Café Cool
feel-good inspiring designs
Café Cool
feel-good inspiring designs
Robert Schneider
Contents
10 Introduction
18 April Coffee Roasters
Copenhagen, Denmark
24 Back In Black
Paris, France
30 Bonanza Coffee Roasters
Berlin, Germany
36 Casa Neutrale
Madrid, Spain
40 Coutume – Fondation
Paris, France
46 Coutume – Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
Paris, France
54 Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories
Vilnius, Lithuania
60 Formative Coffee
London, United Kingdom
64 Grounds + RNCR Roastery
Prague, Czechia
68 Hotel âme
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
74 Le Peloton Café
Paris, France
80 Monmouth Coffee
London, United Kingdom
88 Omotesando Koffee
London, United Kingdom
94 Original Coffee
Copenhagen, Denmark
98 Sawerdō coffee + bakery
Geneva, Switzerland
102 Single Estate Coffee Roasters
The Hague, The Netherlands
108 Typika Coffee
Prague, Czechia
114 WAY Bakery
Helsinki, Finland
118 White Rabbit Surf Café
Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
126 Andytown Coffee Roasters
San Francisco, CA, United States
132 The Coffee Movement
San Francisco, CA, United States
The COVID-19 global airborne infectious disease pandemic had a devastating impact on cafés and coffee shops. Needless to say, trying to survive as a business during social distancing, closure guidelines, and stay-at-home orders was challenging. Many cafés and coffee shops leaned on outdoor seating (weather permitting), walk-up and curbside service, bicycle delivery, and online sales. Some cafés and coffee shops even started selling staples such as flour, grains, and produce alongside coffee and prepared food items. Still— such measures were often not enough to survive with temporary closures unfortunately becoming permanent all too often.
The pandemic certainly highlighted the value of independent cafés and coffee shops as neighborhood gathering places (“third places”) for people to connect, meet, create, and socialize in person rather than online.
Yet, despite the turmoil, a number of cafés and coffee shops were able to survive and new ones continued to open with quite a few owned and/or operated by women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Consequently—Café Cool: feel-good inspiring designs emerged; a third book in the series, featuring thirty-nine cafés and coffee shops in twenty-six cities around the world. The curated selection shares a focus on modern contemporary designs with attention to detail, diverse materials and the unique ways they are put together, thoughtful design processes, visions and/or stories, and sophisticated splashes of color—from soft hues to bold shades.
The author was inspired in selecting the cafés and coffee shops for the book by a young ballerina performing a solo. She was confident—but not overly confident. Enthusiastic—but not over-the-top. She had a pleasing presence that engaged the audience. In short, her artistry was perfect—delightful, captivating, and special. It made you feel good—just like a well-designed space.
Importantly—a large majority of the selected cafés and coffee shops are independent and local with designs that foster a fantastic coffee experience. Designs that say welcome, enjoy, stay awhile, have a great time, and make the visitor feeling amazing after leaving and wanting to return again and again!
Café cool: feel-good inspiring designs is the much-anticipated third book in the series by Robert Schneider, and features thirty-nine cafés, coffee shops, and roasteries in twenty-six cities around the world. This curated selection shares a focus on modern contemporary designs, showcasing independent, local coffee hubs that sit at the heart of communities, and are designed to foster a fantastic coffee experience. Insightful commentary by the owners and designers capture the feel and personality of each project. This book is a homage to Schneider’s belief that, particularly given the recent global pandemic, it is vital that we continue to support and appreciate quality coffee in cafés and coffee shops that exhibit great feel-good inspiring designs.
Front cover photography: Benny Chan/Fotoworks (Intelligentsia Coffee, Los Angeles, United States; Standard Architecture)
Back cover photography: David Foessel (Coutume – Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, Paris, France; CUT architectures)
