Designed for Coffee, Customers and the Way Your Café Works
Oraanj designs cafés, coffee shops and bakery cafés across London, creating interiors that bring customer experience and day-to-day operations together.
We plan the space around the way your business actually works — from the entrance and takeaway queue to the coffee counter, seating, lighting, storage and customer journey.
Our team can provide space planning, interior design, 3D visualisation, lighting, bespoke counters and joinery, furniture and technical design.
For clients looking for a more complete service, we can also continue into café refurbishment, fit-out, procurement and project management.
Start With How You Serve Coffee
A successful café interior begins with service speed, staff ergonomics, and seamless customer movement.
Before selecting finishes or furniture, we resolve the practical questions that determine daily operational success:
Order to Collection
Preventing takeaway bottlenecks from disrupting seated customers.
Barista Ergonomics
Machine, grinder, knock box, and milk pitcher rinse within arm’s reach.
Pastry & Food Sightlines
Positioning displays naturally in the queue path to drive food spend.
Power & Drainage
Dedicated supplies and waste runs planned before building works start.
Design the Workflow Before the Counter
The counter is where customers order, pay, collect drinks and interact with your team.
Layout decisions determine speed of service at peak times and reduce bottlenecks:
Customer Queue & Order Point
Where people wait without blocking tables, entrances, or the collection zone.
Till & Payment Station
Clear ordering positions with integrated card readers, receipts, and menu line-of-sight.
Espresso & Grinder Zone
Optimised positioning for grinder sweep, knock box, undercounter fridge, and water filtration.
Collection & Sugar Station
A dedicated pass for drinks hand-off, napkins, lids, and cutlery away from incoming queues.
Sit-In, Takeaway or Both?
Different business models require fundamentally different spatial layouts to stay profitable.
Hybrid: Sit-In & Takeaway
High Profitability
Careful zoning separates quick-grab takeaway customers from guests lingering over brunch or coffee.
Sit-In Destination Café
Cover Density
Maximising comfortable seating covers, ambient acoustic levels, warm lighting, and accessible restrooms.
Fast Grab-and-Go Espresso Bar
High Volume
Focuses on rapid linear circulation, grab-and-go chilled displays, and immediate street-level visibility.
Small Café? Make Every Metre Work Harder
London cafés often operate within compact commercial units.
The solution isn’t simply fitting as many tables as possible. We look at how the floor area can perform several jobs without becoming uncomfortable or difficult to operate. That can include:
Even a small adjustment to a counter, seating zone or circulation route can change how effectively the whole café works.
What Type of Café Are You Creating?
We adapt interior architecture and joinery specifications to your specific coffee and food concept.
Independent Coffee Shop
Distinctive interior identity, artisan brewing counters, and relaxed neighbourhood community feel.
Bakery & Pâtisserie Café
Counter displays showcasing fresh bakes, temperature-controlled pastry glass, and customer queues.
All-Day Brunch Venue
Seamless balance between high table turnaround, commercial kitchen pass, and warm guest hospitality.
Espresso Bar & Kiosk
Compact commercial units engineered for intense morning commuter footfall and rapid speed of service.
Multi-Site Brand Rollout
Consistent brand design manuals, modular joinery packs, and scalable commercial specifications.
Dessert & Tea Parlour
Curated seating banquettes, photogenic feature lighting, bespoke menu boards, and luxury finishes.
What Does Oraanj Design?
Tailored architectural interior design, custom joinery and specification for London cafés.
Space Planning & Layout
Seating count optimisation, clear access ways, and compliance with building regulations.
Bespoke Counter Design
Custom-built barista bars, till stations, menu boards, and durable commercial work surfaces.
Lighting & Power Plans
Architectural ambient lighting, customer charging points, and 3-phase power for equipment.
Plumbing & Extraction
Coordinating wastewater runs, water softeners, espresso drainage, and kitchen ventilation.
Commercial Finishes
Anti-slip commercial flooring, hygienic wall finishes, acoustic panels, and resilient surfaces.
Furniture & Signage
Contract-grade dining chairs, upholstered banquette booths, outdoor seating, and facade branding.
Café Design & Fit-Out
Whether upgrading an established premises or opening a new coffee venue, we provide flexible procurement routes to match your needs.
Full Turnkey Design & Fit-Out
Single Contract
Oraanj manages the entire project from initial concept through technical drawings, building control, strip-out, trade fit-out, bespoke joinery manufacturing and handover.
Interior Design & Specification Only
Drawings & Tender
We develop the concept, floor plans, 3D renders, equipment layouts and detailed tender pack for your own fit-out contractor to build from.
Taking Over an Existing Café?
An existing café can sometimes already have useful infrastructure, furniture or equipment.
Before recommending a complete strip-out, we look at what is worth retaining and what is preventing the space from working properly. That might mean changing the coffee counter, customer queue, seating layout, lighting, furniture, wall finishes, flooring, signage positions, display areas or bespoke storage.
A focused refurbishment can be very different from fitting out an empty commercial unit. The right approach depends on the condition of the premises and what your new café concept requires.
Opening a Café in an Empty Unit?
An empty unit gives you more freedom, but it can also require considerably more planning.
Before the main fit-out begins, the project may need to consider:
The precise requirements depend on the premises and proposed operation. Where specialist kitchen, extraction, electrical, mechanical, fire, structural or other professional design is required, this should be undertaken by the relevant qualified consultants and contractors.
What Should You Budget for a Café Fit-Out?
