1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

PLANNING THE BAR

dummy windows just to achieve this purpose. Careful selection of curtains, blending in with the surrounding area, can make the window a feature of importance. A vital thing which is so often overlooked when choosing colours—they appear to change considerably during the hours of business. As an example,with dark coloured curtaining, when they are pulled back from the window with the sunlight streaming through during the day, the impression will be that they are of a much darker shade. At night when curtains are drawn and illuminated from within the room, they will seem of a distinctly lighter hue. A final note on curtaining: use warm colours for the colder rooms, and cool tones in the warmer ones. Lighting the Bar This can probably be classed as one of the major problems confronting the designer of a Cocktail Bar—it has evoked many a perplexed furrowed brow during the quest for the ideal lighting. So many details require consideration that the procedure adopted issometimesa course ofelimination ofvarious alternatives untilthe final decision is made. Actually the lighting bears a striking resemblance to the final touch of the master's brush, completing the picture ofthe room with perfect artistry', butshould a novice's hand make a careless stroke the whole masterpiece could be ruined. This, then, must be the theme of a discourse on lighting, for there are many complications which could be detrimental to the future success of the bar. Let us, therefore, note those points which demand priority. The decor texture of the walls and ceiling can have a surprising effect on the illumination of a room. This statement requires a little explanation. With the rough, flat type of finished surface, the texture resembles countless hills and dales which produce a multitude of small shadows, thereby tending to reduce the glare and give a more even distribution of light. In contrast, a highly glossed finish is similar in a small degree to a mirror, and it will reflect the lighting back in the direction from which it comes. Sometimes little thought is given to the effect of artificial lighting on colour—often it is really disastrous. The ordinary electric bulb normally gives a pale orange glow, which will almost give the touch of an artist's brush to the tints in the decoration ;

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