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DIY Exteriors Renovating

help needed redoing restaurant interior and shop front

4 years ago

hey everyone . need help to redo this small restaurant I'm renting . nothing major and nothing too expansive please . just some cheap ideas to cover the tiles on the wall and some ideas to redo the furniture with as low expanses as possible. bit of a long shot but thought I'd already try here. thanks

Featured Answer

Jonathan

4 years ago

Since cost is a factor I would keep the floor and work with it so you have money for other things.
Personally I think given you are dictated to by the black floor you should reconsider the red. Red and black can look harsh or cheap. Personally I think you should consider a scheme of soft black, greys, metallic and another colour- possibly teal or lilac, or navy.
1st I would paint the walls a mid/dark grey or a lilac/grey and then the ceiling two shades lighter than the walls.
Then I would paint some of the chairs and tables a dark grey and mix them up so there is some wood and some painted furniture.
With the money saved by not changing the floor I would build a banquette so some of the seating is more comfortable. I would also build a couple of partitions- build the frame, paint it and put bamboo screening material in the frame. These screens can help separate the restaurant from the kitchen and hide things you don’t want people to see like people coming out of the bathroom. Similar screens could be used instead of a curtain at the window. Don’t make the window ones taller than chest height as customs need to see in a little to be enticed to eat there.
Then I would add a chest height piece of furniture near the door to greet people and hold menus- paint this in your accent colour.
I would add cushions on the banquette also in your accent colour.
I would get some inexpensive art for the left hand wall. I would be looking for something big and metallic- and buy three the same or similar for the left wall. And then on the mural wall I would put the restaurant name and logo- also in metallic paint on top of the grey makeover.
Inexpensive ceiling lights can be painted in the same metallic paint.
Then I would rearrange the tables so that the wall with the banquette can be flexible and you can seat larger groups by pushing tables together. Then I would put some of the two seat tables on the diagonal and put the seats next to each other rather than opposite to be more intimate- try to plan it so guests are not overlooked by other tables.
White table cloths elevate any restaurant as does a dark paint on the exterior. And obviously music adds to the ambiance too.

Comments (23)

Jonathan
4 years ago
So you need to think about what you are going for.
Is your restaurant going to be an all day cafe or a mainly evening venue? Are you catering for a mainly burger and pizza eating crowd or are you more up market?
Also- do you have to keep certain things and work around them?
Irteza Bangash
Original Author
4 years ago
ya sorry I should've mentioned this in post. We're planning on opening a Thai restaurant so some bamboo wall decoration and mix of red and woody colour is what we had in mind.

The problem is I don't know a cheap way to redo the tiles on the wall. And also best colour schemes as I want to do vinyl flooring (installing myself because can't afford a professional). Seeing the cost of replacing furniture is too high, it's going to be this old style wood furniture (which I would love to be able to redo and make more modern some how), with vinyl flooring and bamboo wall decor. Getting the colours right will be the key otherwise it's just gonna look like the inside of a tree trunk with so much wood going on..

I'm able to replace anything I want it's just the cost is a big factor

Thanks for responding here btw
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Jonathan
4 years ago
Inspiration pics
E D
4 years ago
Some terrific ideas by Jonathan. I too was going to suggest painting the tables and chairs but his idea of keeping some in natural wood and mixing them up is an excellent one I think.

You could also draw some inspiration from Thailand’s culture, art, food (obviously) and scenery.

But perhaps keep these elements subtle. You don’t want things to start looking twee.

Good luck.

Do you have a name for the place?
Irteza Bangash
Original Author
4 years ago
@Jonathan: You sir are a legend! That's so many great ideas I would love to follow through with. I really love the banquette suggestion and will definitely try go get that done. The bamboo partitions as well as the window screens sound easily do-able in budget and will be great add-ons for the restaurant. thanks . The colour scheme I think black/white/grey can def work here too, my only concern will be if it makes the decor too much upscale/elite looking for the area demography I'm targeting . The restaurant is for a small Portuguese town Quarteira. The area isn't super rich but then that's part of the reason I can rent something here in my budget range. Even tho it is a Thai restaurant and not a burger joint, I was hoping to go for a more casual/relaxed outlook rather than a fine dining one mainly because of the target group.

