Lighting Creates the Vibe at This South Beach Restaurant
James Beard Award–winning chef Michelle Bernstein brought her Cuban-Caribbean concept La Cañita to the heart of South Beach, Miami, opening a lively new outpost at 1200 Ocean Drive in the Art Deco District.
Prior to the grand opening, the project involved a full interior refurbishment of an existing building, transforming the space into a Caribbean-inspired restaurant and nightlife destination.
Designed by interior designer and Miami Beach native Nicolette Bernstein of Nickyb Design, the space channels the feel of an island distillery, with rich teal walls, mosaic tiles, floor-to-ceiling shuttered windows that bring in natural light, and a U-shaped bar that anchors the dining room. Lighting designer Laura Arroyo of FLOU Lighting Design was brought on to help translate the owner’s vision into an immersive guest experience.
Lighting Transports Guests
Working alongside Bernstein to help guests to feel as if they’re in the Caribbean, Arroyo emphasized the warm environment.
“It’s about transporting people into that place…about feeling a little bit of home, but very specifically in the Caribbean. The idea is that people look and feel good under light, and PureEdge’s Light Channel helped us achieve this,” Arroyo commented.
The outside perimeter of the bar beckons patrons with the welcoming glow of Light Channel .6″ Surface Mount, which provides visual depth and dimension.
To accent the barware at the back of the bar, the designers created a display using PureEdge’s Light Channel .6″ Recessed Millwork. This product is tailored for projects requiring a seamless design with ample illumination. The shallow profile integrates into various depths of millwork, while the flat 1/8″ finished flange offers a minimal aesthetic that blends into the architecture while delivering premium task lighting for applications like under cabinets, bathrooms, work surfaces, and more.
The 24VDC, 45° Surface-mounted Light Channel was used to uplight the glassware by being positioned underneath the bottles. This a versatile custom Class 2 luminaire has a unique 45° angle design that offers designers enhanced flexibility when it comes to illuminating challenging areas. Since Light Channel 45° is available in multiple wattage and static white color temperatures (from 2400K to 4000K up to 95CRI) the perfect ambiance for dining or drinking can be achieved.
One of Arroyo’s missions was to highlight the textures, copper, reflections, colors, and bottles in the bar as well as the movement of the bartenders. Subtlety is key. While a few decorative fixtures were used, the ambiance’s magic comes from the architectural lighting.
“PureEdge Lighting’s LED strips and some downlighting are where everything comes together,” Arroyo explained. “We have LED shelves with acrylic on top, so all the bottles light up. I also included indirect linear lighting and lighting inside the glass cabinets, so even when the doors are closed, the bottles still glow. There’s also a small stage with lighting that works in tandem with the music. Everything comes together – the flavors, the music, and the environment – so people don’t want to leave. They stay all night, have another mojito, and enjoy everything,” added Arroyo.
This is not the first time that Arroyo has specified PureEdge on a project. She has installed the company’s products in other La Cañita locations and knew they’d be ideal to bring the owner’s and interior designer’s vision to life.
“Having good support from the manufacturer is essential so the project actually comes to life the way it was designed,” she concluded. “Besides a good product and good specifications, collaboration and communication are key. That’s something I really appreciate.”
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