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General restaurant framing.
.When you are dealing with food and its service, you know customers expect things to be clean & professional. If you have scrappy looking prints put into cheap frames that don't fit, then you will find some times this is hard to achieve.
Making food for people is not like being a motor mechanic. You cannot have nudie calendars hanging above dirty sinks. Clients feel much more comfortable in a place that seems to have its act together. This may be an unfair expectation placed on many establishments. Though operators who understand & use this fact to their benefit, will reap the rewards.
To make your pictures look professional, it is best to go to a professional picture framer. Some framers double as poster shops, but a lot don't. So bring your own pictures along if you can. It can also make your place look more unique if you don't have the same pictures hanging up, as your customers have hanging in their own lounge rooms.
Get everything framed in a compatible fashion. While this doesn't mean you have to employ an interior decorator, or do everything the same way. Think about what colour will suit your place & try to keep a general consistency across everything that gets framed. This is more important in restaurants than cafes, as restaurants are often more formal. Though even if you have an informal feel, it is then best to be consistently inconsistent in your approach. In other words, order next to disorder can make the order look like a mistake, & the disorder like a mess.
Think about what to get framed as well. In a cosy little Turkish restaurant you may want old paintings of belly dancing beauties, and plans for a wooden horse. The lighting would probably be dim as well, meaning the colours in the picture & frame should be muted & reflect the calm mood. Steer clear of star trek posters & the like, if you want to keep that authentic dining experience.
If you run a fast food joint with 28 neon light per square metre. Then your choices are going to be different. Frame up a flag of where the food comes from. Get pictures of bright red tomatoes dripping with dew. Put in mirrors up, & a big menu with all the specials & extras. What ever you do it should be loud, positive & Colourful, though always have something to do with your products or your personality.
So far as keeping your pictures looking clean, there is not much to say. Except that glass is easier to clean than perspex. Elaborate mouldings take time to dust & wash laksa out of. And some frame finishes will dissolve if you use harsh solvents on them.
Turning your service area into a gallery . A great way to fill your walls with original art work, instead of standard prints. Is to seek out up & coming artists. You will find that many will be willing to give you there works to hang for no cast, as it is often a way of getting much more exposure than a conventional gallery.
There are a few hints & tips that should make your experience truly symbiotic and mutualy beneficial.
- Hunt around for a good match.
If you are an Italian restaurant, try to engage an italian painter. If you are a coffee shop, find a cuban. If you are a seafood restaurant, get some photos of the sea. And so on.
- keep it modest.
Although your clients may be amongst the more liberal of our society, keep the pictures low key. People don't feel hungry or thirsty with an engorged man staring down on them, or a graphic series of photographs form Baghdad.
- Get it in writing.
Make sure any deal you have with an artist is put in writing. You don't want to be stuck with the bill if someone spills a fondue all over their picture. Like wise, if you are going to facilitate purchases or commissions, make your rates clear.
Mirrors.
The careful placement of mirrors can really help the look of any small space. If your cafe is compact, put a few in & notice how much roomier it feels. If you own a large open plan restaurant, be sparing as they can make the room feel too cavernous & un welcoming.
Mirrors also make great splash backs in the kitchen, as your staff doesn't have to keep looking at that same old batch of tiles. It can lead to extra efficiency as well, as chefs can look over their shoulder without having to look over their shoulder.
What ever you do. Don't put mirrors close to any ovens or open flame as heat will crack them into little pieces.
Acoustics.
Bacause most restaurants will have hard surfaced, floors, walls & ceilings, they can get pretty loud. Especially once the red wine has started flowing, it can become very difficult to hear anything at all above the hollering mob.
One way to get around this phenomenon, is to hang pictures that can absorb some of the sound. This cant be done by anything that has glass, as the smooth surface will merely reflect any noises that come its way. The best way to get around this is to hang something like a canvas or a tapestry.
The good thing about these, is that they are as widely variable as any other picture. They can be framed or not. Formal of casual. Large or small. No matter what style your restaurant has, you can find something soft to hang on the walls. They can even be cheaper than standard framing. Although you should be careful about keeping them clean, as dirt can be quite difficult to remove without leaving an unsightly mark.
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In the kitchen.
Pictures in the kitchen can look nice but wont last long. The heat & moisture associated with cooking can cause a lot of condensation within frames. Oil in the air can also eat into some perspex rendering it opaque.
Black boards.
Picture framers can easily frame up any black boards that you may have. Some can supply the boards already painted, though it is a good idea to check.
Photo boards.
Take a few candid shots of your regular customers and arrange them into a photo montage. Then get it framed.
Hang 'm high.
Put pictures high enough on the wall so that patrons don't bump into them whilst getting in & out of their seats.
Hang 'm straight
If you have a series of pictures going along one wall, make sure they are in a straight line, or call in a professional hanger.
Hang tough.
Pictures that are likely to be stolen or bumped, constantly should be firmly secured to the wall with security brackets. These are available from most hardware shops, picture framers & picture hangers.
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