Breathing new life into a place doesn’t require costly repairs or modifications. In this post, we use a real-life example to show you how to transform any space using graphic design and large format printing.
About This Project
For this project, our client was a rooftop restaurant located in West Hollywood that has become a favorite of food lovers thanks to its signature combination of culinary traditions.
Last Friday, the restaurant hosted a one-night sold-out culinary experience inspired by the history of the Silk Road. Attendees enjoyed delicacies from Turkey, Lebanon, India, China, Syria, Morocco, and more.
Our mission was to contribute to this unique event by turning the dining area into a scene worthy of the Travels of Marco Polo using nothing but large format printing and graphic design.
The pictures above give you a glimpse of this transformation. In the following sections, we’ll explain in detail the key steps of this process and show you how to transform any place using the same principles.
Turn Ordinary Objects Into Extraordinary Pieces
With large format printing, you can create graphics that transform ordinary items and places into extraordinary objects.
Take, for example, the fireplace in the photos. No doubt, it’s a beautiful addition to the restaurant space. However, its design doesn’t necessarily evoke the oriental cultures that inspired the Silk Road event.
You would think that changing a marble fireplace would be a complex and expensive process, but nothing could be further from the truth. With large format printing and inspiration from the rich tradition of Moroccan tilery, we turned this modern fireplace into an inviting corner of an ancient fantasy.
Something similar happened with the mirrors hanging on the walls of the restaurant. Their shape vaguely resembles the arches often found in the traditional architecture of countries like Morocco or Tunisia. However, with the addition of colorful gatorboard frames they become an unmistakable homage to the art of Middle Eastern ornamentation.
Create Points of Visual Interest
As stunning as the previous examples are, the power of large format printing goes beyond framing ordinary objects in new and interesting ways.
You can also create points of visual interest out of thin air. For example, for this project, we produced a colorful gatorboard portal that was mounted on a stand and placed at the entrance of the restaurant.
In order to provide a more immersive experience, the wooden back of the portal was covered with a rich, textured fabric that reinforces the idea of legendary luxury, an underlying theme throughout the project.
The addition of the portal creates the sensation of stepping into a fabled kingdom where everything is possible.
As in this example, large format printing allows you to create pieces that add to the experience of your audience without having to alter the architecture of a space.
Take Advantage of the Versatility of Large Format Printing
We have mentioned this in previous blogs, but it bears repeating: large format printing technology has evolved at such a pace that there are almost no limits to what you can achieve with it.
We encourage you to explore and test those limits with a dependable large format printing company like CR&A by your side. We love pushing the envelope because by doing so, we help our customers create even more memorable experiences.
For this project, we were able to emulate the look developed over centuries by some of the world’s richest visual traditions. But there is almost no material you can’t evoke, almost no effect you can’t achieve — you just need the right help.
Don’t Overlook the Fifth Wall
When we talk about the fifth wall, we refer to the ceiling, one of the most underused areas of any establishment from a visual standpoint.
While most places don’t invest much effort when it comes to decorating their ceiling, this is not a rule but simply a custom. Paying attention to your fifth wall creates a special atmosphere that sets your business or event apart immediately.
For this project, we produced vinyl prints inspired by the cultures of Egypt, Turkey and India. These prints were hanging upside down like flying carpets, in a wink to one of the most popular tales from the Middle Eastern tradition.
Finally, we also took an existing contemporary picture frame and added a print of the Taj Mahal.
The result is a 360-degree experience that envelopes the audience and brings our client’s cultural and culinary vision to life in an unforgettable fashion.
CR&A Custom: Excellence in Large Format Printing
Are you ready to take your business to new heights? At CR&A Custom we are a large format printing company known for our innovative visual solutions and our commitment to quality.
Contact us today by email (info@cracustom.com), telephone (213-749-4440), social media (Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn), or through the live chat on our home page.
By CR&A Custom Inc June 9, 2022