I'll post some pics below of the restaurant I'm working now which is where I was getting my ideas from and let me know what you think. One big difference is tho that this is open air and mine is not.. And a lot of stuff is covered in your post already like the art bits that I'll try to get as well.

But putting the colours aside for a bit, do you think I can get away with just painting over the wall tiles when I do the walls or would you rekon there's any better way to go about it? I don't want it to look like a shack either hhah.

the rest of the stuff is incredible , much appreciated thanks
Irteza Bangash
Original Author
4 years ago
picture of the wall tiles I need help with and then rest are my current place of work.

@ED: I have a few in mind but nothing set in stone yet. Always open to good suggestions if you have haha. And yes that's true, I hope to able to bring at least some elements in the restaurant too as I think the atmosphere matters a lot as well.
Jonathan
4 years ago
If what look like wood on this picture is actually a tile then I would assume it Isco wring something up, shouldn’t be removed and so I would paint it. You can paint tiles in the same wipeable Matt paint you choose for the walls but you must first paint them with a special tile primer paint
Jonathan
4 years ago
Also don’t worry about a dark and moody colour scheme looking too upscale. Customers like that, they just don’t like prices to be significantly higher than other restaurants.
Jonathan
4 years ago
And personally I think the inspiration pictures you have posted likely work for the building they were in. Given that you have flat walls, and a black floor to work with I would paint it all in soft dark colours as covering the walls with lots of cheap bamboo screening probably works best in a rustic setting. And I prefer the alternative accent colours I suggested to the red.
I think that what you will end up with is an intimate restaurant that will be perfect for evening diners and lunchtime diners will prefer to sit near the window
Jonathan
4 years ago
Also banquette seating will cover up some of the wall
Jonathan
4 years ago
Although a little more expensive that bamboo you can buy garden screens that would look lots more expensive
Jonathan
4 years ago
Without knowing the restaurant size or the size of the tables I have made a guess at what layout might be possible
J
4 years ago
This looks exciting!
I think I'd keep to a tried and true palette of aged whites, grey, brown and highlights of warm reds and orange. The grounding elements in black.
And a busy relaxed (and fun) feel works well for families. One where it dosent feel like your kid will destroy the place just by eating there.
I think leave the tables and chairs and maybe the floor. And spend your money on some decor, interesting lighting and paint.
In this image you see a bunch of artwork cluster together. Fun lighting and warm orangey red pendants. I'd do this first then have a look with the existing floor and tables. And maybe you don't really notice them. Ask someone not working on the restaurant to tell you what they notice when they come in. If the floor and tables look weird then cover the floor with a timber look and appraise again. If still not right maybe paint a few of the chairs. or replace some with stools.
I think some plants might work well. Maybe outside the entry to catch peoples eye. The wall tiles could be painted in a neutral dirty grey. And lastly if you broke up the lines of tables you will create more interest. Change the directions, add one tall table will add visual interest as well.
Have fun!
Jonathan
4 years ago
Same number of tables and chairs rearranged for big groups
J
4 years ago
I'm a fan of banquet seating like Jonathan but it can be pricey. If your handy then I'd make some but even the materials can add up. A cost effective option would be to add a bench to the wall. It can be wall hung with brackets and topped with timber planks. Or maybe you can find cheap free standing benches and place them up against the wall. Just make sure they are deep enough. Add cushions from IKEA and your good to go.
Jonathan
4 years ago
Its true that to have custom made banquettes costs £100 per foot so my plan has £3000 of seating. But local trades will be able to make something at a fraction of that cost (and likely less than the cost of a new floor) and of course you don’t have to do everything immediately but it is easier to do these things before you open.
I also like Js inspiration picture but I think the reason that it works in that setting is because the walls have broken plaster and exposed brick and there is an industrial ceiling. In your unit there is no existing character features so the space will be judged purely by how it is decorated- adding rustic elements to a plain box has the potential to look cheap- much better in my opinion to unify the whole look and continue the theme dictated by the floor.
Jonathan
4 years ago
If you want to give the floor an inexpensive makeover you could use stencils and floor paint. I would add a grey pattern to both the black and white tiles to soften the look.
Don’t forget the floor has to be scrupulously clean to paint it and then you should seal it to protect your work
J
4 years ago
The first two images are from a low cost fit out from a Thai restaurant called Kin Kin in Adelaide, Australia. I think while it looks (alot) cheaper it's a cheerful and inviting fitout. This ceiling is a dreaded suspended number and they distract the eye with the flags. The wall mural is a collection of images from Thailand. Including people, scenery and food shots. They have kept to a mid brown timber, and greys with touches of black and bright colour pops.
If I walked past this store. I'd think relaxed, fun and affordable.
Jonathan
4 years ago
Js Adelaide picture shows that you don’t have to change everything but it also shows that you can get away with cheap elements if balanced with expensive parts too. In the case of the Adelaide restaurant they have kept the ceiling and the wall treatment is cheap. But they have bought brand new (albeit inexpensive) furniture. The bar is bespoke and high quality and the floor is new too.
The motto is that you can’t fill this space with only cheap stuff. The look will be elevated by carefully selecting where you spend some money- I return to my first post- I would try to elevate the furniture by painting some of it and covering it with table cloths. I think more comfortable seating will elevate the look too. I would work with the building and setting and paint it with a cohesive scheme. And you need to think about what you add - the bamboo mentioned and J suggested wall coverings and flags although cheap still have a cost implication- by spending a little more can you get something that will elevate where you have made compromises by keeping the existing furniture and floor?
Irteza Bangash
Original Author
4 years ago
@ Jonathan: The stencil idea is brilliant, do you think using black colour on whites and white colour on black tiles can work as well?

