One of the most exciting parts of furnishing and designing the look of your cafe is creating a powerful new identity for your business that speaks to your target customers and makes them feel at home.
Whether you’re creating an artsy, retro venue for a local student population, an ultra-modern bistro for business execs or a simple grab ‘n’ go for passers by needing a pick me up, the right choices in cafe furniture will quickly let potential customers know what to expect before they’ve even walked inside.
It’s not just about choosing a couple of different cafe tables and chairs and sticking them in the room. There are a few different elements of the design process that you will need to take into account.
Sit In vs Take Out
Cafe customers can be divided into those that want to stay in your cafe, whether for a meal or just a relaxed hot chocolate, and those that just need to grab a caffeine boost on their way to the office.
You can of course cater to both, and many cafes do exactly that. However, the type of furnishing you choose will make a clear impression on which type of customer will be more likely to walk inside.
If the furniture choices are spartan and plain, it will show that they’re mainly for use whilst your customers wait to collect their order. Likewise, comfortable armchairs arranged around homely looking cafe tables will communicate that your cafe is a place where people can unwind after a stressful day and catch up with their friends.
For example, compare how a plush 3 seater sofa can be used to encourage groups of friends to spend time together over a coffee, whereas an upholstered tub chair can give your clientele a place to sit and read the paper before their morning brew is served.
Cafes with an emphasis on keeping customers inside will need to consider many more aspects of furnishing, as creating the right atmosphere is a powerful part of appealing to the type of people you want to attract. Coffee shops that don’t cater for more than quick stops can place more focus on budget concerns over style – although style can’t be ignored completely, as you’ll see in the next section.
Choosing the Right Cafe Furnishings for your Market
Another thing you’ll want to take note of when choosing your cafe tables, chairs, lighting and other commercial furniture is the income level of your desired clientele.
Let’s imagine that you have a coffee shop which is frequented by local office workers on their way to work or on their lunch breaks. They don’t tend to stay long, with most of them leaving immediately after picking up their order.
In this situation, you wouldn’t want to spend a lot of money in creating an extremely cozy den-like atmosphere. However, you wouldn’t want the place to look cheap either, as the middle-class level of your most common customers would come with certain expectations. In this case, it would be more suitable to create a clean, bright, and modern environment.
One way to do this would be to use some elegant bar stools facing out of a window, such as these:
https://www.warnercontractfurniture.co.uk/furniture/eames76-bar-stools/
Likewise, you might reasonably expect these same customers to return during lunch for a bite to eat. If you have a balcony or veranda that they could take advantage of on a sunny day, then a collection of tasteful outdoor cafe chairs and tables will create the perfect space for them to eat a sandwich and escape their duties for half an hour or so (see the link below for an example)
https://www.warnercontractfurniture.co.uk/furniture/mano-stacking-outdoor-armchairs/
On the other hand, if you’re nearby to a university then you might want to create a place where students can comfortably spend long stretches of time. It’s not just about choosing great seating. Careful placement of lighting and other decorative features such as plants can contribute to a more intimate setting for discussion by softly diffusing the light and casting relaxing shadows on the walls and ceiling.
Choosing Commercial Furniture by Theme
Considering the theme of your cafe can make choosing the right type of cafe furniture more manageable too. This can be a very broad choice, so you’ll need to narrow it down as much as possible. For example, a cafe in a rural village area would be a better fit for the surrounding location and the people nearby if it was outfitted with furniture that created a rustic or traditional aesthetic.
If you needed to choose cafe chairs for such a venue, you would need to choose those that complimented the overall feel and were of the same style and material.
Compare the difference between two styles of wooden chairs and which would be the best fit for a rural themed cafe.
https://www.warnercontractfurniture.co.uk/furniture/luke-zebrano-chairs/
The first chair looks like it could be found in the dining room of a farmstead, whereas the second would be more suited to an urban setting.
Of course, one piece of furniture doesn’t constitute a theme. By coordinating all of the cafe furniture, along with other aspects such as artwork, floors and window coverings is what creates the atmosphere.
Making the Best Use of the Space Available
It’s not enough to just gather up all of the furniture you need for the style of cafe you have in mind. The physical limitations of your premises are something else you’ll need to consider when furnishing your cafe.
If you’re close to the city centre, you’ll need to be more economical with what space you do have than if you have a sprawling cafe/restaurant. However, whether you have a large or a small place doesn’t have to be a restriction. Smaller settings allow you to use a lower number of eye-catching details to influence the overall vibe, and large venues can be turned into close-knit places for multiple (but separate) groups as easily as an impersonal diner for dozens of people as they shop.
There’s no need to compromise on your vision just because of the amount of space you have. Make the space you have count, and don’t be afraid to divide larger spaces into smaller ones.
Quick Tips and Tricks to Transform Your Cafe
If you’ve already got an established business, but want to upgrade your current furnishing, there are a few ways you can make use of what you already have to save on costs.
You can completely change the style of your cafe by simply changing the table tops. Switching from plastic to wood can add a more upmarket feel. Similarly, swapping between darker and lighter woods can take a rustic vibe and transform it into a more modern one.
Lighting fixtures can be another way to update your cafe’s feel. Swapping out standard light bulbs for coloured ones is a simple way to quickly create an atmosphere without much expense.
Colour choices matter in other ways too. A plain white wall can either signal that your cafe is a spartan “in and out” establishment, but can also be incorporated into a vogueish aesthetic instead. Wood panels, floor to ceiling bookshelves and bare brick or stonework are other ways the boundaries of your cafe can be used to create a specific setting without requiring large investments.
Final Notes
Furnishing a cafe is an opportunity to unleash your creativity. No matter what kind of customers you wish to appeal to, there are an unlimited number of ways you can achieve this by choosing the right kind of furniture.
Experimenting with different combinations of materials, layouts and styles can yield interesting results and generate new ideas. Sometimes, all it takes is one key piece that ties together a finished look to completely revitalise your cafe.
Whatever your needs are, keep the principles we’ve talked about in mind and keep an eye out for the unique advantages your premises has to offer when designing the interior.