Seifrieds Vineyard Restaurant

The new restaurant owners, German Chef Horst Wellmeyer and NZ partner Justine Robertson wanted a memorable interior. They required it to be suitable for large family gatherings; families on their way home from the beach and couples wanting a quiet meal together. They have other conference facilities but also wanted to use the restaurant for seating large groups of people for meals and buffets.

The timeline was very short and the budget small for the size of the area to be reworked. The new restaurant owners project managed the contractors and undertook some of the work themselves to reduce costs.

The restaurant had previously had a reputation for poor acoustics attributed to the quarry tiled floor and high ceilings. There had been previous unsuccessful attempts to resolve the problem.

The existing tables and chairs had to fit into the new colour scheme. The plans to change them into dark wood café chairs are on hold until the restaurant returns a profit on its upgrade.

Horst and Justine chose from three different theme boards, selecting the bold and colourful South of France look inspired by the work of English designer Trisha Guild.

I have used bold paint effects throughout to ‘cosy up’ the space. The end walls have used three colours graduating from Resene Pink Lace through Resene Cheeky to Resene Rock Spray and with the beautiful bronze chandeliers the effect is like a sunrise.

To reduce the height of the ceiling I used alternating panels of blue colour Resene Malibu and Resene Scooter. These panels are divided by hand cut stripes of black and white striped wallpaper. The remaining flat ceiling has been painted Resene Royal Heath and striped with acoustic ceiling panels covered in Nylex Prelude Cabernet. The depth of the stripe panels has been exaggerated by painting shadows along one edge with a thinned Resene Rendezvous.

To absorb more noise from customer dining, fabric was stretched over upholstery wadding below the dado rail. The intimate dining zone for couples together with the serving area has fabric canopies hung on chains from the ceiling stuffed with wadding to further absorb the noise.

I wanted the walls to have a pattern but because of their sheer size I limited the use of wallpaper to around the doorways and a panel above the dado rail. The junction between the walls and the sloping ceiling has been exaggerated by using a designated border pattern and a hand cut curved shape made effective by alternating the colourways of the rolls of paper to give a tonal effect.

The curtains are in a sheer yellow check, cut as narrow sections to blow in the afternoon breeze to shield diners from the sun and for children to run through as they go out to the designated play area in the garden.

I have preserved the wooden doors of the fitted cupboards by taking them off and replacing them with fabric under bench curtains to complete the French country feel. All the new cabinetry is made in MDF and spraypainted a variety of base colours to add character. The drag painted topcoat completes the aged look.

Found articles in this project were purchased from Antique Auctions, the ‘Trade Me’ website and recycle centres. These were the matching pink settees, hutch dresser, mirrors, baskets and jugs. They all add to the effect of a café that is well established and different.

The new toilets and large pedestal basins give the bathrooms character together with the panels of anaglypta wallpaper washed with a variety of colours and edged with a hand cut striped border wallpaper.

Colours used: Resene Billy T dragged with Resene Middle Earth, Resene Cheeky, Resene Citrus dragged with Resene Jagger, Resene Dutch White, Resene Malibu, Resene Moonbeam, Resene Paint Effects Medium Gold, Resene Pink Lace, Resene Quarter Dutch White, Resene Rendezvous, Resene Rendezvous dragged with Resene Black Rose, Resene Rock Spray, Resene Royal Heath, Resene Sassy dragged with Resene Rendezvous, Resene Scooter.

Products used: Resene decorative paints.

Cabinetry: Orange Joinery
Colour Selection: Jill Alexander
Interior Designer: Jill Alexander
Painting Contractor: Color Box Painting and Decorating/Paint Effects Evalusion
Photographer: Daniel Allen
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2010

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