Signify, the world leader in lighting, partnered with architecture and design firm the Rockwell Group to recreate that quintessentially American icon that we’ve all seen in movies: The Diner. But this decidedly up-market pop-up diner was located in a historic vault under the Milano Centrale railway station.
David Rockwell, architect and Rockwell Group founder, designed the space to immerse visitors in a coast-to-coast journey through the United States, with four distinct environments. Visitors could experience the typical roadside diner offering coffee and pies; milkshakes served in an East Coast-style luncheonette while a middle section paid tribute to Midwest diners. The rear formed a tropical aesthetic space, typical of laid-back West Coast lounges.
Signify contributed lighting fixtures and lighting systems, and its Certified Value Added Partner Arkilux in Italy assisted with installation and programming. They chose Philips Color Kinetics PureStyle IntelliHue Powercorefixtures capable of mixing a palette of RGBA LED color channels at the source, which achieved subtle color variations to bring out the sophistication and distinctiveness of the space.
David Rockwell then worked with lighting designer Paul Gregory, from Focus Lighting, to assess every color and cue to ensure that the space’s overall look, feel and emotion were just right. Finally, using Philips Color Kinetics Color iPlayer 3 controller, the lighting was pre-programmed to change at different times of the day creating a unique feel in each area.
Mixing tradition with a contemporary twist, the pop-up restaurant acknowledged diners of the past while serving guests a taste of the future. Get the full story: read the case study online.