In its new Lincoln Center home, Rosa Mexicano has been described as a “Modern hacienda that fuses elements from contemporary and traditional Mexican art and architecture.”

The most striking element in the restaurant is the two-story water wall in iridescent cobalt blue glass mosaic tile, complete with two hundred miniature white cliff divers pinned off the surface of the wall in neat rows. A two-fold approach was used in lighting the water wall, which is visible through both first and second story windows, as well as from most
areas of the interior. An architectural pocket at the top of the wall houses a linear socket strip with PAR38 spot lamps fitted with filter holders and cobalt blue glass filters. Five feet away, a second ceiling pocket holds MR16 track fixtures with blue dichotic glass fixtures to accent the wall and divers from the front. The result is an overall glow across the entire wall, with sparkles of light glinting off the thin sheet of moving water.

Tables throughout the restaurant are lit by a general wash from ceiling recessed R40 lamps. The down lighting is dimmed to a glow, providing ample light at tables and walkways, while allowing featured elements such as the murals, niches, and tile to stand out. “Many layers of lighting were key to making the lighting successful,” states Gregory. “Accents on architectural elements like the niches at the end of each long view, and on important elements like the water wall and grand stair, make those features pop out against the overall ambient glow.”