At Thames Contracts we undertake café and restaurant design and fitouts for London business owners, working with them to achieve appealing and impressive interiors designed to attract customers and help them grow their business.
So we know a thing or two about what owners are looking for when they approach a restaurant interior designer. As a result of our experience, we’ve identified three trends which we expect will continue to be a strong influence on the layout of cafés and restaurants in London and elsewhere in the UK in 2015 and for some time to come.
1. Café / Restaurant Crossover Spaces
One of the biggest trends we have noticed over the past few years, which is probably not going away any time soon, is for an establishment to be a café by day and a restaurant by night. This has been driven by two important factors:
The first is economic common sense – food businesses need to squeeze every ounce of revenue from their physical space. It simply no longer makes sense to be paying rent on premises and have it standing empty for half the day.
The second factor is the change in the type of food served and especially the rise of “casual dining”. Customers can now find restaurant quality food in pubs and café, making the distinction between a restaurant and a café ever more blurred.
But whether you are a traditional evening restaurant looking for a share of the all day breakfast/lunch market, or a café wanting to establish itself as an evening destination, this often requires a rethink about the interior design – both in terms of layout and in terms of ambience.
Daytime café or evening restaurants which are already well known in their area can find it difficult to reposition themselves in the market and in the minds of their existing clientele. A redesign (either refreshing or refurbishing an existing design or a complete refit) can help to signal this change to your existing customers, and attract the interest of new customers, as well as ensuring that any functional requirements are addressed (e.g. different furniture, lighting or facilities).
In the image below, showing one of our recent café design projects, we see the eclectic design and furnishings expected in a typical coffee shop interior. But with the inclusion of some softer lighting and a discreet bar area, combined with full height tables, the space works equally well as a bistro, serving relaxed lunches and evening meals.
2. Distinctiveness
When competition is fierce then standing out from the crowd is essential. Without exception our café and restaurant design clients are looking for layouts, materials and colour schemes that are unique and distinctive, and which say something about the type of food and experience that customers can expect. It’s probably not too much to say that many café owners and restaurateurs are seeking to express their personality, their vision and their passion through their chosen design, and at Thames Contracts our task is to help them achieve just that.
Of course, it’s our job to understand the “boring” functional requirements that will make the space work efficiently for diners and employees alike on a day to day basis. These include fitting in the right amount of seating while providing enough space to move around, providing clear zones, the correct siting of kitchens, counters and WC facilities. However, it’s also very much our job to be creative with materials, colour and lighting to create the unique visual impact that our clients are looking for.
In the café fitout project pictured below a traditional coffee shop feel was adopted in terms of simple layout and furniture, whilst achieving a distinctive look via a strong colour scheme and contemporary fittings.
3. Blending Natural and Modern
Our third big trend involves blending natural and modern materials and styles together. Using materials such as wood, stone and leather gives customers a sense of something familiar and substantial, while also conveying a sense of quality. Adding contemporary features such as glass, chrome and modern lighting techniques brings the design right up to date.
For instance, you might want a minimalist abstract spiral structure – but made of wood. Or you might want contemporary, angular dining chairs – but upholstered in traditional leather.
An example of this is in the image below, which shows one of our recent restaurant fitouts with leather chairs that feature chrome detailing and a modern suspension design. The traditional solid wood flooring is counterbalanced by a geometrical glass ceiling, with ultra-modern blue lighting. Meanwhile, the interior foliage centrepiece gives a natural feature an unexpected modern twist.
We’ve been designing restaurants, café and coffee shops for over 25 years, so call Thames Contacts today to see how we can help.
