Decorating
12 Freshly Brewed Ideas to Steal From Your Local Café
Recreate everything you love about your favourite café in your home and make it a place you'll want to relax in for hours
I’m sure I’m not the only one who loves heading down to my favourite local café on the weekend – partly for the food and company, but also seeking that cool café decor, buzz and vibe. People have loved gathering at public places (hence the word ‘pub’) for centuries, but we Australians seem to have made the local café our ‘pub’.
Cafés not only incorporate great design ideas, but have an ambience that’s totally conducive to eating, drinking, chatting, reading and just chilling. Australian cafés often take their cue from recycled or up-cycled materials, hard-wearing finishes, and retro pieces to bring about a warm, cosy and inviting atmosphere. Wouldn’t you love to create a café look and feel in your home? Choose rustic materials, salvaged pieces and industrial furniture to achieve this welcoming and eclectic look. Then add some knockout appliances, cool lighting, open shelves and fun signage. Here are some additions to create an edgy yet inviting space that your family and friends will want to hang out in for hours.
Cafés not only incorporate great design ideas, but have an ambience that’s totally conducive to eating, drinking, chatting, reading and just chilling. Australian cafés often take their cue from recycled or up-cycled materials, hard-wearing finishes, and retro pieces to bring about a warm, cosy and inviting atmosphere. Wouldn’t you love to create a café look and feel in your home? Choose rustic materials, salvaged pieces and industrial furniture to achieve this welcoming and eclectic look. Then add some knockout appliances, cool lighting, open shelves and fun signage. Here are some additions to create an edgy yet inviting space that your family and friends will want to hang out in for hours.
2. Chalk up the menu
Blackboards are synonymous with cafés, and at home they’re an interesting way to write up the menu for dinner parties. They’re also great for shopping lists and family communication. Look for old blackboards online or in secondhand stores, or paint one on a spare wall with blackboard paint.
Blackboards are synonymous with cafés, and at home they’re an interesting way to write up the menu for dinner parties. They’re also great for shopping lists and family communication. Look for old blackboards online or in secondhand stores, or paint one on a spare wall with blackboard paint.
3. Steal their seating secrets
Cafés often have long communal tables with bench seating or chairs to provide plenty of room for spreading out with newspapers and relaxing for hours. If you can’t find a table long enough, why not put two tables and two benches together, like seen here, and string lights along the length of it.
Cafés often have long communal tables with bench seating or chairs to provide plenty of room for spreading out with newspapers and relaxing for hours. If you can’t find a table long enough, why not put two tables and two benches together, like seen here, and string lights along the length of it.
Banquette seating is super-comfortable and a great option if space is limited.
Cafés often feature mismatched secondhand armchairs to provide that retro feel and a comfortable alternative to dining chairs. Retro armchairs are easy to find in markets and antique stores.
Read more: Master the Art of Mix-and-Match Dining Chairs
Read more: Master the Art of Mix-and-Match Dining Chairs
4. Scour the scrapyard
Café style suits a home with original and industrial architecture, like the high ceilings, brickwork and beams seen here. But if your home doesn’t have these features, you can still incorporate the café look in smaller ways – see the close-up of this kitchen’s island in the next image.
Café style suits a home with original and industrial architecture, like the high ceilings, brickwork and beams seen here. But if your home doesn’t have these features, you can still incorporate the café look in smaller ways – see the close-up of this kitchen’s island in the next image.
This kitchen features a wealth of recycled and salvaged pieces, like the pressed tin panels in the kitchen island. Scour salvage yards for pressed tin, but if you can’t find any originals, there are companies that produce pressed-tin in original designs.
Cafés create a warm, welcoming, nostalgic vibe by introducing old, secondhand pieces with rustic finishes.
Step inside this Western Australian new build
Cafés create a warm, welcoming, nostalgic vibe by introducing old, secondhand pieces with rustic finishes.
Step inside this Western Australian new build
5. Choose hard-wearing materials
To last the distance, cafés need hard-wearing, commercial-grade materials and finishes, which are a practical choice for your own home, too. Look for materials such as concrete, stainless steel, and rustic, recycled wood that can handle the high traffic.
