A stunning Anolis architectural lighting scheme has been installed at the Millionaire Lounge Cafe, a trendy new venue in the popular seaside town of Cattolica, Rimini, Italy.
The scheme was designed and specified by interior designer Pierpaolo Saioni who was working for independent owners, Magi, Gucciardi & Pipitone, and was supplied direct to the venue by Robe Multimedia, Anolis's Italian distributor.
The attractive double decked building stands right on the marina waterfront. It is styled with a contemporary deco twist and a distinct oceanic feel - almost like a liner - referencing a strong relationship to the Adriatic Sea. It features indoor dining and lounge rooms surrounded by airy, pleasant outdoor terraces on both levels. It's open from 7 a.m. until late with a constantly changing ambience and as the day progresses, attracting totally different sets of visitors in a "chameleon" style operation. The mornings see a lively breakfast and coffee crowd. During the day, a healthy lunch trade is enjoyed by families, tourists and also many local businesses who use it as a relaxed environment for meetings and discussions. In the evening Cattolica's movers-and-groovers get promenading and rock up to enjoy dinner, live music and dancing at the Millionaire Lounge.
With so many changing moods throughout the day Saioni wanted the environment to be able to shift along with the vibes, and good lighting is one way of helping make this happen.
He also wanted the club to become integrated with its surroundings, so with its proximity to the water, the Anolis fixtures are programmed into an attractive blue hue as the default state. The lamps inside the venue have been designed to look like sea rocks and the curtains like sails, all adding to the sea-orientated theming.
The Anolis ArcLine Optic Outdoor 36 and 18 RGBs are fitted with 25 x 6 degree lenses and installed into the handrails of the Lounge's top deck and in the cornices running around the top of the wall. They are focussed to illuminate the whole terrace area including the ceiling, floor and top to bottom of the handrails.
With the entire top deck so boldly illuminated at night, this acts as a beacon in attracting people and business to the Lounge as well as becoming a local talking point. Saiono comments, "Illuminating the architecture is fundamental to creating an atmosphere in a venue like this, and that's why I chose bright, reliable products which can also be subtly concealed".
Saioni has used Anolis in several other of his recent designs, and likes the brand for its brightness, high quality homogenised light output, good engineering and reliability. Apart from the aesthetics, a lighting installation needing low maintenance is always a primary consideration for owners and managers.
The Anolis fixtures are powered by Anolis ArcPower 144s and 36s and controlled by Robe CyberCue software running on the bar's computer.
Robe Multimedia's Ermanno Tontini specified the controller for its flexibility and ease of use by the staff. It has been pre-programmed with a set of sequences offering different lighting states that can be activated according to the time of the day.
The owners are delighted with the results, and the new venture is already proving a great success for them.