Editor’s Letter

Branko Miletic

Recently, while podcasting retail and hospitality venue designer Callie van der Merwe, he said something that really took me aback.

“Restaurants are not about food- if you think that, then you shouldn’t be in the restaurant business.”

That was almost an epiphany in some ways.

When asked, What are the things that people get wrong about public design, he replied, “It’s quite simply where designers forget that they design for people. When we have biases and make assumptions about how we think people would behave without looking at what they really do within context. The best way to address this challenge is observation: To understand how people walk you have to look at where they stop and start, sit down, group together or separate etc.”

“You have to look at climate, more specifically sun and shade paths in public squares during certain times of day and year and look at how people engage with it. A common mistake, for example, is to treat seating in public spaces the same way you would treat it in a restaurant. Restaurant or café seating is at 450mm high: it’s the comfortable height for the average height person sitting at a table for a longer period of time.”

But it’s not just about pink sofas and soft lightingsustainability is now part and parcel of hospitality venue design.

In fact, according to a popular US hotel magazine, “Multiple hospitality establishments in recent years have shown that approaching refurbishments, fit-outs and interior design with sustainability as a priority doesn’t mean sacrificing style.”

Another writer noted that “From the building foundation and its relationship to its natural scenario to the choice of lights, sensors, faucets, toilets, appliances, textiles, and furniture, every decision counts, and longevity is vital.”

And there we have it-making hospitality, or if you like, public design far more sustainable, doesn’t mean sacrificing style.

As Michelin Dapo, Success Coach for Hospitality notes, “Trends from 2022, such as digital work and sustainable materials, continue to influence hospitality design trends this year, with green consumerism still expected to play a key role in the decade to come.”

So how would one design for both humans and the challenges of sustainability? Perhaps Callie van der Merwe has an answer:

“Designing for human behaviour is, therefore, almost always better than designing for behavioural changes,” he says.

Words, I believe, all retail and hospitality venue designers should take to heart.

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