Restaurant wall decoration is sometimes called commercial art but that doesn't mean it has to be something you'd think of as commercial. Restaurant managers have endless options for decor, from murals and celebrity photos to oil paintings, posters or commercially produced art options. One thing managers will want is some basic supplies to get this stuff onto restaurant walls.

You can find supplies for restaurant art and wall hangings online from companies that routinely outfit all kinds of facilities with gear for hanging visuals to make an indoor space attractive. Buyers might look for:

1. Glass and framing for protecting restaurant murals, prints or other art work for long-term display.

2. Lighting that adds a focus toward whatever art work is featured in a restaurant space.

3. Alternative hanging supplies where nails may not be the best method for hanging art work and restaurant decor.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find frames for restaurant wall decoration

One basic element that you'll need is stylish and functional frames for all of the art you've picked up to set up your restaurant's ambiance. Find frames that fit the look of your interior, and durable models that will stand the test of time.

I recommend: Get free phone support and free FedEx shipping for orders over $120 from Custom Frame Solutions. Or browse the extensive product design collection at Frames by Mail to get framing gear shipped to your restaurant for displaying your restaurant decorations proudly.

Find lighting to illuminate restaurant wall decorations

Lots of managers also choose to center lighting options around the restaurant wall hangings they've put up on the walls. Specialized sconce or track lighting shows off a colorful painting or decorative print and maximizes the value of having the piece on display.

I recommend: Get a range of single light solutions at Funky Lights. For more in track lighting, mood lighting and all kinds of installations, try Pegasus Associates Lighting. Consider some MR16 Halogen Flexible Hanging Lights for showing off art work under these versatile single installations. Or find ceiling lights with ceramic or hanging fixtures.

Look for best ways to hang restaurant decoration

If you're not looking to nail painting or other restaurant artwork directly into the walls, you can find alternative ways to get your art work up on display.

I recommend: QVC has heavy duty drywall hooks available online. Find more on the best way to hang your restaurant wall art and tools for installation at the Systematic Art.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider a larger theme when buying restaurant decor. It's nice to collect a group of pieces you generally like, but without some portfolio integration, a lot of art pieces can clash with each other. Look at your total collection and try to match your pieces all the way around the room for the best effect.

Restaurant design should be more than just bits of décor positioned haphazardly on the wall. It should communicate your message and reinforce your brand at all times. From the lobby to the restrooms, your company’s personality should be apparent in every design element within your restaurant. Successful restaurant design is:

1. Purposeful
2. Conceptualized
3. Consistent with your branding

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Develop your concept

A well-defined concept will determine whether an establishment becomes an award-winning restaurant and or another face in the crowd. A well-designed restaurant concept has the potential for longevity and expansion. By dominating the market niche that your restaurant occupies, you can guarantee that you’ll consistently be on the tips of guests’ tongues.

I recommend: Positioning your restaurant. Don’t be the best at something, be the only one doing what you’re doing. Read Quantified Marketing Group’s Restaurant Positioning article at to help you fill in the blank for this sentence: My restaurant is the only one that _____.

Functionality

When designing a restaurant, functionality should be at the forefront of the conceptual design process. A carefully thought-out floor plan will maximize efficiency among staff and enhance a guest’s overall experience. Budget, timeline and securing building permits are other technical issues that should be considered before the restaurant design process begins.

I recommend: Entering the restaurant design process with a deliberate agenda. Read Quantified Marketing Group’s article, Restaurant Design Process.

Each stage of the restaurant designer’s process is intended to move you toward the ultimate goal of producing an efficient restaurant floor plan, an attractive atmosphere and an overall well-executed concept that resonates in the minds of guests long after they pay the bill.

Identify your restaurant’s personality

The typical upscale steakhouse usually isn’t described as “fun and irreverent.” It’s important to define your restaurant’s positioning and personality appropriately. Once you identify specific characteristics that define your restaurant’s personality, it should guide your design.

