Contemporary coffee shops are no longer just about the coffee they serve. They’ve become cultural mainstays in their own right, with each major city having its own take on cafe culture.
Modern coffee shops are now very much judged on their atmosphere, making them great examples of how thoughtful design can influence your mood.
If you’re looking for inspiration to spruce up your home decor, why not look to coffee shops as a way to get inspiration? Here are a few specific tricks inspired by the best cafes from all over the globe…
An Abundance of Natural Lighting
Whereas your favorite bar might feature mood lighting, coffee shops are all about huge windows and well-lit interiors. Located in South Korea, Ezer Coffee’s whole front wall is decked out in floor-to-ceiling windows. The team behind this design credits this technique with offering a natural and light atmosphere.
You could even opt to install a skylight. Even if you can’t people-watch like you can in a cafe, nothing beats basking in the sunlight while reading a book or looking at the stars at night.
Exposed piping
Exposed piping is becoming very popular in interior design. Over in East London, the famous Trade Cafe has made use of some old copper piping to add a different element to their interior design. It’s important to remember, however, that these pipes are mostly for aesthetic purposes; so if you’re looking to adopt this style, then make sure to prepare before moving them
HomeServe suggests that burst pipes can happen unexpectedly, so it’s important to ensure that before they are exposed they have been checked thoroughly by a professional. A licensed contractor can also help you check the correct placement to ensure your pipes don’t freeze up during the winter.
Mix up your decor
At the end of the day, how you choose to decorate your home is what lets your personality shine through. The Paris Market in Georgia features walls decorated with mirrors, small paintings, and even model ships. This eclectic mix is seen all over the store, resulting in a quaint feel.
Don’t be afraid to mix it up; matching all your decor will end up making your space look less like a home and more like an exhibition room.
Go for brass
Minimalist design is often associated with wood, and our previous post, Decorating Ideas for a Minimalist Home, shows just how many items are made with the material. While there’s nothing wrong with wood-furnished tables and cabinets, brass and metal accents are still a great way to dress up a space.
Take it from Third Wave — an Australian cafe whose facade is made out of sheet metal, which gives an industrial yet homey touch to the coffee shop.
Add a plant or two
When in doubt, go for plants. Not only do plants look great in almost any setting, but studies have also shown that being surrounded by plants can improve your mood. NYC’s Devoción has a wall of coffee plants at the back of the shop, proving that vertical gardens are possible even in spaces the size of a small NYC apartment. If you have a green thumb, try caring for some low-maintenance plants and see how that goes.
Even though you might not have the resources that a full-blown business has at your disposal, a few specific tips and tricks can make all the difference between a boring space and a beautiful one.
The next time you’re out for a coffee run, be sure to check the cafe’s interiors and see if there are any design trends you can replicate in your own home!
As pretty as huge windows are when it comes to coffee shops, I totally can’t adopt that style in our home. I always get paranoid if people can see through our house! lol Since the pandemic though, we’ve been adding more plants in our home, so that’s one thing I can copy from them.