Cafés
Order Counter Lighting Design for Cafés
Place light where people work or read faces. Layer task light over ambient light and test glare from occupied positions.
Explore the ideas
Plan in this order
- Mark tasks, viewing angles and screen locations on the furniture plan before placing fittings.
- Separate regularly used tasks from the room's general lighting so each can be controlled independently.
- Test the proposed fitting and finish sample together. Glossy finishes can reflect a bright source directly into view.
Worked example
An entry mirror faces a bright exterior opening, making faces difficult to see after sunset.
Add diffuse vertical light at both sides of the mirror and a separate low-glare ceiling source. Check reflections from the doorway and from the position where shoes are changed.
How to test it
Check the space in daylight and after dark. Stand and sit where people actually use it, and check controls from the entry.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Place ordering first and pickup farther along the counter, with a queue lane that does not cross the entrance.
- Detail
- Make the menu legible from the queue and use a durable counter edge that tolerates bags and trays.
- Trade-off
- A longer counter clarifies stages but reduces room for seating.
- Simulate ordering and pickup at a busy moment
- Check menu readability from the back of the queue
The Elixir portfolio
Details worth a closer look
