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Making every seat count
Making every seat count
A $4.5 million design has transformed a medical office building into a
fine dining establishment that offers a spectacular view from any angle.
Orlando, Fla. – Distinguished chef Neil Connolly knows great food isn’t
enough to provide a top-notch dining experience. Restaurants require a
design concept as superb as the menu in order to dazzle diners.
When Connolly decided to open Doc’s Restaurant in Orlando last year,
the former Kennedy family chef and culinary expert turned to restaurant
design virtuoso Jim Love who has had a hand in creating the look of
some of Florida’s most famous dining establishments, including Panama
City’s Captain Jack’s, Breakers and Harpoon Harry’s.
With more than 45 years of food facility planning experience, Love’s
interior design concept for the 16,000-square foot glass encased
multi-level restaurant, featuring two kitchens, a dining room, a
covered outdoor dining patio, a martini lounge and banquet room, has
helped make Doc’s Restaurant a darling of Orlando’s fine dining scene.
His approach centered around one straightforward philosophy.
“One of the greatest challenges in designing any restaurant is to make every seat in the house a good one,” he said.
Through a combination of woods, granites, glass, accent lighting,
ornate millwork, decorative columns and curved wall features, Love has
created a dining establishment that offers an appealing view from any
angle, whether you’re beside a windowed seat or the exhibition kitchen.
Indirect recessed track lighting surrounding the perimeter of the
restaurant’s interior washes the massive windows and olive-colored
walls in the 150-seat dining room in soft light and romantic shadows.
Illuminated by edge lighting, a sheet of cracked glass resting atop a
partial wall in the center of the dining room provides a captivating
light show.
“Its’ almost like a green fire dancing along the cracked edges,” Love said.
Painted a shade of pale persimmon, a curved wall feature extends from
the dining room’s elevated ceiling masking a portion of the exhibition
kitchen while making the high-ceilinged eatery feel less cavernous.
“Most exhibition kitchens aren’t totally exposed, but this one brings a
sense of liveliness into the dining room,” Love said. “The dining room
remains surprisingly quiet, nonetheless.”
Recessed lighted niches add dimensions to the spacious dining room
while the concrete floors stained with geometric patterns of yellow,
black, terracotta and green pull the look together.
Several subtle details underscore the understated theme of Doc’s Restaurant.
The apple, which has been recognized by medical practitioners for its
health benefits for centuries, is also a decorative component within
the restaurant that is situated amidst diagnostic centers, medical
offices, and X-ray laboratories.
Apples are etched in both the cracked glass that rests on the partial
wall and in a frosted glass centerpiece behind the dining room bar. A
series of pendant lights with emerald-colored balls hangs above the
dining room bar resembling a row of glowing green apples.
The upstairs banquet room and martini lounge encapsulate a more
dramatic ambience with plum and yellow walls, wood cherry floors, a
granite bar and granite table tops. Doc’s makes frequent use of accent
lighting in the upstairs lounge with martini-glass shaped sconces.
“We wanted it to be as different as possible without reinventing the wheel,” Love said.
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Media Contact:
Krista Zilizi
Quantified Marketing Group
706-627-3204
407-936-1010
kzilizi@quantifiedmarketing.com
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