From edgy to elegant: How “cool” in specialty coffee is maturing

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Key takeaways

• Cool café design has moved from Scandinavian minimalism towards industrial, brutalist aesthetics.
• Authenticity, consistency, and a clear identity matter more than trend-chasing.
• Small details like music and merchandising shape the whole café experience.
• The next wave of café design may be futuristic and technology-led.

Specialty coffee has long positioned itself as the definition of “cool” in coffee culture. But as the industry has matured, so has the term’s meaning.

In a trend-driven, time-poor culture, the answer increasingly appears to be a kind of effortless elegance; slick, understated, and unhurried. This raises a question for café owners: what actually makes a coffee shop impressive and stylish in 2026?

Thomas and Lola Philips are the co-founders of Motors Coffee in Paris, France. They believe the answer has little to do with chasing trends.

“A contemporary cool coffee shop doesn’t necessarily need to have the latest design trends or the most elaborate menu,” they say. “What it really needs is personality, consistency, high-quality coffee, and an environment where people genuinely enjoy spending time. That’s what makes a place memorable and keeps people coming back.”

You may also like our guide to redesigning a coffee shop.

Café design is the focus

The definition of “cool” is in constant flux, shaped by cultural shifts, design trends, and movements within third wave coffee culture.

There was a time when Starbucks’ aesthetic set the standard – armchairs, warm lighting, and relaxing background music that turned cafés into living rooms. Over time, the look of the fashionable café moved towards minimalism, with Scandinavian-style interiors, defined by clean lines, light wood, and simplicity, dominating for many years.

This minimalist design playbook has now matured, and a shift is underway in what the industry considers “cool”. Shops like Lil Bouche in Brussels, Special Guests in London, and Apartment Coffee in Singapore exemplify a slick, elegant, and effortless version of cool.

More cafés are now moving away from Scandinavian influences altogether, designing spaces in a more industrial, brutalist style: stainless steel, concrete, and a raw, functional aesthetic.

For Thomas and Lola, Motors Coffee’s personality came from their love of New York, and in particular the old-school Brooklyn aesthetic.

“We were drawn to the combination of exposed brick, weathered metal, black wood, and the raw atmosphere of old garages and industrial spaces,” they say. “That’s the feeling we wanted to recreate.”

DAK Coffee Roasters in Amsterdam worked with Dutch design studio Barde vanVoltt to create an immersive showroom that is functional yet experiential. The space is divided into two interconnected areas: an open retail space and coffee bar at the front, and a more secluded tasting room at the back.

Design, culture, and community are converging

Modern cafés are evolving into spaces where design, culture, and community meet. Interior design, music, bar layout, merchandising, and special events all contribute to the multisensory, interactive experience that younger generations seek, and all are elements to consider when designing a café.

WatchHouse, for example, combines the warmth of wood with metals and a sparse layout, showing how coffee shops can adopt a minimal yet elegant, inviting, and cohesive look.

TRADER HiFi in Hamburg offers another example of interior design inspired by contemporary café culture. The space draws on Japan’s postwar jazz kissa, cafés dedicated to playing and appreciating recorded jazz, and its most striking details are a large coffee bar and a dedicated HiFi setup within its 70 square metres.

Coffi in Liverpool pairs a warm interior with an outdoor terrace, strengthening the café’s role as a local community hub.

Michael Davies is the co-founder of Coffi. He says the focus has always been on authenticity, and that he set out to open the shop he wanted to visit himself; a place where “the quality was good, the coffee was interesting and varied, and people could come and talk about coffee if they wanted.”

“We’re the custodians of a beautiful Grade II-listed coach house in Liverpool’s historic Georgian Quarter, so we’re fortunate that we could lean on all the history and quirks of our building,” he adds.

Beyond interior design, Michael believes the quality of coffee, interaction, and conversation matters most.

