01.02.2022

What to Expect for Café Interiors in 2023

Today’s society is always on the run. Visiting a café means grabbing a coffee to drink quickly or take away. So, how can a café encourage customers to stay in and fully experience the brand?

According to the trends for 2023, it’s creating engaging or inspiring moments.

Let’s try to imagine the way we consumed coffee only a decade ago: our decision path was a linear process starting with brand awareness and ending with brand loyalty. We used to take our time visiting various venues and quality produce was the major driver in customer retention.

When a Wi-Fi connection, comfy sofas and delicious food are not enough, engaging café experiences can make all the difference. Earning your customers business takes effort. But designing a social hub where digital consumers can meet and immerse themselves in Instagram moments, check-ins and other social shares keeps the conversation going around your brand, while strengthening their ‘brand love’. So, what are the design trends to take into consideration for 2023?

Playful Café Interior Design

Playful elements add bold character to any space, while pastel tints create a relaxed atmosphere. Add anything to be used as a fun background or as a central focus, and you’ll already see people coming in to shoot incredible pictures at your coffee shop.

Studiopepe used an ink blue shade to help enhance the dusty pink banquettes. With woodgrain-printed paper and terrazzo tabletops, rounded pouffes, black Marquina marble counters and a wavy bar with copper details, they transformed Cafezal, Milan, into the perfect spot to go for a delicious coffee and a couple of selfies.

Mixed-use café interiors

Integrating two or more activities in the same space can add great value to any coffee shop design.

Pastel Rita’s visual concept takes inspiration from the story of the owner’s grandmother. He wanted to create a space where Montreal’s creative Mile End neighbourhood could enjoy a good coffee, design together and exchange ideas.

Appareil Architecture colour-blocked different zones by activity. In dark green, gold tones and soft pink, the space includes a café, a boutique shop and an artisan’s workshop.

Instilling a sense of community generates trust around your brand and allows companies to add value and reliability to their product or service.– Peter Wrights, Ascent Group

Understanding your customer environment is essential to develop future-proof strategies that retain loyal customers and win new business. Knowing their habits, what they love and how they interact with your brand is key to transforming your café into a unique brand experience everyone wants to be part of.

Today, customers respond to brands who have similar values. Have you ever thought to express your commitment to sustainability through your store interior? An interior brand identity in line with your brand values and purpose shows your commitment and creates an instant connection to your audience.

Sustainable Coffee Shop Design

The importance of taking care of our planet has become a priority for an increasing number of consumers, and a brand representing this value will surely win its place as customers top pick.

Using techniques and materials that limit the consumption of natural resources has been the key factor for Cardboard Café in Mumbai. Proving the cardboard’s versatility as an environmentally friendly material, Indian architecture studio Nudes has built everything with this sustainable resource, from the walls, chairs, tables and even lampshades.

“Today, more than 90% of CEOs say that sustainability is fundamental for success.”

Simonetta Lein, Forbes

With the same approach, East London restaurant concept, Kailo brings together luxury, wellness and sustainability, intending to use 80% of recycled materials.

Inspired by the Roman era, authentic materials such as Obsidian and Tadelakt plaster combined with recycled stone marble and AltRock surfaces create a luxurious environment where traditional and modern features connect.

Consuming responsibly by opting for eco-friendly products and being more green in our actions will help us to lead more sustainable lives. Guided by environmental considerations to help reduce consumption, pollution and waste, we have the information, technology and innovation to make a difference and create a sustainable example for future generations to follow.

Instagrammable café interiors

Today’s customers are utilising the physical world to connect to their digital audience.

There is a significant growth in commercial interiors that base their lighting, décor and layout on integrating digital experiences. After all, we all love sharing a new selfie with the most inspiring café interiors. Not to mention the colourful menus, coffees and food that go together with it.

Spectrum Collections is considered one of the most Instagrammable and blogger-friendly spots in London. Their interiors mix a soft pastel palette with a contrasting dark green is the perfect backdrop for a grammable coffee and cupcake.

“A recent study has revealed that two-fifths (40.1 per cent) of millennials choose a spot based on its Instagrammability”.

Rachel Hosie, The Independent

With a shift in colour palette and a more characterised interior, FormRoom created the store design for Milk Train.

Train station elements are placed throughout the space using mosaic tiling and wayfinding, including a play on words “Mind the Melt” embedded into the floor. The ceiling feature is inspired by the train ‘steam’ and designed to be easily adaptable for seasonal installations.

Lending another subtle nod to the train experience, the store exterior utilises opaque glass and black metal trimming to mimic the steamed-up carriage windows.

Restaurant and Café Interior Designers

As part of developing an interior brand identity, it is vital to understand your customers, their behaviours and journey as well as the market as a whole.

FormRoom’s cafés and restaurant designs go beyond creating beautiful venues, we craft future-proof brands and immersive experiences to enrich customer loyalty.

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