Wildfire

Glenview, IL

What It Was

Wildfire, a Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) Restaurant, transports you to the aura of a 1940's dinner club. From the décor to the jazz music, Wildfire has the style and warmth that makes it perfect for an evening with friends or just the two of you. The vintage jazz music and photos of star entertainers complete the atmosphere at Wildfire. The Glenview location at the southern entryway to The Glen, a new development on the former site of the Glenview Naval Air Base in the heart of Glenview, Illinois.

The Architect was Aria Group Architects of Oak Park, Illinois.

What We Did

Lightswitch was hired to design the exterior lighting of this new stand alone building concept for Wildfire. The building contains a set of white frosted windows that surround the building with a white XXX surface above and stone surfaces surrounding. With all LEYE restaurants “Glow” was the goal. The windows are back-lit and located in seating areas as well as back-of-house areas. To achieve the desired light levels and power efficiency, T5 cove fixtures were used. Using fluorescent lamps in a fairly dark incandescent interior with bright fluorescent light was not ideal. The solution was to hide the fixtures so the interior is not affected by the exterior lighting.

Why It Worked

Lightswitch was able to maintain the atmosphere of a 1940’s dinner club on the interior and exterior while using new technologies and hiding light sources from the restaurant guests.