Hospitality design trends for 2015

B3 Designers – the London design firm behind Gymkhana, Lima Floral and Lyle’s interiors​

There will be more focus on the 'all day dining offer' and how restaurants can transcend those phases of the day from a design perspective. There are more food offers that now cater from breakfast / brunch through to late night dining and cocktails e.g. Dishoom, Jackson and Rye………and even Lyles do a pastry and coffee offer! For the interiors to be welcoming early morning and also late into the evening, the environments need to transcend those times of day with suitable level of ambience and comfort.

We’ll see fresher approaches to lighting styles as people are moving away from the bare bulb, industrial aesthetic, to a more contemporary modern design language - Atelier Areti are a good example of a more modern evolution of the industrial trend.

There will also be a shift towards using softer finishes like paper, fabrics and soft textured materials & finishes that evoke more delicacy, softness and femininity. We believe this concept will follow through in form as well, seen more prevalently in shapes of light fittings, introduction of more plants used in interiors and a general application that evokes a softness, as a contrast against all the hard materials such as steel and concrete used so much over the last few years. 

This can be seen already is restaurants like Spring at Somerset House - and we feel like this might be an inspiration for more feminine, soft interiors that make you feel very relaxed within to follow next year. People want and need to relax more while dining, and the application of this concept (such as achieved in Spring) we think subconsciously help people relax more (which we all need!) and encourage you to linger and enjoy relaxing and staying in a restaurant for longer. 

This might also be inspired by the desire to create a contrast and point of difference in commercial interiors against the hard edges and strong colours and materials still popular in the industrial inspired look, which is still very popular. There still seems to me to be an increase and popularity (in new london coffee shops, for example) in using a lot of concrete, steel, reclaimed timber, glass & exposed filament bulbs/ industrial wire cages. People starting new restaurant ventures might want to move away from this in order to create something a bit different and as a point of difference from their competition.

Hannah Somers, design consultant at Catering Design Group at Catering Design Group (CDG)​

The casual dining renaissance is set to continue at pace in 2015, as consumers opt for more hand-held, easy-to-eat foods, rather than a more formal dining experience.

Recent statistics from the NPD Group, global information specialists, show that casual dining restaurants have attracted an extra 47 million visits each year, compared with five years ago, making it the fastest growing sector in the eating out market. Why? Because it’s informal, offers good quality food, good value and high levels of service.

What this means in terms of design is that operators are having to really stand out in what is becoming a very crowded marketplace. There is an extremely small window of time for operators to capture the imagination of consumers. Even before they’ve walked through the door, any exterior branding and design needs to shout 'this is our offering,' 'this is our personality' and 'these are our values.' The very trendy end of casual dining is extremely good at this – think street food operators coming indoors! They don’t want to be all-inclusive, quite the opposite, they know their target audience and are very clever about how to reach them.

The look is super raw, edgy and industrial, with a hint of the seedy. It’s big, bold and in your face - there really are no boundaries. It is about creating layers and layers of complex textures across such materials as ceramics, brick, concrete and steel mesh to create visual interest and amusement for the eye. We’ll be seeing walls lined in corrugated metal, scaffolding posts used as dividing screens and that same scaffolding used as table legs. The aim is to communicate a humble, raw existence which shouts ‘it’s all about the food’ whilst showcasing your heart and personality.

Pantone has announced its colour for 2015 as Marsala, ‘a naturally robust and earthy wine red which enriches our minds, bodies and souls’. What this means across casual dining in general is that we’ll be seeing an end to lavish fabrics, polished surfaces and delicate touches. Consumers are bored of sharing tables and now want their own space, plus a choice of seating options – think banquette, cosy corners and high-dining tables. We’ll still be seeing a simple, stripped back style to replicate the food, however, within these spaces we’ll be experiencing warm, rich colours.  

Amy Ilic and David Pentland of Ardour Design, who recently designed ethical chicken shop h.en​ in Brighton​
A trend we are seeing for 2015 in commercial design is designing a space that has function at the forefront. The utilitarian look has been creeping into the mainstream and will be a big trend in restaurant interiors. This look allows a restaurant's food to shine and at the same time, people can dine in a designed, well thought out place that is pleasing to the eye.

Ply and OSB are materials that have started to be used a lot this year and this will continue to grow. We think this will be a huge trend for 2015 and fits with the utilitarian and functional space. Pegboard has been used in shops for years, but functionally and with no focus on the aesthetics of it. By creating bespoke and oversized designs for pegboard you get a beautiful and functional space that allows the restaurant to adapt as it's needs change. For instance, if you need a new display area, just pop in a couple of pegs and create something beautiful.

A trend that will carry on through 2015 will be the use of raw and natural materials such as stone and wood. It is human nature to feel the draw of natural materials and dining in a space that is surrounded by them is a grounding and enjoyable experience.

Using dark colours such as charcoal black on walls and ceilings is a trend that will become more popular. Some designers are scared of using black on the ceiling but we think that it adds depth, character and warmth to a space. A black ceiling also extenuates conduit lighting, which is also a big trend at the moment and will continue to grow. The more exposed conduit the merrier here. Copper or galvanised makes for a stunning functional pattern on the walls and doesn’t hide the functionality in a space.