Restaurants
Kitchen Pass Colour Palette for Restaurants
Choose colour against the surfaces that will stay. Test it on a large sample at the room's brightest and darkest points.
Explore the ideas
Compare the options
- Set the brief
- Collect samples of permanent finishes, upholstery and hardware before picking a paint or laminate.
- Compare
- Assign a background colour, one wayfinding or feature colour, and contrast where people need to distinguish edges.
- Before buying
- Check painted or laminated samples vertically beside the same light source the finished room will use.
Worked example
A powder room has no window, and a chosen dark tile makes the small vanity area feel visually compressed.
Test tile, grout, and paint together under the planned fixture rather than relying on showroom light. Keep the strongest contrast on a selected feature and preserve clear visibility around basin edges.
How to test it
Compare the samples in daylight and artificial light, and check that handles and door edges remain easy to distinguish.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Separate outgoing plates from incoming returns and connect the pass directly to the main server aisle.
- Detail
- Use heat-tolerant worktops, clear ticket visibility, and task light that reveals plate detail.
- Trade-off
- A wider pass eases handoff but can take space from preparation.
- Run a mock service handoff
- Check hot and dirty items never cross paths
The Elixir portfolio
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