A café today is no longer simply somewhere to drink a cup of coffee or eat something between meals. People come to cafés to get away from the crowding and stress of the city, to talk with their friends, to work, or to spend a while in peace. In all of this, the green-space design of a café plays a key part in building that different experience.
If you own a café, or intend to open one, you may be asking yourself: “Is spending money on planting and green space actually worth it?” In this piece we look at why plants and green settings have become one of the most profitable investments a café can make.
1. More customers, and a space worth photographing (instagrammability)
In the age of social networks, the look of your café is your first business card. Younger customers like to photograph and film their own moments and share them on social media.
A green wall, well-made flowerboxes and the intelligent use of hanging plants give your customers' photographs an outstanding backdrop.
Those shares are in effect free advertising and word-of-mouth marketing for your café, drawing dozens of new customers to you every day.
2. Longer dwell time, and higher sales
Research in environmental psychology shows that the presence of natural elements and plants lowers people's stress and conveys a sense of safety and calm.
A simple rule of running a café: the calmer and more comfortable a customer feels in your space, the longer they stay, and so the more they order — a dessert, a second drink.
3. Cleaner air, and less noise
The enclosed parts of a café often suffer from cooking smells, soot, poor ventilation or a great deal of noise.
- Better air quality: filtering plants such as sansevieria, pothos and ficus act as natural air filters.
- Sound absorption: leaves and the density of the planting act as natural acoustic insulation, cutting the echo of unwanted noise inside the café.
4. Building brand identity, and standing apart from competitors
In a market full of cafés that look alike, decorating with plants can be your own signature. Whether yours is a modern café with smart green walls or a traditional one with a courtyard full of geraniums, green space gives your brand identity, authenticity and a spirit of its own.
5. Making use of dead and neglected space
Many cafés have small terraces, unused roofs or lifeless corners. With modern landscaping technique and vertical green-space design, these wasted parts can be turned into the most popular and most requested tables in the place.
The principles of café green-space design you need to know
Putting green space into a café is not just a matter of buying a few planters. Done without a plan, the plants fail quickly and the money is wasted. A design done to standard has to attend to the following:
- Choosing resilient plants: café plants have to withstand low light, swings in temperature from air conditioning and heaters, and heavy footfall.
- Irrigation and drainage: proper lighting and correct watering — automatic for preference — are essential to keeping the plants in good health.
- Fit with the decorative style: the form of the planters and the kind of plants must agree completely with the café's interior architecture — industrial, modern, classical or traditional.
Make the green café you have in mind real, with Giallery
Designing and building green space calls for specialist knowledge of landscape architecture, botany and interior design. If you want a café that is different, full of energy and appealing enough that customers queue to get in, Giallery is alongside you.
With our specialist green-space design and construction team, we carry out every stage of the work for you:
- Consultation and dedicated design: analysis of the café's space, light measurement, and three-dimensional schemes matched to your budget and your café's style.
- Green walls of every kind: natural and smart green walls designed for interiors and exteriors.
- Landscaping for open-air cafés and roof gardens: turning a café's courtyard, terrace and roof into somewhere green and welcoming.
- Selecting and supplying resilient plants: the best and healthiest stock, suited to busy settings.
- Maintenance and support: to keep your café's green space fresh and in good order for as long as it stands.
A single green change can overturn your customer numbers. For free advice, and to see completed work, contact Giallery's specialists today or visit our website.