Bollicini means 'little bubbles' - and 'Fizziness and Fun' were exactly the atmospheric conditions the owners wanted to convey, explains Mackay. i-Vision created a lighting design and specification to match the owner's self-styled interior visions which feature tasteful blending of wood, metalwork, exposed brickwork and glass, plus lots of natural light. "They wanted the installed light to both morph seamlessly into the natural light and to be juxtaposed against it," explains Mackay. They had certain ideas and I-Vision also had theirs, which when amalgamated have produced a truly innovative scheme.
i-Vision specified a series of recessed Italian designer down-lighters - Unos, Duos and Trios - referring to the multiples of the bulbs contained in one housing - which are fitted all along the bar, lounge and restaurant ceilings. These are all on pivotable gimble fittings and so are focusable. These are hooked up to four (out of eight) different dimming zones. Behind the bar, i-Vision retro-fitted their own Lumos 3 LED fixtures into Duo housings, which are used to down-light the glass shelves at the back of the bar.
In the entrance/lounge area, i-Vision installed eight scoop fittings with Lumos 3 fixtures to wash the exposed brickwork, plus 12 additional Lumos 3s, rigged in the roof apex, pointing horizontally towards the conservatory windows, illuminating the white window frames as darkness falls. "I introduced colour carefully and subtly into the environment," says Mackay. "It was vital that it looked exactly right and that it definitely wasn't garish or crass."
The external lighting is a combination of white and coloured light. The front of the building is highlighted with eight 35W incandescent copper up-and-down lighters, chosen for their warm colour temperature and their "sympathy with the classic lines of the building". Running along the entire floor-to-ceiling windowed restaurant area at the rear of the building is a thin decked terrace area backing onto a sunken car park. This strip of terrace is illuminated with 12 IP-rated down-lighters fitted with colour changing Lumos 3 illuminators ensconced into the small roof overhang. These are focussed to catch the white window frames and the glass forming a long panel of colour changing light after dark. I-Vision supplied a simple Sunlight controller giving the client access to eight preset patterns, which was programmed by Dave Mackay to their requirements.Bollicini has been a massive success already since its opening last month, creating a stir in the area and fast becoming a local talking point. Les Owens comments: "Innovative lighting was absolutely fundamental to our vision of creating something unique but also essentially Italian in the town. I-Vision have been brilliant to work with and helped us deliver a great concept."
(Lee Baldock)
