A fantastic addition to the Temper family in Shoreditch joins its counterpart locations in Soho, Covent Garden and the City to expand Chef David Lagonell’s offering. As seen on Celebrity MasterChef UK, this popular establishment is renowned for its open-fire cooking, steaks, tacos, bottomless brunch, Sunday roasts and tequila cocktails.

Nestled in between Old Street and Shoreditch High Street stations, the space is divided into two levels. The ground floor features a cocktail bar with happy hours and DJ sets, the ideal venue for an exclusive party or after-work drinks. The basement is home to the restaurant, with the focal centre point being the theatrical open firepit. Here guests can secure a counter seat, watching the chefs at work preparing and smoking food over the fire. Diners can be truly immersed in the flavourful experience and aromas, whether they are visiting the restaurant for the smokehouse, barbecue bottomless brunch or luxury Sunday roast.

Lighting is a key part of bringing the rich, sleek interiors to life. Lucent Lighting worked with lighting design consultancy Pritchard Themis to provide elegant lighting solutions which were utilised throughout the restaurant and bar areas. The key aim of the lighting design was to illuminate the rustic and moody interiors which feature burnt timber and dark tiles.

Lighting was tasked with bringing to life the dark and heavily textured materials palette whilst remaining subtle and understated providing a backdrop of big features such as the show kitchen and most importantly the food.

Guests can sink themselves into the plush leather seating of the neon-lit booths or take a seat at the brightly lit counter. The deep interiors are subtly spotlit using Lucent’s track-mounted TubeLED Mini LED51 ultra spotlights. The all white 2700k with high 98CRI ultra-LEDs and various beam angles of 12°, 24° and 38° allow for a flexible spotlight which can be set to highlight focal features. The fixture also features an integral driver with a range of dimming options to set the appropriate ambience for intimate dining.

Tables are lit with a combination of custom pendants with 38-degree optics and 12-degree spotlights and the lighting control is CASAMBI throughout. The use of EldoLED and CASAMBI was tested to ensure that there was no flicker and that the restaurant videos taken were clean, this was especially important for social media.

The eye is drawn to the decorative lighting above each table with Lucent’s Custom Cone pendant lighting with integral TubeLED Surface Mini downlights. These pendants were strategically placed in the ceilings to cast a soft ambience downwards, creating an elegant atmosphere for diners to relax and enjoy. The finish used on the pendants was raptor spray that gives a cast iron in appearance finish. Allowing them to be very light, allowing their positioning over tables to create a feeling of intimacy.

In the centre of the restaurant, the focal fire pit is brightly illuminated, providing cool functional lighting for the chefs to work from and showcase a dazzling display of their dynamic skills. The cocktail bar features under-bar lighting to entice people to take a seat, while the dazzling backlight cleverly highlights the rich colour of the liquors and spirits on display atop the shelves.

The real key to the show kitchen is that it uses the same 2700K high CRI as the preparation areas and on the tables ensuring that the presentation of the food is the same from its journey from prep to plate.

The ambience is enhanced with a variety of Lucent luminaires – surface-mounted TubeLED Surface mini tubular downlights, recessed Duo Accent trimmed downlights and recessed Soft70 Accent trimmed downlights. These downlights are enclosed in a minimal trim, matching the sleek aesthetic of the setting by blending seamlessly into the ceiling so that the lighting appears to glow from within.

No additional ambient lighting was used in this project, lighting was designed to specifically task areas, which include tables only and select wall textures to define the space. The only downlights used were in the vicinity of the water closets.

All elements of the lighting were carefully considered to complement the minimal aesthetics and modern functionality of the space while elevating the guest experience by providing a welcoming ambience and cosy dining.

Project credits:
Client: Temper
Lighting Design: Pritchard Themis

Products used:
Custom Cone pendant lights with integral TubeLED Surface Mini downlight
Track Mounted TubeLED Mini LED51 ultra spotlights + Suspended 3CT track
Surface mounted TubeLED Surface Mini tubular LED51 ultra downlights
Recessed Duo Accent trimmed LED51 ultra downlights
Recessed Soft70 Accent trimmed LED51 ultra downlights