What was produced?
Seven years later, Uxbridge-based Print Station, now a thriving wide-format print business, was engaged to design and install the interior of a new vegan restaurant in Windsor. The owner, entrepreneur Manjinder Bhandal, knew how to create a great menu, but needed help with the aesthetics.
Print Station worked with Bhandal to create a look for the restaurant – aptly named The Garden of Eden – from scratch.
Like many modern DJs, the team went vinyl-free, printing 50sqm of Kavalan Gecko 320GB Greyback PVC-free substrate to cover the restaurant’s four walls, with Utack Gel Film Ultra Clear for window graphics. The restaurant’s lift was dressed with Utack Textile Blockbuster, another PVC-free substrate.
What did the job entail?
Consulting with Bhandal on the restaurant’s design, Print Station got to work.
“[Bhandal] wanted a simple design, with neutral, earthy colours, so we put together some concepts and worked with him to whittle it down to the final design,” said Rajan Chonkaria, Print Station’s director.
The restaurant also has a dedicated child-friendly play area, which had to be incorporated into the design.
All approved, Print Station then decided on Kavalan and Utack for the job, running them through its Jetrix LXiR320 3.2m roll-to-roll printer, and cutting on the firm’s Zund G3 cutter.
What challenges were overcome?
Given the restaurant’s theme, an ethical choice of materials was high on Print Station’s priority list.
“You’ve got to be very careful when you’re doing projects where issues like veganism and sustainability are at the heart of it, because you want to make sure that you’re not giving anyone an opportunity to point the finger and high-light where your values don’t align,” said Chonkaria.
The job, however, was Print Station’s first with Kavalan, which had been introduced to the team by long-time supplier CMYUK.
“It was quite nerve-wracking,” Chonkaria admitted, “and we were on site, thinking: ‘I hope this comes out well!’ But once it had gone up and been installed, it was like a breath of fresh air.”
What was the feedback?
Bhandal was delighted with the results and praised the “amazing environment” Print Station created.
He said: “It was months in the making. Each step was carefully looked over and planned out. It was very important to us to use an eco-friendly, PVC-free solution.”
In a sure sign of success, the job immediately won Print Station more work. A guest at the restaurant’s opening had been meaning to redecorate – and once she heard about the PVC-free material, was hooked.
Chonkaria said: “Where she was going to go and buy a bog-standard off-the-shelf wallpaper, she then came to us and said: ‘Why don’t you design something bespoke, and use this product in my house?’”
Do you have a Killer App? We are interested in special, difficult or simply fabulous print jobs of all shapes and sizes. Email printweek.newsdesk@markallengroup.com.
