Cafés are no longer just a place to get your morning cup of joe. Pop into a coffee shop and you are guaranteed to see people working on their laptops. The rise of freelancers has brought more people to coffee shops, where they set up a virtual office to work from. Due to this, people are spending more time in cafes, especially the ones that offer free Wi-Fi, plenty of plug points, good coffee and comfortable seating options.


Designing a cafe
- Published Month July 2019
- Category Interior Design
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In this age of Instagram, people love taking photos of where they eat, what they eat and how the food looks. The café business is highly competitive with quaint cafes popping up at every nook and corner. This makes it important to ensure the ambience is comfortable and quirky and the customer experience is remarkable.
As an interior designer, you need to design and build a café that is Instagrammable, where customers would love to stay for hours, not only so that they keep ordering food and drinks, but also curl up with a book or get some work done.
If you are designing café interiors soon, we have some tips for you:
To start with, before you decide on any of the designs, you have to consider different elements such as themes, materials, colours and lighting.
To get the design right, you need to understand what kind of theme the client has in mind. Once you know what the theme is, you will need to blend the entire interiors around that theme.
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The exteriors of the café matter as much as the interiors so getting the welcome header and logo right is imperative in telling a good brand story. It is a clever idea to install a glass wall in the entrance so that passers-by get a good view of the interiors of the café. It can also be an ideal spot for some people watching. This is the first step in attracting potential customers.
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Understanding what kind of customers your client wants to target is crucial. Once you are clear on the requirements, figure out the setting of the café. To attract millennials and corporates, Wi-Fi and plenty of plug points are crucial. Similarly, for creative heads and artists, consider good books, quirky décor and a community table where people can interact and share. Know what your client wants in terms of the design. It could be vintage, quirky, rustic or modern décor. You can implement the décor elements accordingly.
Next comes finalising the colour scheme. You can never go wrong with earthy hues or pastels when it comes to cafés. You can opt for textured wall paints too. Trendy wallpapers can work well in creating a bold visual impact. You can look at Berger Paints India’s website for some inspiration on painting ideas. It has a bunch of options when it comes to wall paints, be it for home painting or commercial spaces like cafés.
Lighting is key to set the right mood. You need to create a positive vibe and stimulate the customer’s appetite, which is where you can make use of colour psychology. It is observed that since colour has an influence on appetite, coloured lighting can have a similar effect. Try blue lighting since the colour is believed to trigger hunger.
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For the table tops, you can try Berger Imperia Gold Glass Coatings which has lovely stencil finishes for you to choose from. However, décor elements in café are not limited to tables and chairs. It also involves tableware and cutlery since it can bring the brand and personality of the café to light. Incorporate some greenery using plants, from a vertical garden to lush creepers or even a succulent as a prop on the tables.
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Pay attention to the display units of the café and ensure proper shelving within the display counters. Choose from marble, granite, laminate or wooden when it comes to countertops. Avoid using plastic wherever you can.
You could get creative and invest in a colourful accent wall, a photo booth, a trendy sofa or artwork where customers would want to click pictures. The idea is to build something that will be an icon for the café and make it popular amongst customers.
- Published Month July 2019
- Category Interior Design

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