The Blue Bottle Coffee shop, designed by Keiji Ashizawa, is located in Shibuya, Tokyo. The area is a short walk away from Tokyo's bust downtown. Blue Bottle Coffee is a charming outpost conceived as an urban retreat. Featuring brown brick-like tiles, the shop showcases its curved tile counter uniquely glazed with volcanic ash.
The outpost's textured walls and counters make for a warm and welcoming interior. The designer's goal was to bring elements from the surrounding park into the glass-walled and concrete-floored space to create symmetry with nature. Ashizawa accomplished this through the brown-tiled counter. During the day, the Blue Bottle Coffee shop serves coffee to its guests, while the evenings are reserved for appetizers and naturally-made wine.
Image Credit: Dezeen
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Volcanic Ash Interior Design
- The use of volcanic ash in interior design creates a unique and textured look for businesses, providing an opportunity for businesses to stand out with an edgy and sustainable look.
- Bringing Nature Indoors
- Designs that incorporate elements from the surrounding environment allow businesses to create a serene and welcoming ambiance, offering an opportunity to establish a calm and inviting atmosphere for customers.
- Day-to-night Concept
- The concept of transitioning from serving coffee during the day to serving appetizers and wine by night creates a unique customer experience and an opportunity to attract different audiences throughout the course of a day.
Sectors Adopting This
- Coffee Shops
- The use of natural elements and sustainable materials in coffee shops offers an opportunity for the industry to innovate and create eco-friendly spaces that cater to customers who are conscious about environmental issues.
- Restaurants
- Incorporating elements of nature and designing transitionary spaces can create an inviting and comfortable atmosphere for diners, encouraging them to stay longer and return for future visits.
- Architecture
- The use of unconventional materials like volcanic ash and linking the interior design with the surrounding environment presents opportunities for architects to create unique and sustainable designs for businesses.