Renovating Restaurants With Restaurant Furniture
Although most people are concerned about the food at a restaurant, the atmosphere and the interior design play a huge role in garnering customers. Whether you need to renovate because of a kitchen fire or disaster or are just looking to change the look of your restaurant, there are several ways you can create an inviting space.Before you even begin to think about paint color or new restaurant chairs, you first need to set a budget. Are you just renovating the inside or are you doing the exterior as well? What is the timeline for the completion of this renovation? If the budget is small, then stay with smaller cosmetic changes like new restaurant furniture, paint, and decor. Remember that if you want new appliances, this can eat up a big chunk of your budget. Changing the floor plan is going to cost even more money and can take quite a lot of time. Decide whether you can allot a specific time for renovations or if you need to completely shut down your restaurant for several weeks or more. If you need to shut down, you need to be able to support both yourself and the staff.It’s best to hire a design consultant and/or architect to help you with the design. When it comes to the interior design, think about the mood you wish to set. How do you want people to feel when they eat at your restaurant? Is it a tiny Italian bistro or modern American chic? The restaurant furniture, paint, and decor need to match this theme. If you have a tiny bistro, then you should have bistro tables and chairs. Modern design will have straight lines and minimalistic furniture. Remember, it’s not just about looks. It’s also about comfort for your customers. Choose appealing colors for the walls. You don’t want everything to be bold and bright. Instead, accent with brighter colors.Choose restaurant furniture that is durable and long lasting. You don’t want to be renovating in another year. If changing the floor tile, choose a material that can withstand spills and dropped plates. Lighting is key to setting the mood. You want customers to be able to read the menu, but you don’t want to blind them with fluorescent lighting. Chandeliers and wall sconces will create a cozy atmosphere, while recessed lighting is much more modern. Most restaurants set candles at each table, just don’t use scented.Lastly, choose new tablecloths and dishes. Again, these should fit the style of the restaurant furniture. Modern furniture and decor means simple white square plates. Add wall art and sculptures to tie it all together. Just think of your restaurant as a larger version of your house. You want people to feel at home, while still providing them with a sense of escapism.
Art Appreciation – A Rich, Rewarding Experience
I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ART BUT I KNOW WHAT I LIKE?Perhaps you’ve gone to a gallery or art museum, looked at the artwork displayed and said to yourself, “What the heck is that? I can’t understand it! Why is this here in a gallery?”Or, maybe you’ve gone to a gallery or art museum and your reactions was, “Wow! Great stuff! I like this! I don’t know why, but I do!”Or, maybe you’ve gone to a gallery or art museum, and, after viewing the exhibits, you walk away feeling bored and disinterested. You may have said to yourself, ” Why do I bother with looking at art? I never understand it. It’s beyond me.”Like any other discipline, art requires the viewer to be knowledgeable about the information it presents. Sometimes we think we should just automatically understand art. After all, there it is, just hanging there on the wall and all we have to do, we think, is just look at it. But do we really SEE it? Often, our response may be, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.”
