Hemisphere Club and Tower Suite Restaurant, Time-Life Building, New York
The name and purpose of the 48th floor of the Time-Life building changed from day to night. During the day it was the Hemisphere Club, solely reserved for business meals for the members of that club, while in the evening it became the public Tower Suite Restaurant. The most important design element to distinguish the two functions from one another was the special lighting that Gordon Chadwick designed with Martin Garon, a lighting expert from Gotham Lighting Company. Their design included dimmable light surfaces that covered the columns between the large windows, a hung ceiling of aluminum rods with integrated downlights, as well as a few light tables. The tables for the guests were grouped in a U-shape around a central kitchen block, thus covering the entire floor. The kitchen block was completely covered with green-gold textiles and a silver-green anodized aluminum grating that was supposed to evoke the impression of looking onto a garden through a fence. The whole project included the design of tables, chairs, utensils, glasses, tableware, and the logos of the two restaurants.
