Porcelain Pendants, Sign Lights Add Warmth, Coziness to New Asheville Eatery
While Asheville, North Carolina, may be well known as Beer City USA, the mountain town also boasts a large number of independent restaurants that add to the region’s hip yet homey vibe.
One of the local favorites is Early Girl which recently added a third location just north of town. Our friend and designer Emily Richter of EKR Interior Design handled the latest expansion which included the renovation of a former restaurant space.
“Early Girl has a fun retro vibe and it’s reflected in their branding. I wanted to bring the same feeling into this space,” Emily says. “We added all new finishes and light fixtures, revamped the existing bar, and added wainscoting along all of the walls.” The existing space was dark, and Emily wanted to freshen and lighten it as much as possible.
Early Girl’s colors include a tomato red and deep teal along with black and white. The restaurant features two rooms with high, open ceilings so Emily looked for ways to cozy up the space and make it feel welcoming.
“I like to use American-made products as much as possible and that’s a definite benefit of working with Barn Light Electric,” Emily notes. “Their fixtures are very customizable and there are so many color and style options to choose from.”
Emily chose the Wilcox Deep Bowl Pendant to line both rooms of the restaurant. She customized these hand-spun pendants with 20″ shades and a Cherry Red finish.
“I chose this fixture in particular because it comes in the large size and the red matches Early Girl’s logo,” she explains. “The shape and scale work well with the large open spaces and the enamel finish is durable and offers a retro feel. The black cord blends in with the dark, open ceilings.”
Emily also chose Emblem Sign Lights to accent the barn wood walls and other art that she used to warm up the space. The wall fixtures feature 8″ shades, the same Cherry Red finish as the pendants, and G26 gooseneck arms. The same fixture, but with G24 gooseneck arms, highlight the renovated bar.
“I have used this fixture in a couple of projects now,” Emily notes. “Since it’s easy to customize, I could get the perfect length to accent the wall behind the bar. I love the red against the barn wood and how the fixtures wash the accent walls with light.”
Emily chose the swivel knuckle option on these sign lights as well. This option allows for easy manipulation of the shade to position it perfectly.
“I am really happy with the way the fixtures look! They are sturdy, solid, and timeless, and the clients love them as well,” she says. “The color and scale on the pendants really add to the space. Overall, I am very happy with all of them, and I look forward to using them again in other locations.”
