reflect, just a little bit

water grill is located in richmond, va in carytown.   they serve seafood and american fare. the restaurant appears to be located in an old house that has been converted.  it has an open patio in front and is completely faced with windows on the street side.  my visit to water grill was in the late afternoon on a sunny day. 







 


the room pictured to the right is located in the front of the building.  it appears to be the old sunroom of the house.  it has windows across the front and french doors leading to the interior of the restaurant. it receives northern light, so indirect daylight.  however it is enough sunlight to fill the space with plenty of light and then some.  












the stairs are located directly across from the sunroom.  the materiality of the stairs, polished concrete, allows the light to reflect off of them. the light from the sunroom and recessed can lights from the floor above reflect off of the stairs.  additionally, the paint throughout the space is light colored which allows for the light to reflect off of the walls to fill the space with diffused light.







 
next to the stairs is a small seating area on the first floor.  the mirror in the space makes it appear larger and also allows the light to reflect.  the small recessed lights in the ceiling offer warm direct light on the specific tables and benches so that people are not eating in the dark.  the wood of the tables is somewhat glossy and the textile material of the benches is metallic to allow for light to be reflected.



 


the bar located on the first floor is made of dark wood which absorbs light, but the counter top is polished concrete which reflects the light from the pendant lamps above.  overall, the light in the bar area is warm and diffused.  it is bright but not overly so.  unlike many restaurant bars, there are not really any dark areas, the entire bar seems to be well lit.  i would be curious to see it at night though to see if the pendant lights are sufficient to keep the space bright without sunlight.

this is the second floor.  part of it is open to below which allows the daylight from the windows below to filter to the space above.  there are also some smaller windows along the second story in the front which provide direct light into the space.  the recessed can lights provide direct light to specific areas of the second floor and the light colored walls keep the space from appearing too dark.







 

the photograph to the left is the back room on the second floor.  the large mirror makes the room appear larger and reflects the light from the front rooms.  the ceiling lights offer direct light along the side walls and their reflections in the mirror make the space appear brighter.




 



this is the corner banquet on the second floor. it shows the reflection of light off the metallic wallcovering and white colored ceiling. 





in general, the space is very bright and well lit during the day.  it would be interesting to see the place at night when there is no daylight to see if the artificial light is appropriate.