Candles are a Requirement for Chic Restaurant Décor

Restaurant owners know that no restaurant interior design or décor is complete without tasteful  tabletop candles, bar candles and  outdoor candles. In fact, most design professionals will tell you that good restaurant lighting, especially  candle light, is absolutely essential to setting the right tone for any dining area.

Candles are used in the lighting design of almost every successful restaurant or café, from upscale, sophisticated dining rooms to relaxed bistro settings or outdoor dining patios, candles create the mood and set just the right tone.

Candles can be incorporated into casual café style with the use of small unscented votives in  glass votive holders or, for a more bohemian chic, white or colored  taper candles in empty wine bottles or  metal or ceramic candelabras (the drippier the candle, the better!).   Small tea lights in understated glass or ceramic tea light holders also work well for relaxed restaurant settings. More formal or upscale restaurant interiors also tend to make use of simple  votives and  tea lights, although more elegant tablesettings will often feature small groupings of  taper candles (usually white tapers) or artfully arranged pillar candles. 

In fact, one of the easiest ways to create a beautiful restaurant environment that is tasteful and upscale is to use low levels of artificial light enhanced by subtle candle light.  Many stylish bars and cocktail areas will combine candles and low level artificial light to give sophisticated, candlelit ambiance to low-lit environments.

When choosing candles for your restaurant, remember to select candles that are unscented (scented candles can interfere with the flavor and aroma of the food) and candles are low enough to allow guests to see each other clearly across the table. Candles that are low to the table also cast attractive and appealing light on your dishes and entrees, not to mention the guests themselves.  Try softly colored votives, tea lights or short pillar candles for the most flattering candle light.