Montage: 32 Coffee Shop Interiors

Trendy coffee shops. So common now. A must in everyday life. But I remember when coffee first became a thing. I visited friends in Seattle in the early 1990s, and coffee was everywhere. There’d be neon signs touting “Coffee!” blinking everywhere you looked. It was as though we were in another universe, in which coffee was a magic elixir. Of course, coffee is indeed human fuel and fancy, frothy coffee drinks are now as ubiquitous across the country as Coca-Cola. Another early coffee memory comes from the same era, from my first trip to Italy. Those Italian espresso bars, with those shots of espresso in those dollhouse sized espresso cups.

It didn’t take long for coffee culture to infiltrate the East Coast. Trendy coffee shops popped up all over Manhattan, and with them, coffee shops where one could luxuriate over caffeine. I distinctly recall when Big Cup opened in Chelsea. It was 1994, and coffee houses with oversize sofas were still a novelty. It had a beloved ten-year run, before falling victim to rising rents. By then, sofa-strewn cafés were a firmly entrenched part of urban living.

In the quest for a perfect cup of coffee, state-of-the-art espresso makers, in all their shining glory, were fixtures in sleek, preferably loft-like kitchens, where citified folk could craft post-dinner coffee for their sophisticated, art-loving friends. Cappuccinos and lattes too. And with that all the accoutrements, like milk frothers and coffee bean grinders and stainless steel jugs. More recently, the personal one-cup coffee maker has become the must-have coffee gadget.

Coffee culture is still going strong (evidenced by the abundance of coffee art images on Pinterest if nothing else), despite the backlash of pricey concoctions from big businesses. If you’re lucky enough to live in a thriving metropolis, or funky college town, or are able to travel, you know that independent trendy coffee shops (excuse me, coffee bars) have become a thing.

Trendy coffee shops have their own design formula too. Painted brick or subway tile. Check. Black accent wall or reclaimed wood accent wall and counter. Check. Perfectly designed bare bulbs or banged up metal pendants hanging down from the ceiling. Check. Industrial style seating. Check. And, the bearded hipster baristas. Check, check, and check. The most au courant design details all come together in today’s coffee bars, be it in Berlin, Melbourne, or Portland.

Here are 32 interiors of trendy coffee shops from around the world. All similar in their coffee culture aesthetic.