Acoulite is delighted to have worked on the lighting design of Fumé – the latest in the line of successful restaurants from the stable of the Jas Group. After a successful installation at Fumé’s sister restaurant – situated in the Dubai Marina – Acoulite was welcomed back to complete the same concept at Fumé’s branch in downtown Dubai.
The concept and management of this new restaurant was the brain child of Jas Group’s CEO, Elmar Pichorner. His vision was to celebrate traditional preparation methods that recollect childhood memories of comforting and home-style cooking.
Acoulite is proud to have been involved with the design of the interior lighting, and development of the concept alongside Elmar Pichonorner. Together, they have created a distinctive and memorable experience for the diner.
Lighting design for hospitality projects is as demanding as lighting for a retail project. The various areas in Fumé’s diner have been designed to visually enhance interest or intrigue guests into the diner. The idea behind Acoulite’s lighting scheme was to create drama and sparkle and to enhance guests’ dining experience.
Fascinating features
Established with a vintage theme, the novel restaurant is lavish with interior features and quirky, period industrial elements. Evoking the influence of a bygone era, Fumé fascinates its guests with an energetic experience within comfortable surroundings. The array of custom-manufactured, feature pendants – including a stunning row of bottle lights – keeps guests stimulated, along with unique pieces of artwork in interesting materials.
Fumé’s interior design is inspired by industrial, vintage influences along with purposely mismatched flatware, unique pieces of artwork and striking chandeliers – all produced from a variety of interesting materials. Acoulite’s lighting scheme had to have the industrial feel and look to complement the existing decor within the diner.
Acoulite’s lighting design was driven by the decor, unique objects and furniture placed around the establishment. As the existing decor in Fumé’s establishment was built around industrial and rudimentary materials, Acoulite had to keep its design scheme to an industrial style. Acoulite manufactured customised light fixtures using similar materials found in the existing decor that would complement the scheme.
Acoulite found it challenging to source matching and complementing materials to build its customised light fixtures for this project. However, Acoulite succeeded with the use of recycled bottles which were converted into pendant lights around the bar area.
The main lighting feature is the Spider Chandelier which was innovatively custom fabricated from IKEA table lamps – which contributed to the industrial look set out in the brief from Elmar Pichorner. The Spider Chandelier design was based on Elmer’s concept of a spider chandelier. IKEA table lamps assisted in keeping to the industrial decor, due to their structure and mobility.
The lighting scheme throughout the establishment complements the location and atmosphere of downtown Dubai. Acoulite has enhanced the existing space with its bespoke, unique objects and intriguing furniture. The accent lighting contributes to bring out the natural colours of the cuisine, whilst track mounted and surface mounted track lights were used to highlight the tables, bar counters and bottle displays.