The era of fast casual restaurants all looking the same is over. After a strong boom over the past decade, this relevant and appropriate restaurant style concept is looking for new and innovative ways to adapt to the diversity and location of their roll outs. One of the most creative brands that is adapting well to this dynamic landscape is Nando's in Ashford, a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. This stunning and rich interior was created by UK based interior design firm, Blacksheep. Their ability to help the Client envision an imaginative space from scratch and stay relevant to the core values of the brand is commendable.

The interior space boasts an expansive amount of lattice work that defines a particular zone of the dining area while it energizes the ceiling plane. The restaurant has great ceiling height that you may or may not notice at first. Because it is painted black, the ceiling actually appears to fade into the background. The intimacy of the space is defined by dropped ceiling elements, pendant fixtures and the perimeter wood banding that stops at a typical ceiling height, causing your eye to stop too.

Rows of distressed timber flank the walls and provide a complement to the highlights of wire mesh. Authentic Portuguese artwork provides a pop of color on the vertical plane while accent seating is inviting and alive. The dining area has a variety of seating types to fit all needs; soft seating, round tables and an elevated platform of seats.  Lighting is always such an important element to any space and a variety of lighting types is a great approach. Nando's restaurant mixes and matches the lighting with the area it serves.  Pendants drop from the ceiling plane over the dining table, accent track lighting highlights artwork and other wall features such as an eclectic blend of mis-shaped pendants provide an accent along booth seating while ceiling recessed down lighting give a necessary ambient light to the space.

Color, light and energy make for an exciting, must-visit restaurant.Blacksheep  brings a rustic, casual, cool, diverse and inviting experience to an enjoyable dining environment. After all, at Yatzer, we are always fond of great food that can be enjoyed in great surroundings.