Restaurant Mossel en Gin

Mossel en Gin (Mussels and Gin) is situated in a complex of late 19th-century industrial buildings called Westergas, once the city’s gasworks. Westergas was redeveloped entirely in 2003, after which it re-opened as a cultural complex, including shops, galleries, and restaurants. Spot On Lichtontwerp was tasked with bringing character to the restaurant and immerse the visitors into a unique underwater atmosphere, with a large model whale as the centerpiece – and all on a small budget. Lighting designer and owner of Spot On, Paulo van Cuijck, says, “Casambi was chosen as it is an easy to use and reliable technique for programming custom lighting scenes for the whale. Setting up was a piece of cake.” 

Before the fitting, the space was lit with a grid of suspended white enamel lampshades, which unintentionally appeared to be the space’s main feature. The shades cast all light downwards, evenly illuminating the seating area but making nothing else stand out. The client can easily customize the lighting to suit particular events without bringing in external lighting control specialists. After the intervention, the space itself, artwork, food, and the whale draw attention, not the lights.