To last the distance, cafés need hard-wearing, commercial-grade materials and finishes, which are a practical choice for your own home, too. Look for materials such as concrete, stainless steel, and rustic, recycled wood that can handle the high traffic.
6. Splash out on professional appliances
Every kitchen needs a decent coffee machine, but don’t forget other appliances such as the oven, dishwasher, kettle, toaster and food processor. Large, commercial-grade appliances will make your life easier and allow you to cook for a crowd.
Every kitchen needs a decent coffee machine, but don’t forget other appliances such as the oven, dishwasher, kettle, toaster and food processor. Large, commercial-grade appliances will make your life easier and allow you to cook for a crowd.
7. Source local artworks
Cafés often have local artists’ and photographers’ work up, so make sure you fill the walls with pieces that inspire you. Source art not only in shops but also online, in markets, and at auctions. Limited edition prints can be a more affordable option.
Cafés often have local artists’ and photographers’ work up, so make sure you fill the walls with pieces that inspire you. Source art not only in shops but also online, in markets, and at auctions. Limited edition prints can be a more affordable option.
And don’t forget to look out for old shop signs. Search secondhand stores and online. Ones that light up are extra-special.
This sign is a sculpture in its own right.
Read more: Walk This Way: Fun Ways to Use Road Signs in Your Home
Read more: Walk This Way: Fun Ways to Use Road Signs in Your Home
8. Try exposed bulb lighting
Café style lights are often vintage or industrial, in materials such as metal and glass, and exposed bulbs have made a comeback. Scour markets and secondhand stores for good buys.
Read more: Exposed Bulb Lighting: What’s All the Fuss About?
Café style lights are often vintage or industrial, in materials such as metal and glass, and exposed bulbs have made a comeback. Scour markets and secondhand stores for good buys.
Read more: Exposed Bulb Lighting: What’s All the Fuss About?
The filament lighting here pairs well with the industrial metal and wood stools.
Consider wall lights as an alternative to ceiling lights. They look effective when hung as a group.
19. Make a feature of open shelving
Open shelves are the perfect way to add warmth and personality to your café space. They allow often-used items to be easily reached, and provide a display space for your treasures. Look in markets for original pieces such as preserve jars and old jugs and tins.
Open shelves are the perfect way to add warmth and personality to your café space. They allow often-used items to be easily reached, and provide a display space for your treasures. Look in markets for original pieces such as preserve jars and old jugs and tins.
Open shelves can look cluttered and messy. To keep them looking beautiful and streamlined, choose fewer items and use repetition and symmetry, like seen here. A limited colour palette like the white and beige here helps, too.
Read more: On Display: 10 Stylish (and Tidy) Ways to Arrange Open Kitchen Shelves
Read more: On Display: 10 Stylish (and Tidy) Ways to Arrange Open Kitchen Shelves
10. And don’t forget your outdoor café
Embrace the Australian climate and look outdoors when creating your café vibe. If possible, install large doors directly from the kitchen to your outdoor space, and position seating near the doors as you’ll find you’ll use the space more often. In keeping with café style, remember to look for vintage, industrial or bench seating.
Embrace the Australian climate and look outdoors when creating your café vibe. If possible, install large doors directly from the kitchen to your outdoor space, and position seating near the doors as you’ll find you’ll use the space more often. In keeping with café style, remember to look for vintage, industrial or bench seating.
Dot herbs and potted plants around to up the green factor – they’re a great accompaniment to your cooking, too!
A timber board is a whimsical way to welcome guests or write up the menu.
TELL US
What’s your favourite thing about your local café?
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TELL US
What’s your favourite thing about your local café?
MORE INSPIRATION
Cafe-Style Kitchens: How to Groove to the Bistro Beat
10 No-Fail Tricks to Help You Eat Healthier at Home
Get Crafty: 11 Ways to Turn Hessian Coffee Bean Sacks Into Home Decor
This beautiful opening does double duty as a window seat and bar, merging the outdoors with the indoors. Could this be the new kitchen island? Add some industrial bar stools like these Tolix stools that come in a wide range of colours to suit your scheme.
Read more: Raise Your Glass to Home Bars in All Shapes and Sizes