“You can have the most beautifully crafted space going, but if the people coming in the shop don’t have a great time in the process of getting their coffee, and enjoy it when they get it, they’ll never become regulars,” he says.

What makes a coffee shop “cool” today?

According to Thomas and Loloa, great hospitality should be the standard, but it’s not what makes a place impressive on its own.

“What truly makes a place cool is its singularity, what makes it unique and gives people a reason to come back,” they says. They acknowledge, however, that the concept remains difficult to pin down. “What feels cool to one person may not feel the same to someone else.”

There is a strong argument that “cool” is best summarised as what is most authentic, rather than what is most visually striking or aesthetic. How a café presents its values, and what it wants to communicate, often matters more than how it looks.

Authenticity over aesthetics

For Thomas and Lola, that authenticity, combined with the feeling a space evokes, is the key ingredient.

“The most important thing is the energy of the place. It should feel authentic, timeless, and never forced or fake,” they say. “The design, the music, the staff, and the coffee should all work together to create an atmosphere that feels natural rather than carefully manufactured for Instagram.”

As coffee shops increasingly become social hubs, or the “third place“, a strong identity and attention to detail have taken on greater weight.

Having come from the fashion industry, the founders of Motors Coffee set out to build an identity that felt entirely distinct. One example is their decision not to sell merchandise, collaborations, or exclusive products online.

“If people want them, they have to go to the shop. That creates a sense of exclusivity and makes visiting the café part of the experience itself,” Thomas and Lola say.

A distinctive culture, energy, and identity make people remember a place and want to return. The small details, and how well they are executed, play a central role in this.

“They shape the atmosphere. Music, for example, plays a huge role. It has to fit the overall identity of the space,” say Thomas and Lola. “At Motors Coffee, our approach is quite different from many other coffee shops. The music is louder, and it matches the café’s energetic, lively atmosphere, where there’s always movement and a constant flow of people. The music isn’t just background noise; it’s part of the experience.”

The future “cool“

“Cool” in coffee remains unpredictable, and no definition of it will hold for long. It keeps moving, taking shape in new expressions as culture shifts.

For coffee shops, this presents an opportunity: to stay at the forefront of the spaces where people want to be and meet.

“We think the next wave will probably be even more futuristic and digital,” Thomas and Lola say. “We’re already seeing spaces that feel almost like spaceships, with metallic materials, immersive lighting, and technology becoming part of the design experience.”

Few coffee shops, however, stay “cool” forever. Rather than directly chasing timelessness, building a business around clear values offers a more tangible path.

“It’s about having strong values, being consistent, and creating an experience that reflects what you genuinely believe in, rather than adapting to every expectation,” Thomas and Lola conclude. “People respect places that know exactly who they are.”

The definition of “cool” in specialty coffee keeps shifting, from Scandinavian minimalism to industrial, design-led spaces where coffee, culture, and community meet. 

Lasting appeal comes from authenticity, consistency, and a clear identity rather than trends. Cafés that know exactly who they are earn respect and repeat visits. 

Interested in making more sales? PDG Media specialises in growing sales for coffee businesses. Check them out here.

Coffee shop FAQs

What makes a coffee shop cool in 2026?

Rather than the latest design trends, a cool café needs personality, consistency, high-quality coffee, and an atmosphere people enjoy. Singularity matters most: a clear identity that gives customers a reason to remember the space and return.

Which design styles are replacing Scandinavian minimalism?

Many cafés are adopting industrial and brutalist styles, using stainless steel, concrete, and raw, functional layouts. Examples include DAK Coffee Roasters in Amsterdam and TRADER HiFi in Hamburg, which blends café culture with a Japanese-inspired listening room.

Why is authenticity so important for cafés?

Customers respect places that know who they are. An authentic café reflects its values through design, music, staff, and coffee, creating an atmosphere that feels natural rather than manufactured for Instagram. This consistency turns first-time visitors into regulars.

Photo credits: Motors Coffee, Coffi

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