Main dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Main dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant

From its lighting to the shelving, vases, and art, this restaurant in Shanghai was designed and detailed to pay homage to the historic Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler, currently housed in the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C. The Flaming Beacon conceived a lighting design that draws guests along the restaurant’s main axis, using warm color temperatures to create intimacy and pops of monochromatic color—purple, red, and amber—throughout the evening via color-changing lights engage patrons.

Focal points include an 8-foot-diameter infinity mirror comprising a series of luminous internal rings that suspends above the bar, cascading tiered-glass chandeliers in the dining areas, bespoke brass pendants, and illuminated brass shelving that highlights the minimalist white bone china on display. As one of several theatrical design winks, integrated ceiling downlights in the private dining room descend noiselessly to become pendants that showcase the food at the moment it is served. The bathroom vanity lighting offers another playful surprise: Guests who spend a fixed quantity of time primping in front of the mirror inadvertently trigger a sensor, dimming the mostly stark white room’s lights and introducing an explosion of orange and amber backlighting in the vanity perimeter.

Juror Quote
“The lighting creates a real sense of drama and intrigue. It’s a place that I want to check out.” —Rachel Fitzgerald, senior lighting designer and associate, Stantec

Main entry, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Main entry, the Peacock Room restaurant
Waiting room, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Waiting room, the Peacock Room restaurant
Bar, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Bar, the Peacock Room restaurant
Main dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Main dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant
Semi-private dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Semi-private dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant
Private dining room with pendants merged with ceiling detailing, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Private dining room with pendants merged with ceiling detailing, the Peacock Room restaurant
Private dining room with pendants descended over table, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Private dining room with pendants descended over table, the Peacock Room restaurant
View of ceiling from below, private dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films View of ceiling from below, private dining room, the Peacock Room restaurant
Restroom in quiet mode (left) and flamboyant mode (right), the Peacock Room restaurant
DM Photographs + Films Restroom in quiet mode (left) and flamboyant mode (right), the Peacock Room restaurant

Details
Project Name: The Peacock Room, Shanghai
Client/Owner: Caesar Song
Architect: MQ Studio, Shanghai • Andy Hall, Yijay Xu, Amy Wang
Lighting Designer: The Flaming Beacon, Melbourne, Australia • Andrew Jaques, Cristobal Lyon
Photographer: DM Photographs + Films
Project Size: 380 square meters (4,090 square feet)
Project Cost: $2 million
Lighting Cost: $200,000
Watts per Square Foot: 1.5
Custom Fixture Designer: The Flaming Beacon
Custom Fixture Manufacturer: Ricardo Lighting
Manufacturers: Acolyte, Reggiani Lighting USA, Gantom, MP Lighting