Week 8 - Kristin Goodell - The Block - Site Specific

    This weekend I visited The Block in Orange. The Block is an outdoor shopping center with a large movie theater, several restaurants, and an abundance of retail stores. I think that the goal of the designers was to create an inviting, warm atmosphere that would entice people to walk through the different alleys and explore the shops. Since we are entering the holiday season, there were also special Christmas lights and decorations displayed throughout the mall. These additional lighting details served to fill the guests with holiday cheer and remind them that it’s a good time to start their holiday gift shopping. I believe that the designers accomplished their goals because, even though it was a huge mall filled with name brand stores, it still felt like a cozy walk downtown instead of a soulless strip mall. 

    One of the stores that I think was successful was Saddle Ranch Chop House. Saddle Ranch is an Old-West themed restaurant. The outside of the building is designed to look like a saloon, and features mannequins dressed to look like generic characters from the Old West. I liked how they had lights illuminating the mannequins as if they were actors on a stage. It helped call attention to the balcony scenes the mannequins were a part of. The lighting inside the restaurant was warm and cozy. They lit the restaurant using warm-white ceiling fan lights dispersed throughout the establishment and smaller warm-white fixtures in the rafters. This created an intimate, inviting atmosphere for the guests. The restaurant was also decorated with strings of colored christmas lights for the holiday season. The strings of christmas lights were small and not over-the-top, contributing to the traditional, down-to-earth feel of the old-western saloon. One thing that caught my eye was the use of red light illuminating the alcohol bottles at the bar. I liked it initially because it was bold and interesting, although in hindsight this look is too modern compared to the rest of the old-western style design of the restaurant. I feel like this bar lighting is something I would see in a nightclub rather than a saloon. 

    One of the stores that I think was unsuccessful was Build-A-Bear Workshop. I was really disappointed by their lighting. The theme of Build-A-Bear workshop is supposed to be fun, magical, and appealing to kids. The sign outside the entrance was colorful and enticing for children, but the inside of the store did not match that same energy. Instead, it looked like a barren warehouse. There was no magic or whimsy in sight! The inside of the store was lit solely with blindingly bright fluorescent tubes. The lights bounced off of the pale walls and empty floors and made the whole room feel like a sterile wasteland. The fluorescents accentuated the fact that there was too much empty space and not enough merchandise or decor to fill it. I think the store would benefit from softer, warm lighting, some fun colors similar to their entrance sign, and changing the layout of the floor so there is less empty space.