moodboard inpirational - websites

Carluccio's - Is not overtly Italian, it has the major items that people want to know direct from the page such as book a table, find your nearest restaurant, and information about the food. Plus details of events, how to sign up for offers, blog and a charity plug which I guess to soften the guilt you might feel as you pay his prices and enjoy his food.
Carluccio's uses a simple scripted typeface for his logo. Just name is enough in a manly dark blue. And this dictates the colours of the rest of the site, with use of complementary orange for important parts but not overly done and on a backdrop of a creamy beige which is a good colour for the back ground of the food.
The H2s are san serif font, to make them different from the scripted logo and serif font navbar but this has meant (because design convention says so) that the main text is a serif font which gives the content, ie what it's trying to communicate a serious feel.
BUT serifs at this size at 72 pixels per inch do not, I feel, appear very clear. Would be fine in print but here I find the text annoying to read.
Something that will effect my font choice since Heidi is over 50 years old and may require spectacles for her work and computer.
The website also provides extras delighters which is a tour of Italy map that tells you a bit about each region. Strangely they haven't used and image map for this because it would have been nice to roll over a region and get the information about that region. You are given a list of regions and therefore expected to know where they are on the map. Odd.


The Living Room - Is a a fine dining experience. There is no hint of catering for children. There are mirrors, and art on the walls, a mixture of seating with an emphasis on relaxing, take in the atmosphere and we will take care of you.
http://www.thelivingroom.co.uk/
It is a more classy version of another very similar chain of Lounges which looks more relaxed and informal. The lounges group were started Bristol and now there are about 12 spread throughout the country.
Their website shows single people reading papers and on their laptops during the day and in the evening candles on the tables. http://www.thelounges.co.uk/website/
There is a mixture of seating to cater for mixed sizes of groups and singles.
The overall feel is harking back to days gone by and old values. Those days never existed but the values are what you expect in the food and service.
I think that for Heidi and Jason these two establishments are the sort of places they would like. The emphasis in not but they are authentic looking, and convey the ambiance that they are looking for.


Sandersons and Bluebird Cafe - These extablishments are selling ambiance.
This is ahead of usability especially with Sandersons.