Schoolhouse Lighting Pops With Vintage Style at New Kaminsky’s Location
In the hyper-competitive restaurant industry, creating the perfect blend of food, service, staff, atmosphere, and marketing is the recipe for success. The owners of Kaminsky’s were hitting all cylinders with their business model focusing on decadent desserts, drinks, and coffees. When considering a new location, they wanted to build on their successful formula while also re-imaging the Kaminsky’s brand.
“This is Homegrown Hospitality’s third Kaminsky’s location which is in the West Ashley district of Charleston,” says Laura Middleton, principal of The Middleton Group Architecture Studio. “We began by envisioning a modern twist on a vintage soda shop.”
The project began with the complete demolition of an existing building saving only the concrete walls. From there, Louise and her team created a space where the community gathers for family ice cream, a quick happy hour, or lingers over after-dinner drinks and desserts. Warm browns and creams were carried throughout the space in a mixture of materials, textures, and finishes. For lighting, Louise turned to Barn Light Electric for American-made schoolhouse lighting that bridges the gap between vintage and modern.
“We were looking for lighting that was a modern update to the 1950’s vintage soda shop style,” she explains. “The schoolhouse lights have the correct shape and finish options to fit this look perfectly. We were able to choose the appropriate scale and finish, but also customize the globes with a painted stripe detail.”
Over the bar, Louise selected the Primary Schoolhouse Semi-Flush Mount Light. These pendant lights are customized with small globes, a Bronze finish on the fitter and canopy, and a triple painted band of Bronze on the globes.
“We wanted something that was semi-flush mount so the materials and drink selections were easily visible on the back bar,” Louise notes. “In addition, the ceiling is fairly low, so we wanted a scale that felt appropriate. We like the added detail that the triple band gives the light. Because there was a limited amount of color used throughout the space, varying materials and patterns on the finishes was extremely important.”
The design team created different seating options throughout the space that appeal to both late-night patrons and families. Having a variety of options within the Schoolhouse Collection helped the team distinguish the different spaces from one another. Primary Schoolhouse Chain Hung Pendants are used over the high-top tables throughout the space. These are customized with large globes, Bronze fitters, black cords, and the same triple painted bands of Bronze as the nearby flush mount pendants.
“The pendants were chosen to go over the seating area down the center of the space,” Louise says. “We used larger globes with the chains in order to create a more intimate feel over the bar height tables.” Complementing the pendant lights, Primary Schoolhouse Gooseneck Lights line the outer walls of Kaminsky’s. These also feature the large globe with triple painted bands of Bronze. The team selected the G11 gooseneck arm to add the appropriate projection from the walls.
“We used these lights to help break up the long outside wall as well as to highlight the custom artwork. The large globe was the appropriate scale for the spaces between the windows,” Louise notes. “The shape and length of the G11 arm keeps the fixture high enough for people to get in and out of the long banquette while also highlighting the art work.”
The vintage detailing of the schoolhouse lights combined with sweet treats and decadent drinks create an enticing atmosphere that has fast become a community favorite.
“We love the soft glow that the shades give and the ability we had to customize the shape, finish, detail, and scale of each one,” Louise says. “We feel that the various schoolhouse lights throughout the space truly tie our design together and give dessert bar the vintage feel the owner wanted.”
Photos courtesy of The Middleton Group
