When it comes to the interior of your restaurant, the colour scheme should be a key consideration. This is because colours have the power to influence the feelings and emotions of your customers. From how they perceive your establishment to how they feel while dining inside your restaurant, your chosen colour scheme can affect their overall dining experience.
There are plenty of ways you can use restaurant colour schemes to your advantage. The right colours can help increase your table turnover, make your dining space appear more spacious, and make diners feel more welcome. Understanding the psychology of colours can go a long way towards creating the perfect ambience for your restaurant.
In this article, we’ll be going over some of the best restaurant colour scheme ideas that will help you pick and choose the best colours for your establishment.
- Light colour schemes
Light colour schemes are often used to make small spaces look bigger than they are. As light colours evoke a relaxing and leisurely atmosphere, they are an excellent choice for bistros, pubs, and upscale restaurants. For restaurants with high turnover rates, you may want to look into another colour scheme since light colours tend to favour smaller restaurants with fewer guests.
Some of the best colours to use for light colour schemes are:
- Beige
- White
- Ivory
- Light grey
- Pale yellow
- Dark colour schemes
Dark colour schemes create an intimate and romantic atmosphere which is ideal for trendy restaurants and bars. Picking dark colours is a balancing act as darker shades can sometimes look overpowering and make the space feel cramped and claustrophobic. The key is to experiment with various shades to introduce a bit of lightheartedness whilst maintaining the romantic vibe of the entire setting.
Some of the best colours to use for dark colour schemes are:
- Brown
- Purple
- Crimson
- Dark green
- Navy
- Warm colour schemes
Warm colours are those that are bright, vibrant, and immediately noticeable. They offer plenty of visual stimulation and give off an exciting feeling to your guests. But because the colours are so bright, they can clash with your restaurant ambience if you have a low turnover rate. Warm colour schemes suit busy restaurants best since the high-volume workloads complement the vibrant colours. Think of fast-food restaurants, casual eateries, and buffets as prime examples for this type of colour scheme:
Some of the best colours to use for warm colour schemes are:
- Red
- Orange
- Gold
- Terracotta
- Yellow
- Earthy colour schemes
An earthy colour scheme features colours that are neutral and toned down. As the name suggests, earthy colours are those that are commonly found in nature such as browns and olive greens. This colour scheme is popular for establishments with moderate to low turnover rates such as cafes and coffee shops where you want to create a homey and relaxing environment. In addition to that, having green and brown features in your restaurant can place a deeper emphasis on healthy foods, something that you should keep in mind when choosing your restaurant’s colour schemes.
Some of the best colours to use for earthy colour schemes are:
- Brown
- Olive green
- Umber
- Dark orange
- Beige
- Pastel colour schemes
Pastel colour schemes are the distant cousins of warm colour schemes; they feature fun, vibrant colour albeit in a lighter and softer tone. Not too many establishments use pastel colours for their interiors, but when done right the overall ambience feels truly unique. This type of colour scheme was very popular back in the 80s and is once again becoming a new trend in casual eateries and major restaurants who want their establishments to be a focal point of social media attention.
Some of the best colours to use for pastel colour schemes are:
- Pink
- Light yellow
- Sky blue
- Lavender
- Pale green
But your restaurant’s interior colours aren’t the only thing you should pay attention to. The colour of your menu can also affect how customers feel about the type of food that you’re serving. When choosing a colour scheme for your menu, you want to pick vibrant colours that are easily noticeable. This helps capture the attention of the diners and make them interact more with your food choices.
Just be aware of how the menu’s colour scheme will fit with your restaurant’s interior design. You certainly don’t want to use red and orange for your menu when you’re using earthy tones for your establishment. In this instance, you want to pick a white background with solid neutral colours to make your menu pop out.
Selecting the right colour scheme
Now that you understand how each colour scheme affects your customers, you’ll want to pick the right colours that match your establishment perfectly. Don’t be afraid to combine two colour schemes together or pair colours of various shades to your restaurant. Think about your target audience and what you would like them to feel when they’re inside your establishment. From there, you can weigh in your options and pick the right colour scheme that matches your interior design perfectly.
Choosing a colour scheme for your restaurant is very important because it has a direct impact on your customers. When you pick the right colours, you can create a dining experience that’s unique to your restaurant which can help drive sales, increase foot traffic, and reinforce your brand image.
