Colorful Lighting Lends Funky Flair to New Bakery
The old brick house sat adjacent to the Sunny Point Café in Asheville, North Carolina, for years. After using the house for storage and office space, café owner and chef April Moon Harper decided to reinvent the house as a bakery and prep area for the restaurant.
Renovations began in 2019 and soon revealed undersized floor joists and roof rafters. The demo team also pointed out to April that the entire structure was nine inches out of square.
“We joke that it became the rabbit hole as we converted this tiny house into a mighty structure,” she says. That long, rocky road of renovations, further complicated by the pandemic, inspired the bakery’s name — Rabbit Hole at Sunny Point Café.
The bakery opened last month and serves a variety of freshly made goodies plus coffee and other drinks. A covered deck is available for private dining, parties, and events while the outdoor garden offers a popular gathering space for customers.
“We always wanted the bakery to have its own unique yet complementing identity to Sunny Point,” April explains. “A strong connection to the garden was very important thus the choice in colors and materials.” April sourced lighting from Barn Light Electric for Sunny Point back in 2014, so she turned again to this American manufacturer for the new bakery lighting.
“We always try to source locally for anything we do whether it’s food or building materials so Barn Light was a natural fit,” she notes. “The options in color were also great for adding that garden element, almost like a flower bouquet.” For the exterior deck walls, April chose three Sinclair Gooseneck Lights. She customized these handcrafted wall lights with 16″ shades, a bright Sunflower finish, and G36 gooseneck arms.
“The Sinclair is the star of the show if you ask me! They fit the size and scale of the deck perfectly,” April says. “The arm is long enough to illuminate the gardens and path, and the color pops against the more natural colors of the building. They’re like the sunflowers in our gardens in the summer.”
For the entryways, Avalon Gooseneck Lights add a touch of farmhouse style to the building. These RLM-inspired wall lights are customized with 16″ shades, a powder coat Black finish, and G31 gooseneck arms.
“The Avalon was a solid economical and classic choice for these spaces,” April notes. “It fit the bill!”
For the bakery’s interior and back deck, April chose the fun and wavy shade of the Seaside Pendant Light. She customized these handspun pendants with both Teal and Sunflower powder coat finish colors.
“The Seaside Pendant is the perfect fit. We chose the colors as a nod to Sunny Point,” she adds. “The color really helps link the two businesses. The dusty pink walls, the wallpaper, and the colorful lights make it look a little funky which is perfect.”
April chose 12″ shades to highlight the bakery counter and hallway but chose larger 16″ shades for the deck which has a higher ceiling.
“I really feel that the lights add a classic element to the design of the space. Using them consistently throughout really helped tie the space together,” April says. “Barn Light products are rock solid, beautifully crafted, and easily customizable. What’s not to love?”
Photos by Bridget Leary
