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Smashing Ceilings on F&B outlets: Indian designers & 'The Fifth Wall'

Posted by
on April 13, 2016 at 04:28 PM

“Creativity has more to do with the elimination of the inessential than with inventing something new.”- Helmut Jahn

A ceiling is an opening to create an exceptional and eye-catching component in the interior ambience. A project’s budget always looms large, though - and often the ceiling gets the brunt of the budgetary constraints! Designers and owners both exercise their creativity and splurge lavishly on the main decor elements - and by the time they reach the ceiling, the budget is exhausted! However, some ceilings manage to make jaws drop! The hospitality sector particularly sees designers exploring the potential of the ceiling as an integral element of decor. 

Here's a look at some wonderful ceilings of F&B outlets in India; on TFOD and beyond...

© Courtesy of Ar. Sameep Padora, sP+a, Mumbai

Often, unique ceiling treatments present as defining elements of an interior space. Distinctive ceiling design with the omnipresent overhead fans and light fixtures (in Indian context) can add chutzpah to the ambience. Thus a lot of thought must go into the design of the “fifth wall”!

In general, ceilings may be divided into two major classes—the suspended (or hung) ceiling and the exposed ceiling. With many innovative designs and new materials for ceiling treatment flooding the market regularly, integrating ideas with client inputs and site-specific needs is the key. 

Height: A dominating factor

“The taller, the better”- this defines and helps determine the design aesthetic of the entire space and, especially, of the ceiling itself. A high ceiling can make a small space seem bigger and a bigger space seem massive. Adding lively atmosphere - a tall, open space, a segment of drop ceiling can provide familiarity and assist to systematize space efficiently. Embedded light fixtures, knotted hemp coverings, wooden bands, fluid forms crafted from POP, and even art-works/graphics are seen embellishing 'wow'ceilings. Often, when there is enough height available, the ceiling treatment is chosen in varying heights with drop ceilings with distinctive features that also visually define the spaces within the room. It is also often complemented by a similar design/pattern in the floor below - for enhancing the visual effect. For instance if there is a circular POP with mouldings on the ceiling, the flooring below too may have a circular echo - either with a marble-inlay or a carpet; to help distinguish the different areas from each other. However, high ceilings instantly add a grand feeling while lower ceilings foster intimacy and privacy. Therefore the use of the space determines the ceiling treatment.

Acoustics: Smart and sustainable infrastructure

Acoustics is another important factor in choosing the ceiling treatment. The walls, flooring and furniture materials often create a need for the ceiling to have acoustic dampening, by installing hanging acoustic dampening panels, and floating ceilings that help prevent sound waves from bouncing around. Paints containing ceramic beads give a suede-like finish whereas spray-on acoustic ceiling materials counterbalance the noise reflectance of metallic design elements. Digital ceilings are also seen, which come under the realm of building intelligence systems, and must be integrated with the overall planning - right at the onset. 

Aesthetics: Executive presence

Colours, textures, materials, must be chosen to  complement the overall scheme, to achieve visual uniformity. Whether colouring of the beams in its wood flooring to give the interior a cohesive appearance or using reclaimed wood throughout the space; different ceilings can be aesthetically worked by painting the ceiling a totally different, or contrasting, where colour adds character and interest. Painted, back-lit panels, customised pop art, lights fixtures, and multicoloured LEDs add to the fun.

Budget: Limiting reagents

A project’s budget always looms large, though - and often the ceiling gets the brunt of the budgetary constraints! Designers and owners both exercise their creativity and splurge lavishly on the main decor elements - and by the time they reach the ceiling, the budget is exhausted! It is therefore a good idea to design the overall theme, and include the ceiling right from the start of the concept development and planning! However, newer trends in hospitality design ensure that the ceiling is very much an integral, defining element of the decor scheme...

Codes: Rules impact structure and design

As in all decor elements, there are numerous choices for ceiling designs. With health codes pertaining to kitchens, fire safety codes, structural loads, height regulations etc. limiting the choice of materials and design, sometimes leads to plain, fuss-free and generic-looking ceilings. However, a little out-of-the-box thinking will go a long way in creating a smashing ceiling!!

And smashing ceilings are what are churned up by many of our Indian designers - especially those with a strong foothold in the hospitality genre! Sameep Padora (sP+a), Sanjay Puri, Sandeep Khosla (Khosla Associates), Kapil Gupta (Serie) and Ambrish Arora (Studio Lotus) are some of the names that instantly come to mind. 

Photos:

Cover Pic & Images: 1-3: sP+a

Images: 4-6: Sanjay Puri Architects

Images: 7-9: Khosla Associates

Images: 10-12: Serie

Images: 13-15: Studio Lotus

Designer : Sameep Padora, Sanjay Puri, Sandeep Khosla, Kapil Gupta, Ambrish Arora
Photography :Internet Sources

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