Walking around a busy city can be fun, but it can also tire you as the day starts winding down. Knowing the best coffee shops when visiting a place is always important. Shanghai is popular among visitors for its incredible design, so follow along as we show you some of the minimalist coffee shop designs in the Chinese coastal city.
Yijian Café
Designed by Beijing-based Golucci Interior Architects, the Yijian Café is a beautiful showcase of purposeful simplicity. The coffee shop design takes inspiration from its location’s Sino-French interiors of the 1930s to create something minimalist yet playful. The coffee shop is essentially a clean wooden box that brings a unique touch of nature to Shanghai’s chaos. The package can close but is usually left open with a record player on display.
The space inside is minimalist and cozy, with a long bar table and a sense of calm in the hustle and bustle of the city outside of the wooden box. However, the interior of Yijian Café is far from simplistic. The counter section features a unique sculptural design and rounded corners to create seamless joints. Every detail of this beautiful coffee shop was thought to be there to make the coffee the main star of the show.
Basdban Coffee Shop
Located on the first floor of a historical Shanghai building, Basdban Coffee Shop was designed by Dongqi Architects. Working very closely with the brand founder, baristas, roasters, graphic designers, structural engineers, and constructors, the team of architects created a comprehensive space for coffee roasting, retail, and event functions.
The historic building has gone through a lot of renovations. Dongqi carefully selected and preserved traces of these many renovations through the ages. The primary material used was stainless steel throughout the building. Outside, 6mm-thick horizontal steel plates cover the entire building to merge the old with the new.
Once inside, the area in the middle is spacious, allowing for a space for dining, events, or other uses. A stainless-steel rail system gives the possibility of blocking off this spacious area into smaller rooms for more intimate settings. The bar counter is close to the kitchen and behind it are custom stainless-steel refrigerators that seamlessly fit into the wall. Everything is so well-thought-out to create the perfect coffee shop design.
% Arabica Coffee Shanghai
% Arabica was renovated by the Beijing-based BLUE architecture studio in Shanghai’s Xuhui district. The studio wanted to break the boundary between the 50-square-meter commercial space and the street. Therefore, the team designed a U-shaped glass box that contains the coffee counter, cash register, and preparation area.
As you approach the u-shaped box, the coffee shop interior design is immaculate by using wooden tones, concrete, stainless steel, and textures of white. The glass front makes the small indoor space seem more extensive and less cramped. Additionally, the concrete flooring creates a seamless encounter between the streets and the entrance of the coffee shop.
Since the beautiful streets of the Xuhui district are adorned by trees, % Arabica’s main decor consists of greenery. At the front, various plants separate the two entrances of the box. Additionally, there are plants inside the shop that create this beautiful juxtaposition between nature and artificial concrete and the foliage.
UMAH Coffee Shop
Another coffee shop in Shanghai’s French Concession, UMAH Coffee Shop, is where people can enjoy a moment of peace in the hustle and bustle of the chaotic city. N+A Studio created the coffee shop design. The studio’s main focus was to make a rich sense of space in the small area of the building.
The coffee shop design consists of three dining spaces: street-facing, skylight, and indoor. The first was for people who enjoy sipping coffee while watching the streets. The second area has ample sunshine with the skylight as the light shines through the sycamore tree overhead the café. The last room is quieter and more intimate for people who like to enjoy their cup of coffee while working.
