A Coffee Shop in a Construction Site?! 2023 Coffee Shop Interior Design Trends That Will Blow Your Mind!

A Coffee Shop in a Construction Site?! 2023 Coffee Shop Interior Design Trends That Will Blow Your Mind!

The Evolution of Minimalist Design in Cafés

Chasing popular trends, interior design has seen minimalist styles surge in recent years. From "decluttered minimalism" to "industrial style with strong metallic textures" to the "domineering-CEO black mamba" look, all reflect people's pursuit of "retro feel," "simplicity," and "premium quality." Starting a couple of years ago, this gradually evolved into the "casual, wild, destitute style."

Mottled concrete walls, original building structures, exposed beams, rooms filled with the essence of reinforced concrete, distressed flooring, passages formed by hollowed-out walls...

This dilapidated, raw, simple, casual, rugged, unadorned aesthetic has been embraced by the younger generation — and café interiors are no exception. This free-spirited look was dubbed the "rough-finish style."

But even rough-finish eventually stops satisfying the hunger for novelty. It has since evolved into something that looks like an ongoing construction site: walls mid-demolition, cement still being applied... Call it the "construction crew abandoned" style, or "unfinished building" chic.

The Unfinished Café Phenomenon

Scaffolding for high-altitude work, still standing...

An indoor environment that is exceptionally messy...

Tables still streaked with cement marks...

It makes you frown and wonder: did the owner run out of renovation money, or did the construction crew abandon the project, forcing them to haul in coffee equipment and open out of desperation?

Believe it or not, that's essentially what happened! This coffee shop, which opened on January 22nd, actually opened for business while construction was still underway. (The construction crew really did walk off...) So both the exterior and interior are exceptionally... distinctive. According to the owner, the scaffolding stayed up because they planned to redesign the store's style later — dismantling and reinstalling it would have cost a fortune.

That laissez-faire decision unexpectedly drew crowds of curious young people. Within just two days, the shop went viral on social media! The owner even made a trip to an actual construction site, collected some discarded building materials, washed them, and stacked them in the shop's balcony area — taking the "unfinished" concept to its logical extreme.

Safety Concerns and Official Response

And then... the safety complaints rolled in. (That plot twist came quickly.)

Nearby residents complained that temporary scaffolding doesn't look safe; left up long-term, they worried it might loosen and fall in strong wind and heavy rain.

Inside, visiting netizens noted that the stairs to the second floor were also built from steel — with a large gap between the stairs and the floor, easy to tumble through while carrying coffee upstairs. (Later sealed off.)

The owner initially dug in, insisting the scaffolding wasn't illegal. But as complaints mounted, relevant government departments came to inspect and determined that the exterior scaffolding and internal steel structures failed to meet safety regulations, ordering the manager to remove them.

Health and Safety Questions

Beyond the scaffolding, the shop's interior raised its own worries. In response, the owner quietly installed indoor air quality monitoring equipment and began posting the daily readings on social media. Asbestos measurement results for each floor, along with business reports and licenses, are displayed in the store.

In under a month of operation, the shop became a case study in questioning the hygiene and environmental standards applied to food establishments. Many netizens found it miraculous that with exposed wiring, makeshift stairs, and visible dust, the shop still obtained its business permits.

The local municipal government responded that concept cafés like this are rapidly increasing, but no standards yet exist for inspecting safety and related risk factors. Since the law doesn't specify, as long as a shop complies with the Food Hygiene Law, even an actual construction site can open a café equivalent to any sit-down restaurant.

When inspectors do visit, they check only kitchen facilities, hygiene management, and food storage within the premises — air quality and internal building structure are not separately inspected.

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Whatever your café looks like, the coffee in the cup is what keeps people coming back. FrontStreet Coffee's entry-level picks for new shops and home bars alike:

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon — Tastes great, costs little: soft acidity, sweet cup, cream, peanut, and cocoa. The reliable everyday bean every menu needs.

FrontStreet Coffee Dark Cocoa Base Blend — Yunnan arabica joined with Brazil Cerrado: nut, chocolate, and cream aromas with a soft ripe-plum acidity. Gentle, balanced, and budget-friendly — a favorite of baristas and a natural first choice for new cafés.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sun-Dried Huakui (Sidama) — The crowd-pulling pour-over: berries, florals, jackfruit, melon, and honey in a traditional natural process. Sweet and aromatic — the bean that gets customers talking.