Today’s restaurants are more than their fare; they are brands, destinations, and experiences. Great food and service are just the minimum requirements in a competitive industry. Increasingly, to become a crowd-favorite establishment, a creative team builds thoughtfully curated spaces from the ground up that consider the guests’ journey from start to finish. In this curation, it is well-known that the details are where patrons will look for distinctive elements that will stay with them long after the last bite.
Though lighting, seating, and layout are critical components, it is the artwork that draws guests’ attention and defines the ambiance. Working with an art advisor to craft custom art is a game-changer for businesses that truly want to stand out. One-of-a-kind art has the potential to tell brand-specific stories or create shareable moments that competition can’t replicate, enhancing the walls from backdrops to focal points.
Create Immersive Experiences
At the Luckley Tavern and Grill in Rio Las Vegas, our Hospitality Art Advisors, alongside Gianpiero Gaglione Interior Design, used art to create an immersive atmosphere that leans into nostalgia for comfort and convivial energy. Channeling the owner’s passion for rock and roll’s golden eras, Chief Curator Rebecca Wilson helped transform the space into a tribute to some of music’s most iconic figures and honored Vegas’s legacy as a hub for legendary musical residencies.
The custom art collection, featuring 205 concert photographs, album covers, and archival memorabilia, lines the warm, wood-paneled dining room for an all-encompassing look at the 70s, 80s, and 90s rock and punk counterculture. Guests are enveloped in a 360-degree trip, a time capsule of music history for an engaging sensory experience—a smart complement to the classic American fare.
Set the Tone
A casual Japanese eatery—the Japanese Bocce Club at The Boca Raton—makes a strong case for using specially crafted artwork to set the tone of a space. Moreover, it establishes a tone that differentiates itself from the traditional elegance of many Japanese restaurants. Major Food Group wanted to create a youthful, hip, and fun vibe, which led to commissioning two large-scale dimensional murals to fulfill the vision.
Michael Stavaridis Photography
Working closely with regional artist Meaghan Farrell Scalise, who is familiar with Boca Raton’s affluent and vibrant lifestyle, the design team from Rockwell Group for JBC and Saatchi Art Senior Art Advisor Tara McLanna developed custom mural concepts that evoke Japan’s celebrated ukiyo-e woodblock prints, updated with a striking contemporary palette and pared-down geometric minimalist style.
The first mural—crafted from CNC-cut wood panels—adds dimension and texture, beckoning guests to the shibori-dyed booths it is positioned behind. The second work, a hand-painted leather-upholstered wall piece, completes an enclosed nook in the dining area. With the rise of “Instagrammable” spaces, Bocce Club does memorable design right with these original murals that work in a two-fold way: the perfect scene for a raised cocktail and a signal to guests that Bocce is as contemporary as its stylish clientele.
Cultivate Brand Identity
In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a vegan restaurant moved into a quintessentially New York brick edifice. On its face, the building was not particularly remarkable, so how was it to stand out to the local community? PLANTA prides itself on “a local approach… respecting, supporting, and advancing the places where [it] sprouts.” When Senior Art Advisor Connie Kim stepped up to the project, she embraced the challenge of transforming this unassuming structure into a distinctive destination for the community.
Our team collaborated with ICRAVE and UK-based artist Georgia Beaumont to commission botanical imagery that matched the restaurant’s plant-based identity and local New York City-based muralist Sean Maze to translate Georgia’s small-scale artwork onto the large-scale exterior of the building. After an initial site visit, ivy vines had grown significantly, and rather than removing them, Sean adapted the imagery to fit the available wall space, creating a custom-branded mural for the new outpost. This mural established PLANTA’s brand identity and made it an eye-catching presence in a neighborhood known for its creativity and arts-forward presence.
As custom art becomes synonymous with contemporary design, it should not be overlooked when creating a holistic dining experience. Whether through bespoke art programs or unique murals, these visual cues can be the defining feature that positions a restaurant ahead of the rest.
If you’d like to see more curated collections, visit our selection of trade collections here. Please contact us at trade@saatchiart.com if you’d like to work with our advisory team for any hospitality, luxury residential, commercial, and healthcare projects— we’d love to hear from you!
