Good to the last drop, coffee culture gets an upgrade thanks to these clean, chic, and whimsical cafés that meticulously reimagine how people eat and drink today.

Elixir Bunn Coffee Roasters
Riyadh

Local firm Azaz Architects’ approach to Elixir Bunn Coffee Roasters aimed to disrupt Riyadh’s takeout-heavy culture with a design that encourages customers to stay awhile. “We wanted to bring Saudi Arabia to the global stage rather than the opposite,” says firm founder Shahad Alazzaz. However, a structural column in the center of the space created a challenge for the firm. By making it the focal point of the design, “we shifted the narrative around [it],” she says. New walls blossomed from the column and were shaped into massive arches finished in mud paint to evoke a temple-like feel. Tying these elements together is a striking deep blue spiral staircase, which contrasts Italian terrazzo that adorns the floors, countertops, and other surfaces. “I have never seen an architectural design spark so much discussion within Riyadh,” adds Alazzaz. “Visitors are still discussing it—some have come abroad especially for this coffee shop location.”

Daily
Odessa, Ukraine

For the pared-down Daily café in Odessa, locally based Sivak+Partners opted for simplicity “because then the coffee is a centerpiece,” says firm co-owner and chief designer Maksym Iuriichuk. It’s an approach that led him to create a minimalist coffee shop swathed in warm beige tones but with unexpected moments of drama. Separated into two zones, the first is home to a spacious wood-fronted counter and communal seating set atop a geometric tiled floor, while the second is moodier and more intimate thanks to rich burgundy painted walls and a regal emerald sofa. “The idea was to create a cozy atmosphere with the help of lighting,” he says. “In the afternoon, you see sunlight from different objects, and in the evening, you see a completely different picture created by wall lights.”

Voyager Craft Coffee
Santa Clara, California

Having completed two projects together, Voyager Craft Coffee and San Francisco-based Studio BANAA had already developed a rapport when it came time to turn a blank canvas on Santa Clara University’s campus into the company’s largest location yet. “From the beginning, we connected with Voyager’s ‘coffee inspired by our travels’ concept,” says Studio BANAA principal architect Nastaran Mousavi. Staying true to the brand’s iconography of subtle nautical references, key design details include colorful sailboat-shaped tiles and hickory wood shelving that calls to mind a web of ship ladders. “While the inspiration might be obvious to the eye, the way we designed the space is less so,” says Mousavi. The café features an abundance of custom millwork, including a carved bar counter shaped like the hull of a ship and laser-etched planters that create distinctive seating zones, “like continents united by passages of water,” she describes. “We wanted to maximize seating without compromising an airy and spacious room for customers.”

Bafarat
London

Having worked with Bafarat on its flagship store in Jeddah, local firm Blacksheep was called on once again to imbue the Arabic coffee company’s recently opened London outpost with a design that conjures Jeddah’s sense of tradition and nostalgia, the artisan craft of Parisian patisseries, and the diverse and vibrant aesthetic of the city’s Soho neighborhood. The fruitful marriage embraces angular shapes, soft layers, and pistachio green and rose-pink hues that “are taken from classic Arabic ingredients and used alongside subtle Saudi and Parisian touchpoints to create an atmosphere of passion and innovation,” says Paul Mann, Blacksheep brand design director. The curved block counter front and wall add an element of surprise, while structural interventions, like lowering the Altrock counter, “ensured both the barista and patisserie chef became the heroes—a spectacle to return for,” Mann says.

Photos by Azaz Architects, Antony Garets, Graham Atkins-Hughes, and courtesy of Studio BANAA

A version of this article originally appeared in HD’s September 2020 issue.