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M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 5 • R E S T A U R A N T D E V E L O P M E N T + D E S I G N • 3 9 BY VALERIE KILLIFER, Contributing Editor A dvancements in lighting design and technology make it easier for restau- rant operators to think outside the box. Once-standard fxtures are giving way to design-integral expressions ranging from indus- trial-looking, repurposed fxtures to fantastic, custom artistic expressions that take statement lighting and its place in restaurant design to a whole new level. At the same time, practical but no less fantastic advancements in technology — particularly with regard to LEDs — present restaurants with completely new opportunities to integrate envi- ronmentally friendly lighting schemes that look great and reduce long-term overhead costs. Hunt & Fish Club in New York City, a $5 million, 9,000-square-foot upscale steakhouse run by founders Eytan Sugarman, Nelson Braff and Anthony Scaramucci, represents one operation in which the artistic possibilities of restaurant lighting shine brightly. Designed by artist Roy Nachum with his wife Maia Nachum, director of SoHo-based frm Studio Iyor, Hunt & Fish Club's various custom-designed light fxtures were literally built as art installations. The restaurant separates into fve rooms, each designed around a color and each offering distinct experiences for din- ers. Each main area features uniquely designed lighting. In the White Room, for instance, a 40-by-20-foot installation fashioned from chrome rods and 2,500 bulbs refects against a charcoal mirrored ceiling. "The idea was to create something unexpected and surreal. The refective surface of the ceiling and the refective quality of the materials allows observers to become part of the installation, seeing their own refections in between an infnite number of iridescent lights," explains Roy Nachum. "Conversely the foor lighting, sconce lights and oval fxture hanging from the skylight in the Green Room [so named for its living green wall] all use the same materials, but take on different forms." Downstairs in the Blue Room, the ceiling serves as a light installation, composed of geometric slabs of charcoal mirror and lightbulbs arranged in the shape of a compass rose. Similarly, viewers are transported into the installation where their refec- tions become part of the incandescent form. "We wanted to create an intelligent space, which feels new yet timeless and monumental," Roy Nachum says of the Hunt & Fish Club's overall design. "The light installations created for