furniture
Booth
The grey button-pull booth on the right has a backrest height just right to support the guest's back. The button-pull design adds a sense of texture and is more dirt-resistant than ordinary fabric booths. Even if guests sit there for an entire afternoon, they won't get tired. The individual seats on the left are furnished with two different types of chairs. One is a grey high-backed chair that offers guests a bit of privacy. The other is a mustard yellow and navy blue lounge chair, which is more relaxed and lively. Paired with a terrazzo table, it features simple and elegant lines.
On each table, there are small ornaments that match the style, not cheap internet-famous ones. The green plants on the ceiling are arranged along the top of the wood veneer, which not only adds vitality but also avoids looking messy. The large green plants such as the tiger tail lanula in the corner soften the cold and hard feeling of the metal and stone, making the space warmer. Even the air conditioner is installed in a concealed way, with panels of the same color as the wall hidden away. There are no abrupt air conditioning pipes that disrupt the overall sense. This kind of attention to detail is the true sense of luxury.
Create natural check-in spots
- Arched design as a photo spot
The white textured arch, paired with the glass brick walls on both sides, features wavy string lights inside the arch, suspended staircase installations, and "hand-held lights" at the top. The entire area resembles an entrance to a magical world, with lights seeping out from within, creating a highly immersive atmosphere. Guests standing inside the arch look great whether taking full-body or partial photos.
The saxophone sculpture at the entrance is also a hidden photo spot. The silver metallic texture echoes the rose gold lines of the restaurant. Standing beside it for a photo can not only capture a sense of luxury but also avoid being out of touch with the overall style. The theme wall on the left, with the illuminated "LEVEL 9" letters and decorated with magic hats and playing cards, also serves as a great backdrop for taking photos. It looks great both during the day and at night.
