A creative trick in designing the facade of a restaurant in Madrid (+photo)

This project is an example of temporary architecture that transforms the visual experience of an urban space without fundamentally changing the structure of the building. Here, color has become a tool to redefine the relationship between facade, sidewalk and everyday objects; A simple intervention that creates a different image of a familiar space by relying on perspective.

Safir Arjan - a clever play with color and perspective turned the facade of a restaurant in Madrid into a scene for a golden light beam; A project by multidisciplinary group (fos) that challenged the boundary between real light and visual image by using yellow strips, furniture and decorative elements.

This temporary installation was executed in 2013 for the vegetarian restaurant Reine in the Barrio de las Letras neighborhood of Madrid. By covering parts of the facade, walls, floor and equipment around the entrance with yellow color, the designers created an image similar to the light that shines from above on the space in front of the restaurant.

The main idea of the project was to create an artificial light beam; But instead of just using lighting, the designers took help from the color and geometry of the surfaces. The yellow strips continued on the vertical and horizontal surfaces and included parts of the furniture, paintings and decorative objects so that from a certain angle, all the components can be seen in the form of a single image.

In this composition, the yellow color did not act as a decorative element, but was a tool to direct the audience's gaze and create the illusion of depth and light. By changing the viewing angle, the continuity of this imaginary beam was lost and the visual mechanism of the effect was revealed.

A small intervention with a different effect

The group (fos) used more than 250 meters of yellow tape, painted decorative items, some pineapples and a lamp to perform this work. This arrangement remained in place for four days and nights and invited passers-by to watch the view from a certain angle.