Restaurant Design

The intention behind this design was to create a fine dining restaurant for the brand "Shakespeare & Co."

Shakespeare and co. is a homegrown café which is renowned for its impeccable menu and aesthetic interior.
It fuses the concepts of elegance and coziness to create the perfect environment for comfort and sophistication. It was founded in Dubai by Dr. Edward Saad in 2001. The Shakespeare and Co. concept, launched in Dubai in 2001, is composed of four modules: the café-restaurants, floral creations, patisserie and catering. Shakespeare and co. is iconic for its mismatched opulent décor. It now stands at 22 company-owned branches throughout the UAE, as well as two in the US and eight international franchised locations.

The Restaurant is located near the sandy beach of La Mer, Dubai. Site study and analysis allowed us to propose the best design to the client. It was important to study the surrounding area as well: Parking, ATMs, Washrooms etc. The natural vegetation and lighting was also studied. All of these elements are calculated in order to design the best experience for client.

The concept behind this fine dining restaurant is "Royalty". Throughout the restaurant, historical elements from the Victorian era have been utilized. Visitors walk through a replication of the royal gardens in order to enter the restaurant. They are then greeted with a grand chandelier, which hangs over a decorative placement of flowers. This path leads to an imitation of a ballroom. Classical ballroom music plays in the background.

The entire experience is designed to transport the customers back in time; it is an experience designed for the royals themselves.

Site- The restaurant is a 15x15 m block located in La Mer, Dubai.

Lighting- During the day, the wall lenght French windows allow natural light to enter the space. This alleviates the interior of the restaurant and diminishes the feeling of confinement. For the outdoors, dining tables are placed under the shade of the gazebos. These provide relief from the scorching sun. The white colour also ensures that the heat is being reflected. Semi-Indirect lighting scheme is used inside. This type of lighting scheme ensures that the light is evenly spread throughout the space, making it free from glares and shadows.