Nothing brings people together like great food and an inviting restaurant atmosphere. The newly opened Maria Chuchena Restaurant by renowned chef Oscar Herrera offers both—haute cuisine, and an absolutely magical ambiance. The sophisticated dining experience is brought to life using high-quality custom lighting solutions by CodeLumen.
Lighting is often one of the most underestimated design elements when it comes to restaurant build-outs, but it has a profound impact on a customer’s overall experience. - Julio Gabbert CodeLumen Co Founder
Maria Chuchena is keenly aware of its guests’ needs and invests time and intentionality into providing expertly lit dining and entertainment. Located in Chihuahua, Mexico, a city known for its inviting nature and great food, Maria Chuchena opened the doors of its newest premises in October 2019. Launching a new restaurant is no simple task. Even though this was not Maria Chuchena’s first establishment, it still required considerable effort. In terms of lighting, managing a new restaurant build is one of the most challenging. CodeLumen has been the lead on 10 lighting projects for this restaurant group since 2003.
More people judge a restaurant by its lighting more than you think. Every year at CodeLumen we challenge ourselves to deliver trend-setting designs in lighting and high-quality fixtures. Some of the unique challenges we faced this time were: Merging light with architecture and interior design, choosing a color temperature that complemented the atmosphere, and arranging fixtures to set the tone for a pleasurable dining experience.
CodeLumen was excited to get started on the latest Maria Chuchena project. It was a great opportunity to implement the full range of our services and products. We began with an examination of the floor plan and determined the finer points of the lighting project.
After analyzing the floor plan, we started designing and manufacturing the custom-made CodeLumen lighting fixtures based on the following set of renderings provided by the architect:
Our team had four main objectives.
· Energy efficiency
· No Glare
· Superb ambiance
· Integrated lighting designs that seamlessly blended into the architectural ceilings.
We set to work developing separate commercial, architectural, and decorative lighting designs— meticulously calculating light distances to achieve a flawless, glare-free environment. We met with electrical engineers to address commercial lighting in the open kitchen area. This was a crucial decision point, because open kitchens visible to the guests, are a well-recognized signature of Maria Chuchena restaurants.
Chefs require direct, bright light to work, but customers enjoy warm ambient light while they eat. We needed to be certain the 4000k commercial fixtures of the open kitchen didn’t contaminate the light quality of the 2700k lamps in the main eating area. We designed energy-efficient LumenDirect fixtures that incorporated an outer barrier for 2700k downlights while protecting the light pollution from the 4000k fixtures from infiltrating the dining area. Attention to detail definitely makes all the difference!
CodeLumen consulted with the design architect to create custom fixtures that matched the structural plan of the building. Every detail was taken into consideration when we produced custom LED fixtures that incorporated a variety of color temperatures, beam angles, power outputs, and energy consumption. We took on the challenge of designing a layout that highlighted both architectural details and menu items without producing a glare in the customer table space.
The theme of the project was GOLD with a modern twist. We worked hand-in-hand with the project’s interior designer to produce custom, geometrically shaped fixtures that give Maria Chuchena its characteristic, and decorative beauty. We love being at the forefront of design and innovation. Cutting edge LED technologies enabled us to create low profile designs without resorting to traditional incandescent bulbs. Close examination of the fixtures will reveal a complete lack of light bulbs altogether. This we like to call, the future of decorative lighting.
Restaurant owners love to consider the wow-factor when designing their establishments. CodeLumen delivers awe-inspiring architectural lighting solutions through custom manufactured, non-traditional fixtures. You won’t find these one-of-a-kind gems by walking into a Lowe’s, Home Depot, nor your local lighting showroom. To further showcase our lighting fixtures, we sometimes decided to strategically block natural light from windows as a way of cultivating an intimate ambiance in a restaurant.
Just like every chef has his/her secret ingredient, CodeLumen has our own awesome-sauce that allows us to complete high-profile projects and exceed client expectations—our lighting project management platform Creates.
Our cloud-based management solution displays real-time project updates complete with floor plans, fixture locations, specifications, and logistics. The lighting platform and smart icons are especially helpful when lighting fixtures need to be installed. An electrician can see specific instructions regarding every fixture and how it should be properly installed. Before Creates platform, we had to travel to multiple job sites in order to direct electricians where to install fixtures. Using the software cuts installation time in half.
Restaurant projects require coordinating logistics between general contractors, electricians, architects, interior designers, owners, and lighting professionals. All of them can easily collaborate in Creates platform regardless of location. Our cloud-based lighting project management and takeoff software offers hassle-free, turn-key solutions for clients and is a genuine breakthrough for the construction business.
As a lighting manufacturer, CodeLumen develops innovative, energy-efficient lighting products that provide a positive economic and environmental impact for our clients. If you’re interested in learning more about our one-of-a-kind, high tech lighting projects, contact us today at info@clumen.com
Services rendered:
· Lighting Consultancy
· Lighting Design
· Custom Decorative Lighting Fixtures
· Custom Architectural Lighting Fixtures
· Manufacturing and engineering
· Project Management
· Logistics