Page 84 - Lighting Magazine August 2018

coMMercial project
“I am a fan of dimmable lighting from the 1-10 range, so you can really take it down to the perfect level.”
lighting when it comes to design and trends. “The Edison light bulb still seems to reign supreme,” he says. “I am a fan of dimmable lighting from the 1-10 range, so you can really take it down to the perfect level. I am also a huge fan of vintage styling and anything that makes me feel like I might have seen it in an old movie.”
While Pu er is a partner in four other restau- rants, Herb & Wood is the rst venue that he designed himself — a process that was challenging, to say the least. “Mind numbing, terrifying, ob- sessed, sleepless nights...my God, what the heck was I thinking?! It was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life,” he reveals.
“The end result? I stood on the patio and thought, ‘Everything I have ever experienced in my life – good and bad – has brought me to this mo- ment.’ Being a singer/songwriter in a past life, I felt like this was my frustrated artist nally ge ing to express himself. Herb & Wood is sort of like my art installation piece. It’s real and authentic and does not feel like a California theme park.”
When it comes to future projects, Pu er is currently collaborating on two restaurants with a design group, but doesn’t foresee taking the lead. “Maybe someday when I retire I will do another restaurant from the top to bo om,” he surmises. “For now, it is di cult since we have four venues to operate and two more opening within the next 12-13 months, but for Herb & Wood, the timing was perfect to design.” 
Whimsical artwork featuring the female form adds character to the restaurant, as do the custom-bracketed pendant lights along the wall.
French white Pyrolave [glazed lava] bartop glow, but also help accentuate the gilded steel and golden back bar, which has a French Quarter-type feel.”
The Lavender Lounge pairs marble tables with brass accents, wooden high-top French farm tables, and a dual-sided replace. “For this space, the lighting took on a more Bohemian feel with the use of iron gold-accented glass prisms and birdcage-esque hanging lamps,” he remarks. “The use of these lights creates textures on the walls and ceilings.”
For the patio, Pu er speci ed gas lamps and classic American hanging lamps to provide New England charm. “The use of gas lamps and amber bulbs give the patio a beautiful golden hue to help create our ‘secret garden,’” he notes.
Lastly, Pu er points out that in the main dining room, custom and residential lamps with all So White glow bulbs help create a di erent feeling of underwater that is light and airy. “The large over- sized Modigliani paintings in gilded frames give the room a sophisticated feel; however, the ‘open’ kitchen behind blue panes makes you feel you are in the action without the noise,” he states.
In general, Pu er is inspired by several kinds of
80 enLIGHTenment Magazine | august 2018
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