I recently photographed a project we finished at The Guest House Ocala – their community dining hall. The Guest House is a residential treatment facility that I’ve had the pleasure of working with the last two and a half years. I actually have to catch you up on all the previous spaces we’ve completed, but, maybe starting from most recent is the way to go.
Dining Hall: Before
The dining hall on the property is where clients eat all their meals while staying for treatment. In addition to the tables for dining, the other half of the space is a lounge zone for playing games and watching movies. When I first saw the space, it felt a little cold and barren. I was tasked with making it feel more like a restaurant and less like a high school cafeteria. To make the environment inviting; a welcome place to sit and enjoy a meal.
The space already had a few elements that we needed to work with: the floors, furniture in the lounge area, and the dining table and chairs. We had to work with what we had, plus build on it to make it better. One of the things I love about working on commercial spaces is the challenge of coming up with ideas and strategies to accomplish the objective.
Dining Hall: After
Since this was not a residential home, we couldn’t fill it with extra furnishings or too much fluff. We needed the impact to be off the floor. For that reason, I felt like a bold wall color was the way to go. We chose a blue that would make a big impact (Waterloo by Sherwin Williams). The other element I felt could make the space feel more like a restaurant was ceiling lighting. We added the two chandeliers to establish the different “zones” in the dining hall.
On the eating side of the dining hall, I think the piece that makes it feel most like a restaurant is the long banquette. Not only does it fill the wall as a focal point, but it also invites you to sit and stay for a while.
Instead of hanging the art directly on the wall, we chose a rail system to hang the frames from. We used a variety of different digital downloads from BFF Print Shop and Juniper Print Shop to get the images in the sizes we needed. Speaking of art, we also used several pieces from Sugarboo & Co. around the space.
Lounge Area
In the lounge zone, we did a few other tweaks to make it feel more home-y. We swapped the projection screen for a regular TV that would sit on a media stand. We added some chairs to balance out the sectional and feel more “conversational”. Finally, we swapped the neutral area rug for one with more color and movement.
Looking back at where we started, I feel like we accomplished what we were trying to do in the dining hall. The colors, lighting and art helped to elevate what felt like a plain box. Now the surroundings match the incredible meals the team serves up every day. I look forward to sharing more of the completed projects at this gorgeous property.
Ebony Evans-Molock
The transformation is absolutely amazing! Great job.
Ale Post author
Thank you! 🙂
Bill Glenney
Ale, the transformation is incredible! I had to go back and look closely at the before photos to confirm that you indeed used the same furniture. The paint on the wall made everything look brand new. Excellent work!
Ale Post author
Thank you so much. It’s crazy how much can be changed with a good paint job….
melanie
LOOKS AMAZING ALE!!!! I’m so impressed
Ale Post author
Appreciate that, Mel!
Mary Liz Ranieri
What a beautiful difference.
Ale Post author
Thanks so much!
Lucia
I also had to go back to check the furniture.
What a difference! It looks so elegant
and warm. Great work Ale!
Ale Post author
Thank you!
Tricia
Beautiful job!
Ale Post author
Thanks!