Also I like the flour plans , the room layout is a bit different in real life but I'm not sure what's the best way to explain the layout as I don't have more pics before next week now.
What software are you using for the floor plans? looks neat. I tried a few now but they all need payment to export and then I'd rather know which is the best to use first.

The garden screen looks good too even tho I'm still leaning more towards your original idea of bamboo screens.

After reading all the suggestions here I'm definitely reconsidering the flooring and focusing more on the furniture and decor. And since we're likely stuck with black and white I'll start experimenting with the grays and other soft dark colours to see which combintion works out the best, and will try maybe get a few reds in there tactfully as J suggested

@J: I love the diy idea for the banquette and most probably will try to do that myself, paired with a few A quality cushions to hide the imperfections hah. I don't have much experience with building stuff but after a few mistakes I'll get there. And thanks for sharing the pics , although I'm more of a minimalistic guy but I can see how adding a few extra bits and bobs can help take away the focus from where we don't want people to focus. I'll have a look at some decent size plants as well.
Jonathan
4 years ago
I use a free app calledHouseDesign.
Personally I think you should get a very specific plan before you start as an organic approach will likely take longer than you have- of course you need to open quickly to be earning money.
For that reason, unless you already have the expertise and tools to build seating I would get a professional to do it- after all if you open a week later that you have lost a week of takings that could have paid a carpenter.
There will still be plenty to do with decorating and getting the restaurant and suppliers organised and promoting your opening.
Dorothy Duncan
last year
last modified: last year
Any restaurant is, first and foremost, an atmosphere. People come here to relax and unwind, to enjoy delicious and beautifully served food. Design must match the spirit of the place. It should be ergonomic and conceptual, emphasizing the peculiarity of a particular place. Who is your place for? Who is your target audience? You need to formulate these answers for yourself before looking for answers on a forum. As a design option, consider https://tapatoro.restaurant/restaurants-near-convention-center/. Maybe this style will work for you.

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