Talks with restaurant designers around the country indicate that owners and specifiers are increasingly aware of the green movement and the benefits it can provide. But they also are looking for products that can withstand the rigors of restaurant needs and provide a range of options so all needed selections can be obtained from one company.
For wallcovering products, that means focusing on renewable resources but ensuring that products are economical and durable while providing a good range of colors. Here are some of the key trends found in conversations with designers:
# Sustainable Design.
Virtually all of the designers said that clients are recognizing the appeal provided by using "green" products, either in marketing those attributes to customers or in lower energy costs or other benefits. In turn, manufacturers are promoting their sustainable-design attributes in any way they can, whether that's the use of recyclable materials, renewable resources or strong stewardship of materials.
High-pressure laminated (HPL) manufacturers, for instance, now offer products with certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for their kraft-paper layers or other Chain of Custody (CoC) documentation. These ensure wall-panel manufacturers, specifiers and owners that the manufacturing process adheres to sustainable-design techniques.
Owners are becoming more aware of the range of green products, especially as new hires leave college and become involved in decisions. "Kids are learning in grade school about being environmentally friendly, and universities are pushing it, so college graduates are coming into the industry having accepted it as a given," says Christy Hodnefield, director of design for Rapids Foodservice Contract & Design. "So they're actually more familiar with the concepts than many people who have been in the industry for awhile. It's not a change for them, it's a way of life."
But the "green premium" on many products, particularly those that can't provide a payback through energy savings or other attributes, dampens demand right now. "Most clients want to use them, but when they see the costs, they back off," says Alex Jirot, a designer with SF Jones Architects in Marina del Rey, Calif.
Certification and verification documents will prove more important in coming years, as many current compositions and product materials have not been proven over time. "The biggest issue facing architects and specifiers today is that by now, we're not using any products that are tried-and-true with a long history of performance," says Winston Chappell, vice president at Kanner Architects in Los Angeles. "Products used to be known for their durability, and we had decades of knowledge about them. That's not true any more."
# Neutrals Dominate.
Color palettes vary by restaurant, especially with large chains where décor decisions often are made at corporate headquarters. Even so, many restaurants are using a palette in which neutral, lighter colors dominate on the walls, with splashes of color picked up in furniture, accents or a high-profile signature wall that draws attention and sets the style.
Hodnefield thinks this calm, neutral approach began with the attitudes and mood generated by the attacks on the World Trade Center nearly a decade ago. "We're still in that mindset," she says. "I see a lot of wheat and gold colors dominating on walls."
L. Russ Cooley, director of design and marketing for FCC Commercial Furniture, agrees. "Everyone across the board is focusing color into products that can be changed easily without involving major construction," he says. Accent or signature colors can be updated or changed without having to put a major investment into redoing all of the walls or surfaces.
Neutral wallcoverings also are growing because restaurants are personalizing their walls with marketing posters, themed photos and memorabilia, says Sam Oches, associate editor with QSR magazine in Durham, N.C. "Creating distinctive décor on the walls means designers keep the walls themselves neutral to prevent them from being distracting," he explains.
# Color Shift.
Color options are driven by a restaurant's brand statement, but they also follow fashion trends as well as trends in automobiles and contract furnishings. Watching these trends give restaurant designers an idea of what customers will be comfortable with in a few years. Only restaurants with a cutting-edge brand image want to get out to the leading edge of trends, as they typically want to create comfortable, familiar surroundings.
Hodnefield has noticed blues dominating in owners' tastes, especially with a shift from the green-blues that have been popular to a more solid blue tone. Jirot notes that warmer tones of all types are growing in popularity, and even "hotter" colors such as orange can fit in if they provide a warm glow rather than a hot look.
Colors affect the customers' moods and have to align with what the owner wants to achieve, notes Oches. "Bright colors create a fast-paced environment that implies speed, getting people in and making them want to leave quickly," he says. "Many restaurants want to keep people lingering by offering coffee and between-meal items." That has led to more use of darker, richer colors that "make people feel warm and comfortable"
# Durability Matters.
Restaurants' lifespan criteria drive the décor plan, so ensuring materials can meet that requirement is critical, says Cooley. Paying a premium for heavy-duty options that can last longer is a waste, since the restaurant will want to freshen its look before the lifecycle is completed.
Durability also is important with so many empty storefronts available for lease, mitigating the need to build new. That can be economical, but it also means past history and uneven surfaces have to be covered easily. Wallcoverings that offer a durable face that covers any substrate can be important as more locations are renovated for new owners.
Durability also comes into play for restaurants festooning their walls with heavy decorative items. They need materials that won't easily scratch and that can support the added load. "There needs to be a good system of support in some cases, because these decorations can be pretty heavy," Oches notes.
# Quality, Selection Matter.
"The quality that restaurants are looking for in their wallcoverings is changing," Jirot says. "They were using a lot of vinyl, but they want materials that don't have a plastic look to them today. They don't want their walls to be shiny."
They also want a range of options, so they can select all of their needs from a single-source supplier, says Cooley. This is particularly helpful for chain restaurants that want to closely match a specific signature color. "Versatility within a line can be a big draw," he says. "Having both a range of woodgrains and a wide number of solid colors provides the choices that designers want."
# Creativity Still Alive.
These patterns don't mean that restaurant owners are following in lockstep. Indeed, the key to surviving or thriving in the current market is to stand out from the pack and offer something to a specific demographic that they can't get elsewhere. Smaller chains and individual restaurants offer the most opportunity for creativity in design, as they aren't coordinating designs over a wide range of locations that have to play the lowest common denominator among their customers.
Jirot has recently used solid-surfacing materials for cove bases, matching it to tabletop choices. It provides durability as well as an added accent. In other cases, she has used acoustical-tile panels with imprinted images, such as leather textures or old-time photos, to create a distinctive appearance or replicate the look of a material while gaining durability and acoustical benefits at the same time.
"Each restaurant has its own identity and goals to help it stand out," Jirot says. "Those are the drivers behind most wallcovering specifications. They vary with the restaurants' needs."
For more on designers' perspective on wallcovering trends, see the individual "On The Job" interview reports from each designer at www.nudo.com
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