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

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex.

The Evolution of Minimalist Design in Cafés

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

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

This style, characterized by its dilapidated, raw, simple, casual, rugged, and unadorned aesthetic, has been embraced by the younger generation. Café interior design is no exception... This free-spirited and casual style has been dubbed the "rough-finish style."

Today, even this rough-finish style gradually fails to satisfy consumers' desire for novelty. The outdated rough-finish has successfully evolved into what appears to be an ongoing construction site with walls being torn down and cement still being applied... I'd call this the "construction crew abandoned" or "unfinished building" style.

The Unfinished Café Phenomenon

Scaffolding used for high-altitude work remains unassembled...

The indoor environment is exceptionally messy...

Tables still covered with cement marks...

Looking at this really makes one frown, unable to resist asking: Did the owner run out of renovation money, or did the construction crew abandon the project, forcing them to move in coffee equipment and start business out of desperation?

Believe it or not, that's exactly what happened! This coffee shop, which opened on January 22nd, actually opened on-site before actual construction began. (The construction crew really did run away...) Therefore, both the exterior and interior environments are exceptionally... distinctive. The coffee shop owner stated that the scaffolding wasn't removed because they planned to redesign the store's style later, and if it was dismantled and then reinstalled later, renovation costs would be extremely high.

Such a laissez-faire decision unexpectedly attracted the curiosity of large numbers of young people. Within just two days, this coffee shop went viral on social media platforms! The owner specifically made a trip to a construction site, collected some unwanted building materials, washed them, and stacked them in the balcony area of the shop, taking the "unfinished" concept to its extreme.

Safety Concerns and Official Response

And then... they received many safety-related complaints. (This plot twist came quickly.)

Many nearby residents complained that such temporary scaffolding doesn't look safe. If it remains this way long-term, it could be problematic if it loosens and falls during strong winds and heavy rain.

Besides the exterior, some netizens who visited the shop mentioned that the stairs leading to the second floor were also constructed with steel materials. Additionally, there's a large gap between the stairs and the floor, making it easy to fall while carrying coffee upstairs! (Later sealed off)

In response to these complaints, the coffee shop owner initially remained stubborn, stating that these scaffolding facilities weren't illegal. However, as complaints continued to increase, relevant government department staff also came to inspect and determined that the exterior scaffolding and internal steel structures did not meet safety regulations, requiring the shop manager to remove them.

Health and Safety Questions

Beyond questions about the safety of the scaffolding, the coffee shop's internal environment also raises concerns... Addressing these worries, the coffee shop owner silently installed indoor air quality monitoring equipment and began posting results daily on social media platforms. Additionally, asbestos measurement results for each floor, along with business reports and business licenses, are displayed in the store.

In less than a month since opening, this coffee shop has become a case study in questioning the hygiene and environmental standards of food establishments. Many netizens find it miraculous that despite exposed electrical wires, makeshift stairs, and visible dust indoors, the shop still managed to obtain relevant business permits.

In response, the local municipal government stated that concept cafés like this are rapidly increasing, but there are no standards yet for inspecting safety and other risk factors. Since the law doesn't specify, as long as they comply with the Food Hygiene Law, even actual construction sites can open cafés equivalent to restful restaurants.

When relevant departments conduct inspections, they only check for kitchen facilities, hygiene management, food storage conditions, etc., within the business premises, but do not separately inspect air quality or internal building structures.

Image source: Internet

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473