Published on: January 29, 2010

Firefly Lighting Design recently designed lighting for the Vermilion Bar in Manchester.

It’s a Thai restaurant and a bar designed by Paris-based designer Miguel Cancio Martins.

More info below:

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The interior design is highly decorative, with a mix of traditional Asian motifs and contemporary colours and finishes. The brief for the lighting was to emphasise the luxury feel of this interior, whilst retaining a sense of intimacy for the customer. The approach for the lighting solution was to create layers of light at both close-quarters and at the boundaries of the space. This approach was taken for both the interior and exterior lighting schemes.

In the restaurant waiting area there is integral lighting within pods located on the floor and ceiling, whilst in the background light gently grazes a wall of ceramic flowers. The central feature of the main dining room is the monolithic tower of glowing buddha heads which extends beyond the dining space to penetrate the bar area in the floor above. The heads are lit from below by dimmable LED fittings installed flush within the shelves of the column and provides the client with the flexibility to change the theme of the column in the future.

While seated at your table, recessed downlights light the table, making the food an integral part of the experience. Overhead delicate pendants provide partitions throughout the dining area and LED string lights are interwoven with modular ‘branches’ that were installed to form clouds floating above each seating area.

The upper floor contains a bar and lounge area as well as private function and dining rooms. The lounge is dominated with large cocoons with indirect dimmable white light giving a relaxing and laid back enclave contrasting with the colour-changing globes hanging randomly from the ceiling, and the richly textured environment beyond. The exterior of the project retains the same flamboyance and textural qualities of the interior. Dramatically lit Chinese lions greet the customer and hint at the nature of the interiors within.

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