There is no sensible single cost without understanding the premises and commercial footprint. The budget is shaped by:
Existing Condition
Taking over a functioning café is very different from fitting out an empty developer shell.
Floor Area & Layout
Floor area directly influences finishes, lighting circuits, acoustic lining, and cover count.
Bespoke Counter
A custom barista counter with integrated chillers and stone tops is a key investment piece.
Commercial Services
Water filtration, 3-phase power upgrades, extraction hood runs, and drainage connections.
We recommend establishing the premises conditions and design requirements before fixing your capital expenditure.
How Long Does a Café Design & Fit-Out Take?
The programme depends on what you’re starting with.
An existing café receiving a focused refurbishment may require a very different programme from a shell unit requiring extensive fit-out. The timeline can include:
01
Unit survey, utilities & operational requirements
02
Testing customer routes, seating capacity & counter
03
Material palettes, lighting schemes & 3D visuals
04
Detailed joinery plans & equipment coordination
05
Landlord license, planning & building regulations
06
Schedule of works, tenders & specialist trade orders
07
Strip-out, first fix, plumbing, electrical & decor
08
Bespoke counter install, coffee machines & seating
09
Equipment commissioning, dry runs, snagging & launch
Bespoke counters, furniture, specialist equipment and other long-lead items should be considered early rather than being left until the fit-out is almost complete. If you already have a target opening date, tell us at the beginning of the project.
Before You Sign a Café Lease
If you’re considering a commercial unit for a new café, the interior implications are worth thinking about before committing to a detailed design.
Useful questions include:
- Is there enough room for the café concept?
- Can the counter and customer queue work within the space?
- How much realistic seating could the unit support?
- Where are the existing services?
- Is there enough storage?
- How will deliveries work?
- Does the premises already have useful café infrastructure?
- What specialist advice may be required?
Oraanj can advise on the interior-design and space-planning considerations within our scope. Lease, planning, licensing, structural, fire, mechanical and other specialist matters should be confirmed with the appropriate professionals.
A Café Design Should Work at 8:30am
A café can look fantastic when it is empty. The real commercial test comes during the morning rush.
Imagine: Twelve customers arrive within five minutes. Four want takeaway flat whites. Two are waiting for drinks. Someone is choosing pastries. A supplier delivery arrives. Guests are seeking tables. Staff are moving at speed between the grinder, espresso machine, till, and collection station.
Dedicated Takeaway Route
Clear line from door to payment without crossing seated dining areas.
Waiting Pocket
Comfortable standing zone for drinks collection that keeps the queue moving.
Barista Ergonomics
Two-step motion economy between espresso machine, milk fridge, sink & till.
Merchandising Sightlines
Pastry displays positioned naturally in the queue line for effortless add-on sales.
Can everyone move without getting in each other’s way? That’s why we consider the operational rhythm of the café alongside interior styling. The finished space should photograph beautifully — but more importantly, it must generate revenue smoothly when the queue reaches the door.
Planning a Café Interior Design Project?
Designing a successful café involves more than choosing attractive furniture and finishes. At Oraanj, we create café interiors that bring together brand identity, customer experience and practical functionality, with careful consideration given to seating, circulation, service areas, lighting, materials and the overall atmosphere.
Some of the questions we’re often asked include:
- How much does café interior design cost?
- How long does a café interior design project take?
- Can you manage the café design and fit-out?
- Can you help with café layouts, seating and space planning?
Whether you’re opening a new café, refurbishing an existing space, converting a commercial property, or developing a new café concept, our team can help take the project from the initial design concept through to the finished interior.
Book a free consultation today and discuss your café interior design project with our design team.
Frequently Asked Questions
The timeline depends on the size, condition and complexity of the café, as well as the extent of design, refurbishment and fit-out work required. Smaller projects may take several weeks, while larger café developments can take several months. We establish a realistic programme around the agreed scope before work begins.
Yes. Oraanj can provide an integrated approach covering interior design, space planning, materials, lighting, bespoke joinery and coordination of the finished café fit-out. Where specialist consultants or contractors are required, these can be coordinated as part of the wider project.
Yes. Café space planning considers customer circulation, seating arrangements, entrances, service counters, ordering areas, display zones and back-of-house requirements. We aim to create a layout that supports the customer experience while working effectively for the people operating the café.
Yes. The counter and service area can be incorporated into the overall café interior concept. We consider its position, proportions, materials, lighting, storage, customer flow and relationship with the seating and wider café environment.
Yes. Bespoke elements can include service counters, banquette seating, shelving, display units, cabinetry, feature walls and other made-to-measure interior features. These can be designed to support both the visual identity and practical requirements of the café.
Yes. Lighting plays an important role in creating the atmosphere of a café. We can develop layered lighting concepts that consider seating areas, counters, circulation, display features and architectural details while supporting the overall interior concept.
Yes. The interior can be developed around an existing café brand, visual identity and customer experience. Materials, colours, furniture, lighting, joinery and spatial details can be coordinated to create a consistent environment that reflects the character of the brand.
Our café interior design approach can be applied to a range of projects, including new café openings, existing café refurbishments, independent cafés, branded coffee shops, bakery cafés and other food and beverage spaces. The scope is developed around the property’s requirements, brand and intended customer experience.
Oraanj combines interior design thinking with practical project coordination, allowing the visual, functional and technical aspects of a café to be considered together. We focus on creating distinctive interiors while carefully considering customer flow, seating, service requirements, materials, lighting and the practical operation of the space.
