When Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Fla., decided to renovate its café, the designers wanted to pay homage to painter Marc Chagall’s dreamy vision of life and the quaint French town where he spent his final years. The redesign was timed with the gardens’ exhibit, Marc Chagall, Flowers, and the French Riviera: The Color of Dreams.
Known as the “City of Arts,” Saint Paul de Vence attracted artists of all types with its charm. The town’s Colombe d’Or Hotel & Restaurant was the inspiration for Selby Garden’s cafe revamp.
The café’s original wall décor included a series of framed botanical prints in dark, heavy frames. The re-design team removed the dated-looking prints and opted for a full wall mural, with a subtle backdrop of Saint Paul de Vence, France, overlaid with carefully selected Chagall quotes that captured his sensitive and introspective insights.
Working with print service provider, Now That’s a Wrap, the Selby team chose to cover the interior and exterior walls with LexJet Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl and Simple Flo Wrap Gloss UV laminate. The team also mimicked Chagall’s stained glass work by printing extra-saturated graphics on optically clear vinyl with an over-laminate, all mounted to plexiglass.
Watch the video above to see how the café’s new look came to life.