That is just another way of saying, “What I like is really just based on my ignorance.”THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE MORE YOU CAN ENJOY
Liking a certain artwork is a pleasure. You have communicated with visual phenomena and really enjoyed the experience. It can be a very enriching, rewarding experience to know how and why an art form developed or have some knowledge of how and why an artist works in a particular way. More than likely, your perspective is quite limited if you have never studied art or know how it has developed in not only, our Western culture but all over the world.What if you could gain information on the many forms of art that have been produced since humanity began, and how it developed over time to the present day? What would this kind of study mean to you? It would mean that, equipped with that knowledge, you would be able to enjoy a lot more art! Here’s why.The more you know about art and its development, the more you can enjoy looking at art! You will see much more and understand the context, content and style of the art form. And this is the basis of Art Appreciation-a study of how to expand your knowledge of the art world, past, present and future and, with that perspective, be able to communicate with the rich visual/creative world!HOW TO BEGIN
So, how do your start gaining knowledge of this vast art world? Where do you begin?Begin by dipping your toe into Art History. With a basic Art History 101 knowledge you will be able to see how art, as we know it, was not really a term until the science of Art History was developed in our western culture. And, when it was developed, as you can read in many art history books in the library, art has existed as long as humans have been able to pick up a stick, brush or chisel and record their lives and experiences.There are several ways of learning how to appreciate art:ONE — Learn about the basics of art history. How art developed, from the Lascaux cave paintings to modern art today. Older art history books deal primarily with artistic development in Western culture. Newer books add developments in Asia, China, Russia and the mid-East. The study of Art History has, over time, become global. In learning the time lines and factors that produce new perspectives and styles in art, you will not only gain a new historical perspective, but also become acquainted with the various art forms produced over the past centuries.TWO–Choose a certain period or style in art history and learn about it. Perhaps Impressionism interests you. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to know the difference between Op Art and Pop Art. Through studying the cultural impact of a certain style on a specific period in time, you can understand why that particular art form developed and appreciate the artwork in a broader context.THREE–Take a tour of your local art museum. Museums offer a wide variety of art educational programs and tours of their exhibits. Or travel and see the actual art in its setting. There are many websites on the Internet listing global art tours and travel, often by geographical location or specific art and architectural styles. On site art tours offer a unique and interesting way to travel and can give you an intimate, one on one perspective with the historical art and culture of the area. Tour groups are generally small in number and conducted by very knowledgeable guides delighted to respond to all of your questions and comments.FOUR-Visit your local art galleries often. Galleries are supportive of their artists and gallery owners and attendants are usually quite pleased at your interest in their exhibits. They will be glad to give you information on the artists, such as whether they are local, where they have shown their work, what awards they have won, and who has purchased their artwork. Keep informed of present and future exhibits. This hands on approach, connects you closely with affordable art that is available where you live and often created by artists who live in or near your area.DISCOVER A RICH VISUAL WORLD
Art Appreciation is as big or small a study as you want to do. Whether you want to make it an occasional outing or a serious study, whatever you choose, learning how art forms have historically developed and understanding what is on the walls in your local gallery will definitely change your perspective.Wouldn’t it be great to be able to discuss a painting on the wall in a gallery, instead of shrugging and muttering, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.”
Think of it. Perhaps your response would be more like, “I like the way this artist uses color in an Expressionistic style. The brushwork is so vigorous! There is a lot of energy in the composition. Also, the use of thick paint produces an interesting texture.”Through Art Appreciation you can discover a rich visual/creative world that will inspire you and beckon you to learn more.
Government-Run Health Care Cannot Work!
It would be GREAT if our government could successfully manage American’s Health Care needs. I would be all in if the government guaranteed good health for everyone, and they were even remotely qualified to make such a guarantee. The truth is we all face different health issues at different ages. The recent health issues I faced were handled by doctors, hospitals, and nurses. I had made poor food and exercise choices and suffered a stroke because of those poor choices. Health professionals guided my recovery and no person from the government or from the health insurance company ever visited me while I was hospitalized or in recovery. The task of defining what a health care system looks should be determined by you and your doctor, not the health insurance companies, government, and lawyers that are currently the face of our health system.The government, i.e. politicians, claim we all need health insurance, but who will pay for the premiums, co-pays, and not-covered illnesses and accidents? Will everyone enjoy good health because they a health insurance policy? Will everyone’s health insurance be free since the ACA has mandated everyone own a policy regardless of their individual health needs or financial position? Basically, at gun-point, ‘rhetorically speaking,’ the government is forcing everyone to purchase health insurance? If legal, where will the money come from to pay the health insurance premiums, or the health professionals who diagnose our illnesses? Where will the money come from to finance the equipment needed to diagnose and/or treat our health needs? Where will the money come from for the buildings needed to house the equipment and the facilities for the infirmed? These are just a few of the questions I have for those who profess the government should be responsible for our individual health needs. The last time I checked the government didn’t have any money to pay for anything unless they taxed you and me to get it.What, you mean we already have a government-run health care system? Is that why my taxes are so high? Is that why I read in the newspaper recently that the government is paying millions of dollars every year for fraudulent health care claims? Is that why doctors are leaving the government-run health system for the more efficient private practices? Is that why the government is making criminals out of Americans who would rather not purchase health insurance policies? Golly, I hope the government does a better job of running Obamacare than they did managing health needs for our veterans through the Veterans Administration.