immersive
projection dining
Serve the ultimate dining experience.
NOVA Light Labs turns any table, in any venue, into the reason people came. Light lands on the linen, the plates, and the glass, and the room follows it.
For 1 night or for good. The studio has designed immersive dining for tables of 8 and rooms of 150.
overview
Immersive dining is projection mapping, not a screen.
A screen stops at its edge. Light does not, so the table itself becomes the artwork, an illuminated tapestry running beneath the plates and the glass that no dinner service can otherwise put on a table.
It has to flow. Color arrives true, movement stays smooth, and nothing about the light asks to be examined, which leaves the room free to look at the food, the table, and each other.
creative
Custom visuals built to the place setting.
Every plate, glass, and charger holds a coordinate on the table, and the artwork is built around all of them.
Water breaks around the rim of a bowl as a jellyfish drifts past. Mushrooms sprout through foliage at the edge of the salad plate. A butterfly crosses the table and lands on 1 charger, and the table turns toward it.
NOVA Light Labs pioneered this and has refined it since. The studio knows which moments land. Nothing here is a stock loop. The artwork is built to match the caliber of the plate and courses.
production
A projector above the table for 2 or 200.
The geometry is simple. 1 projector per table, mounted overhead, casting straight down onto the surface.
The only hard requirement is control of the ambient light. Indoors, dim the room. Outdoors, wait for the sun.
Getting the projector into the air is the real question, and there are 2 answers.
Ceiling mounting disappears completely where a venue allows it, and it carries the higher cost.
A freestanding structure goes anywhere with the height, at any venue, with nothing touching the building. Wrapped in mirror, plants, or scrim, it stops being an eyesore and becomes part of the decor.
trusted by
“Wow - what a unique experience! The vibe they created in the space is so gorgeous.
The visuals projected onto the table during each course enhanced the experience that much more.
Can’t recommend them enough!”
Cassondra
Guest
The Radiant Table
FAQ
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Immersive dining works on any table shape. Rectangles are the most efficient, because a projector throws a rectangle and a rectangular table fills the frame.
Circles, ovals, and irregular shapes all map cleanly. Tables placed end to end are the strongest configuration of all, since they form 1 continuous surface for the visuals to run without a break.
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Immersive projection dining runs roughly $5,000 to $15,000 USD per table.
The investment depends on the number of tables, the number of courses scored, the number of nights, and what the room requires to get the projectors in the air.
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8’-10’ feet is the minimum ceiling height for projection dining. Below that the projectors are too close for comfort.
12 to 14 feet and above is ideal and opens up freestanding structures. Many venues will not allow anything mounted into their ceiling without existing rigging points, so a site survey settles the approach.
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NOVA Light Labs designs custom visuals for table projection, at every resolution and every theme.
Fitting artwork to the exact place settings is the part almost nobody else executes. It is why clients come to the studio for the visuals even when the room is already built.
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The spotlight on the plate is not a separate fixture.
It lives inside the projected image, so a clean pool of white sits on the food while the rest of the table moves around it.
Patterns can run across a dish instead. Food reads better under clean light, so the effects stay on the linen.
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Color matters more than shape. White is the ideal surface for projection dining, and any table with a white tablecloth becomes one.
Gloss returns reflections, matte returns none, and both look excellent.
Dark wood and black absorb light, and a bright enough projector overpowers a surface that small. The result is a striking high end look.
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Clear glass, everywhere it is possible. Glass refracts the projection and casts almost no shadow, so the light carries across the setting unbroken.
Opaque plates block the projection and leave a shadow on the linen. Faceted and marbled glass adds another layer.
Silverware should be clear where possible, or polished silver.
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Yes. Guest names can be projected at each place setting.
NOVA Light Labs has developed custom software that integrates with ticketing and seating systems, so every name lands on the correct plate before the doors open.
