Restaurant Interior Design Trends

July 1, 2022


Gone are the days when all a restaurant needed to worry about was the quality of their food. Today’s modern restaurants not only need an impeccable menu and great service, but they also need outstanding interiors to create an inviting dining area and environment for guests. 

Going out to eat is seen as an indulgence by many, which means that they want to feel that their time out is special from beginning to end. This means patronizing places that will treat all their senses – including the visual – while they eat and drink. 

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For restaurants, this means making sure that your decor creates the right atmosphere to match your style and cuisine, treating your guests to the experience they’re looking for. There are a lot of ways that you can go about doing this, but one of the most important points to focus on is the materials you use.

Material can be a game changer in a lot of ways when it comes to interior design and style. A plastic table and a wood table both function the same way, but they say different things about the decor and the space. And no matter what your restaurant’s interior design style is, there is one natural material that can meet all of your needs – reclaimed wood. 

Benefits of Wood in your Restaurant Interior Design

Reclaimed wood is one of the most sought after natural materials for all styles of interior design, and in all types of buildings from commercial to residential. Reclaimed wood is versatile, warm, inviting, and can be more eco-friendly than many materials currently on the market.

Beyond these factors, though, there are several other benefits of using reclaimed wood for commercial design, including restaurant furniture and decor ideas.  

Wood brings visual diversity to a room, which is important when creating a diverse interior design that isn’t busy or cluttered. With wood, you can incorporate several tones just from the grain alone, or by mixing and matching wood types and colors. This creates depth but doesn’t overwhelm the space, so it makes a nice background for whatever you intend to include in your design scheme.

Wood is also considered a warm and inviting material. It welcomes people in, and makes them feel at home. This can be an important characteristic for modern restaurants that do business in having diners stay for a while, and in attracting new clients through photographs and imagery of the interiors.

Studies have shown that simply having wood featured in the interior of a building can reduce stress and promote feelings of well-being. For a modern restaurant that is attempting to cater to people who are hoping to relax and enjoy themselves on a night out, including wood in your rustic restaurant design could make the difference necessary to boost return visits.

11 Trending Restaurant Design Ideas using Wood

Restaurants of all types have a number of decor ideas for including wood in the interior design. From the walls to the tables, take a look at these 11 design trends that can be incorporated into your unique restaurant, coffee shop, and bistro interiors. 

1. Wall Paneling

Wood wall paneling puts the color and variation right at eye level around the entire room. This rustic restaurant also uses the same paneling on the columns to create a unified look for the space. 

2. Accent Panels

You don’t need to panel all the walls in your restaurant to get the benefit of woodwork. This restaurant already had brick walls that set up the style and ambiance. So, in this case, the wood is used as an accent panel, which complements the brick and creates some visual texture and diversity in the room.

3. Wood Table Tops and Benches

If you keep your tables visible in the restaurant, they’re an excellent place to show off some beautiful natural woodwork. The grain and color variation in wood adds richness to the design and gives your guests something to look at while waiting for their food. This small touch of wood in the restaurant interior design helps warm up the entire space.

4.  Framing Wood Wall Panels

Have a focal point like a bar or a brick oven you want to show off? Consider using natural wood wall panels to create a frame for the space. These reclaimed wood panels have a deep, rich patina to them that complements the lighting in the restaurant. They make an eye-catching focal point around the ovens, easily helping to draw people’s attention.

5. Contrasting Lights and Darks

One of the ways that wood can bring visual diversity to a room is through a mixture of color and tone. In this case, light wood is used for the tables and as accents in the benches. This is a contrast to the darker wood floor, making the bricks the mid-tone in the room. This creates interest and the light wood tables keep the space from getting too dark. 

6. Wide Plank Wood Flooring

Wide plank wood floors have character that can set the stage for a wide range of unique restaurant styles, from the modern restaurant to the rustic restaurant style. Since wood flooring is such a big part of any interior design, it can easily become the background you need to show off other components, such as elegantly set tables.

7. Unique Wood Grains

Walnut Table Tops

The wood used for these table tops has a unique grain that shows up as lighter-colored streaks. These streaks are easily picked up by the lighter wood used on the chairs, creating a two-tone look for the space effortlessly, adding depth to the room. 

8. Rich Table Finishes

Antique douglas fir tables

The tables at this restaurant have been finished to a smooth, rich luster. These tables may be small, but they give the impression of richness and decadence – perfect for spaces that need to set the stage with very little. 

9. Wood Ceiling Beams

Reclaimed Oak Lumber

Don’t overlook the ceiling design when it comes to creating a unique and vibrant space. Wood ceiling beams can make an interesting statement that can be used to complement the rest of the decor. These reclaimed beams lend a rustic feeling to the entire room. 

10. Rustic Wood Partitions

If you need to divide spaces, either for a reception or hostess area or to direct lines, wood paneling makes an excellent divider. The wood brings interest that invites people in, rather than making them feel separated from the space. 

11. Wood Benches

Antique Oak Barn Top

Wood paneling can be used in a wide range of spaces, not just on the walls. In this case, they’re used to create the backs of benches, creating a built-in style that adds some contrast to the darker wood in the room and complements the rustic style. 

Create a Trendy Restaurant Interior Design

No matter what type of restaurant you’re designing, wood makes an ideal natural material to include in the interior. From elegant to rustic, wood can help you makeover your coffee shop, restaurant or cafe interior to create the look-n-feel you want. Contact Elmwood Reclaimed Timber to speak with a professional and see how easily you can incorporate real wood in your next design project.

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