Grace in the Kitchen, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
RETROFIT TEAM
INTERIOR DESIGNER/LIGHTING SPECIFIER: Parallel 45 Design Group Ltd.
LIGHTING MANUFACTURER REPRESENTATIVE: WSA
MATERIALS
Grace in the Kitchen is a specialty food store focused on gourmet cheeses and meats, high-end kitchenware, gifts and unique food items. When the business outgrew its downtown Ottawa location, owners found a new space—a warehouse three times the size—in the nearby suburb of Kanata.
Parallel 45 Design Group Ltd. was hired to create a neutral space that did not overshadow the merchandise itself. Designers selected Eureka Lighting’s Henri pendant for general illumination across the store’s breadth. With 20-foot industrial ceilings, the luminaires are strategically dropped to 16 feet. The Henri luminaire helps create the illusion of a false ceiling, which generates the more intimate feel of an enclosed space to enhance the shopping experience.
“Henri adds a wonderfully sleek look in the space, but it also has high output and gives off great light,” says Delaney Leefe, intern interior designer at Parallel 45 Design Group. “As a result, the luminaires were ideal as general store lighting. The owner was able to set up his merchandise shelves however he wished and was not beholden to the placement of the pendants above.”
Eureka Lighting’s Mill acoustic pendants are suspended above the front cash desk and the gourmet food counter at the back of the store. A collection of Mill luminaires with 14- and 25-inch depths are installed at staggered heights with a playful effect. Leefe selected a bright red felt color to tie into the store’s branding. The Mill pendants over the cash desk are visible through the front windows and prompt a striking first impression for visitors. They also serve as wayfinding.
While providing evenly diffused downlight, the Mill pendants also contribute to sound absorption. Grace in the Kitchen’s cash area and food counters can be busy, and there was the potential for echoes as staff interacted with customers. Fifteen felt panels in each Mill shade create a cylindrical shape that traps and absorbs sound within the luminaire’s hollow column.
PENDANT LIGHTING: Eureka Lighting
PHOTOS: Kevin Belanger