First of all, what is the difference between a regular cafe and a boutique cafe? Although there are no decisional differences between these two concepts, there are several interior architectural design elements that make it easier for us to distinguish between them. Usually, the variety of food in boutique cafes may be less than in regular cafes. The reason for this is that boutique cafe are areas that cater to a smaller segment than regular cafes. At the same time, the decoration elements are among the features that distinguish boutique cafes from regular cafes. Since the concept determined in boutique cafes will be more specific, accessory choices will be more specialized according to this concept.
It is found in the interior architectural designs of boutique cafes with a factor that may be different from normal cafes. For example, in boutique cafes, the area where food and drinks are prepared is solved in open and small square meters that visitors can see, rather than being out of sight or surrounded by walls. The main purpose of boutique cafes is to offer different and attractive areas to customers instead of performing eating and drinking function. Attention should be paid to creating a space where customers can chat for a long time, perform their business, read books, play various board games and socialize with each other.
There are many various boutique cafes and businesses today to offer new areas of interest to customers. To reveal yourself in this crowd, you need to find a characteristic cafe design that is special to you. When choosing this characteristic design:
Attention should be paid to the location of the cafe and the characteristics of the surrounding businesses. By examining the services offered by businesses, you can find a concept that will bring you to the forefront. You also need to pay attention to the potential customer base. The gender-age-social status characteristics of the customers you are addressing should be compatible with the service you will offer in your cafe. If you want to run a successful boutique cafe in your current location, your interior architectural design decisions should be organized according to location and user audience analysis.
FURNITURE
First of all, the “comfort” factor should be kept in the foreground in the furniture choices in the boutique cafe. Actions that can be performed by users in such enterprises:
Making a job interview
To celebrate a special day of a family member or friends
Eat food
Drinking coffee and relaxing
To take care of their private business with items such as laptops or book
Have a chat
Examples such as playing various board games can be given.
Regardless of the activity within the cafe, areas should be offered for customers where they can do their work, relax and have a good time. Furniture choices should be classified according to cafe functions and solutions should be introduced to provide the necessary comfort degrees according to the function. For example, in dining areas, hard textured areas will create a more comfortable dining area for customers than soft textured seating areas. In the coffee drinking and reading areas, soft textured seating groups can be preferred because the main purpose of the customers is relaxation. Attention should be paid to circulation areas between furniture. If you are working in a small area, it would be better to reduce the number of furniture to a minimum and create comfortable areas for customers to move around.
DECOR-ACCESSORIES
The accessories you use for your cafe can strengthen your concept. One thing that should be considered in the selection of accessories is also the number. Even if your concept is maximalism, there should be a certain number of accessories that you should use. Because too many accessories can cause eye strain, flattened area, and interruptions in the circulation area.
COLOR
The concept you choose in your boutique cafe can be strengthened by choosing the right color scale. The choice of color also affects how the space is perceived by the customer's eyes. For example, excessive use of dark colors may make the area look too small and flattened. The use of excessively light tones can also make the space seem cold. In this case, the color scale should be carefully determined according to the functions of the cafe.
TEXTURE
Since the texture choices in the cafe will work in parallel with the color and furniture category, the effects of textures on humans should be investigated in detail. If you want to get detailed information about this, you can go to our "The Impact of Touch on People in Architectural Design" blog. According to the function classes in the area, textures that can provide comfort should be recommended. For example, as explained above in our article, the choice of hard textured furniture in eating and drinking areas, reading books-relaxing-coffee drinking areas, or softer textured furniture, is one of the simple examples that shows how important texture is according to function.
At the same time, texture selections should be paid attention to in fixed areas such as floor-wall-ceiling. It is necessary to say again, “comfort” is an important factor in the choice of texture. Care should be taken to choose textures that are easy to clean in the kitchen area, to choose aesthetic texture differences that will not get in the way of accessories on the walls but will support the concept at the same time, to choose textures that are easy to clean on the floor, do not make the space dirty and are not too slippery.
LIGHTNING
In interior space designs, lighting is a factor that fundamentally affects how the space is perceived, such as color and texture. In the cafe, attention should be paid to the lighting systems according to the selected concept and especially the function requirements. First of all, it should be ensured that as much natural lighting as possible is provided in the area. Natural lighting in a space is often the best lighting. In places where natural lighting is insufficient, lighting systems should be created with light degrees that will not tire the human eye. To illustrate, if necessary;
In areas where functions such as reading and working are performed, more dim lights may be preferred to provide eye comfort for users.
It has been observed that successful results have been obtained in cafes where dim yellow light is used to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere at the same time.
If you want to add a clean and dynamic atmosphere to the environment, lighting that is closer to the colors in light tones can be selected. The degree of light may vary according to the focal points determined in the field.
Also, do not forget that you can make changes to the lighting for important days of the year. For example, Christmas.
AIR AND HEAT
Another factor that should be taken into account to keep the user comfort in the boutique cafe at a high level is the in-environment ventilation-heating systems. First of all, the optimal temperature should always be maintained according to the function within the area. Maybe you have a concept that requires room temperature, maybe cold air? In each sample, the necessary air-heat analyzes should be performed according to the function and optimal levels should be found according to these analyzes. It should be remembered that the customer who cannot get enough heat or fresh air in the area will not be able to spend time comfortably in your cafe This, in turn, profoundly affects the success of the cafe and your potential growth in the coming years. Because if there is one thing that directly affects the success of a cafe, it is customer satisfaction.
KITCHEN
The function of preparing food and drinks in boutique cafes is carried out differently than in establishments such as regular cafes or restaurants. In boutique cafes, kitchens are generally areas that customers can see, aesthetically arranged following the in-space concept.
For the functions to be performed in the kitchen to be performed completely and without overlapping with each other, the necessary circulation area should be paid attention to. The optimal space should be provided according to the maximum number of employees who will work in the kitchen area and the service conditions provided. If the self-service concept is progressing in the boutique cafe, customer circulation should be taken into account in addition to this employee circulation. That is, care should be taken so that the circulation does not intertwine with each other. In other words, when a customer receives the food or drinks he has ordered, the dishes offered should be displayed aesthetically, while the employees should be able to prepare the orders smoothly.
For the boutique cafe design of your dreams, you can get help from Ankara Riva Interior Architecture with its designs that appeal to every style. Together with our team, we bring new perspectives to your living spaces with our aesthetic and effective applications. Since 2006, we have been turning the projects you have in mind into reality with our happy customer portfolio, good design, and correct applications.