I recommend: Identifying your restaurant’s personality and using those words to brand your concept. Read Quantified Marketing Group’s article on Restaurant Branding.

Establish your creative platform

A creative platform is about more than your restaurant’s exterior and interior design. It includes all creative elements attached to your restaurant, including the logo, color scheme and typography. Menus, napkins and to-go materials must all be cohesive and match the overall creative platform and design of your restaurant. Seize every opportunity to communicate your restaurant’s personality and message to guests.

I recommend: Learning more about how other elements, including uniforms and menu design, can be a consistent part of your creative platform and can contribute to the experience your restaurant offers to guests. Quantified Marketing Group has helpful articles on Menu Design and Restaurant Uniforms.

Build branding into your restaurant design

Your restaurant’s brand is not only your promise to guests, but also to employees, the media and the restaurant industry as a whole. Your brand should be consistently reinforced through your menu, service, public relations campaign and design.

I recommend: Building your marketing into your restaurant design. Quantified Marketing Group’s article on Building the Marketing into your Restaurant Design will explain how this can be accomplished.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many restaurants use booths as part of their seating. Over time, booths can become outdated and often face brutal wear and tear. Changing the upholstery or finishes on booths or chairs is a quick way to revitalize the visual appeal of your restaurant.
• •  Use restaurant uniforms as part of your creative platform. When designed with branding in mind, restaurant uniforms should blend seamlessly with a particular atmosphere and look out of place in any other restaurant.
• •  Think of the formula “People + Product = Profit.” By engaging employees in shift meetings and keeping them focused on success, you’ll create a foundation for a winning restaurant concept.

Restaurant owners and managers have lots of options for jazzing up the interior of their dining establishment with restaurant wall decor items. Many markets studies have shown substantial results from decorating programs in a range of restaurants and cafes. Decor is a large part of the dining process, and getting the right images and colors up on the walls can help bring in return customers and boost revenues.

If that's not enough of an incentive to go looking for art for restaurant decor options, there's also a quick and easy way to outfit your dining room. Online vendors can provide great visual demos of their products on quality catalog pages to let restaurant operators make good decisions and get restaurant decorations shipped conveniently to their shops. Buyers might look for:

1. Colorful image-oriented themed restaurant wall decoration like wall hangings for evoking a certain setting or association.

2. Abstract restaurant decorations to enhance a dining experience with good color schemes and soothing designs.

3. Other items in wood, iron or other materials to provide restaurant decoration accents for a dining area.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use a themed restaurant wall decoration to create mood

For restaurants that want to create a certain experience for diners, artwork can be a big part of the effort for a consistent vibe. Even a lot of more mainstream restaurants use pictures of certain locations or products to complement cuisine from a particular country or region.

I recommend: Find drink and dining themed wall hangings at TheFineTapestry.com to provide a good setting for a quality dinner. Go creative with metalworking solutions for a rustic feel from IronAccents.com. Choose mirrors, wrought iron trellis models, pattern hangings and more wall decorations for getting those decorative touches for your dining area.

Find tips online for help with restaurant decorations

Another option is to get restaurant wall coverings options that provide a good, subtle background. With purchases like these, buyers don't want the artwork to jump out at diners; rather, the restaurant murals or hangings are part of a larger furnishing plan for the space.

I recommend: Majon International provides an in-depth article specialized restaurant decorations. The Restaurant Report provides instruction on how to decorate the inside your of restaurant for maximum return on investment.

Get other restaurant artwork solutions from design firms

Aside from graphical wall hangings, there are other elements that give restaurants character in subtle ways. Buyers can look to marketing firms and design consultants to help with the overall decor of the restaurant.

I recommend: Let the professionals at Quantified Marketing Group help you design the perfect interior to keep customers coming back. Maxey Hayse Design Studios can choose the right kind of restaurant artwork and help with using restaurant wall decor that customers will remember.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking for restaurant wall decorations, make sure your purchases all add up to a consistent effect. Clashing images and mismatched interior items often will not have the effect you'd like, so consider this when collecting restaurant artwork for your business.