For the past two decades, coffee shop design seems to have been dominated by The Big Green Sign. Yes, Starbucks has been phenomenally successful – for a while there was even one near China’s Tiananmen Square – due, in part, to the coffee giant’s ability to combine a consistent aesthetic with nods to the local vibe across its nearly 30,000 retail.
How can a small shop compete?
Leaving aside the contentious issue of what constitutes the perfect cuppa joe, coffee shop design that pays careful attention to three things can help you stand out in a sea of caffeine purveyors.
Target Your “Regulars”
First and foremost, your coffee shop design should invite customers to become regulars.
Grab and Go
Are your regulars commuters or coffee-break visitors who just want to “grab and go?” If so, your floorplan should emphasize efficiency. The counter should be the centerpiece of this design, with plenty of room for machines and servers to allow for fast throughput. The path to and from the counter should be unimpeded to allow commuters to make a quick getaway. Make sure to plan to accommodate lines comfortably so that they don’t snake out the door.
Consider putting milk and sugar stations near the door to make it easy for customers in a hurry to grab what they need and get out.
If you have tables, they should be relatively compact and away from the main flow of customers and the milk and sugar stations. Stand-up bars may be a good choice; they provide a space for customers to have their coffee out of the elements while encouraging customer turnover.
Your exterior should also suggest efficiency, clear of excess merchandise, providing passersby an easy way to look in and gauge how busy your counter is at any given moment.
Gathering Place
Maybe you want to position your coffee shop as a community gathering space, inviting your most loyal customers come to socialize and work over longer periods, during which you want to encourage them to enjoy multiple cups of coffee or other products.
In this case, the counter can be farther within the shop to allow your staff to interact more with customers (“Hey, Maria, ready for another dry, non-fat cap?”) and promote a feeling of community within your space.
Your seating should offer variety – include some two-tops for couples, plus larger tables for small groups. Tabletops should be large enough to comfortably hold one or two laptops plus coffee. If your space will accommodate it, consider offering a more home-like arrangement of comfortable chairs or even small sofas around a coffee table, which is sure to become a coveted spot for groups of regulars. In cooler climes, a gas fireplace can serve as a cozy and inviting centerpiece to the shop.
Lighting is an integral part of this kind of coffee shop design. As with most spaces, maximizing natural light works well, both to promote a feeling of comfort and well-being among customers and staff, and to save energy. Artificial light should be warm and ambient.
Coffee Shop as Workspace
A coffee shop that functions as a surrogate workspace for regulars is, in some ways, a hybrid of the first two types. You need a design that deftly combines the efficiency of the grab-and-go type with the comfort of the gathering place.
The counter should be positioned so that it is accessible but far enough away from the seating area to allow for a feeling of privacy for groups. People coming and going, and visiting the milk and sugar station, shouldn’t disrupt customers in the seating area – no one’s laptop should be in danger from other customers’ hovering coffee cups.
Provide tables large enough to seat several people with laptops or papers – one or more longer tables are a good choice. Make sure there are adequate outlets near tables.
Lighting is also important here. If you have large windows, consider adding customer-adjustable shading systems to improve comfort and visibility for those working on laptops. For artificial lighting, combining ambient sources with task lighting that can be adjusted within the seating area offers the most flexibility for your customers.
Work with Your Location
Your shop’s location will, to a certain extent, determine the kind of shop you design. A small space on a busy commercial street may best be suited to the grab-and go-crowd, while a relatively spacious shop with lots of natural light in an outdoor mall may make an ideal gathering space.
Likewise, if you are in a neighborhood full of young families, your coffee shop design should take that into consideration. A child-friendly corner with books or toys is a great addition that can keep parents coming back to you. And don’t forget to provide ample aisle space for strollers.
Whatever type of shop you plan, your design needs to consider the aesthetic of your area. Your exterior should differentiate your shop from other businesses in the area without being the neighborhood “sore thumb” that looks out of place.
Design for Your Brand
As with any business space, your coffee shop design should reflect your brand. As you undoubtedly know, to many people, coffee is more than their morning wake-up jolt – it is an experience that seduces all the senses and imbues the drinker with a feeling of comfort and luxury. The best coffee shop designs underscore this.
Obviously, you want to let your customers know that you offer top-quality coffee and related products; you may want to consider design that emphasizes the origin of your products, whether that’s using bags of beans from Costa Rica as low-key seating or walls that feature art from the various countries of origin of your coffees.
Most coffee shops use colors and textures that reflect the dark richness of coffee, and that works well, but it’s also possible to use design in more surprising ways.
If, for example, your brand is intended to appeal to a younger, urban clientele, you might consider using contemporary lines and bright spots of color in your design. Painting a wall in an unexpected color or using ceramics with a more contemporary shape and line than the classic coffee mugs, for example, can suggest a forward-looking brand.
Whatever type of shop you plan, consulting an architect early in the process can help you ensure your coffee shop design meets your business needs and entices customers to spend time with your delicious product.