A coffee break is arguably becoming less about the coffee and more about the environs you’re having the coffee in, so note down these design-forward cafes around the world that are worth checking out:

 

Blue Bottle Coffee – Kyoto, Japan
Housed in a traditional townhouse called machiya, the American brand Blue Bottle Coffee in Kyoto is stripped of any excess, making it all about the coffee. Jo Nagasaka/Schemata Architects integrated both Japanese and American elements throughout the space, bringing together the two cultures in the 100-year old wood, clay and glass structure. Images © Takumi Ota

Celsious, Brooklyn, USA
Doing your laundry won’t feel like quite a chore if you’re heading to Celsious, the latest Brooklyn laundromat that also houses a coffeeshop on the mezzanine. Siblings Corinna and Theresa Williams manage this lovely ‘clean but friendly’ themed-space, which is furnished with a mishmash of Craiglisted Arne Jacobsen chairs and IKEA furniture.

Budapest Cafe – Chengdu, China
Previously featured — and still worth including in the list — is the Wes Anderson-inspired Budapest Cafe in Chengdu, China. Its clean lines and elevated platforms make it an imaginative and evocative space to mull over a coffee. Images © James Morgan

Romola – Madrid, Spain
Andrés Jaque Architects’ strategy in designing the Madrid cafeteria/cafe Romola was to work with a small number of highly qualified marble manufacturers, leather upholsterers, metal bengals, chrome-platers, rare-wood panelers and artisan varnishers. As you can see, it all paid off. Image © Miguel de Guzmán y Rocío Romero

Farmer J – London, UK
Aussie studio Biasol chose green accents, unevenly finished concrete walls and neon signs for this day-to-night cafe/restaurant in London’s King William Street. Image © Focal Interior Photography

Cafe Fabien – Paris, France
You don’t have to check in to the eclectic urban design hostel Generator to check out their trendy cafe/restaurant, Cafe Fabien, which is decked in richly colored retro seat fabrics and curved metro tiles. Image © Nikolas Koenig

Nocenco Cafe – Vinh, Vietnam
VTN Architects went over the top (in a good way!) with this rooftop cafe in Vinh, renovating the space with an impressive bamboo dome structure and cave-like spaces that open up to views of the city. Image © Triệu-Chiến

Black Drop Coffee – Kavala, Greece
In Greece’s Black Drop cafe, coffee is to be treated as an experience, and what better place to do so than in the ark4lab of Architecture-designed copper, terrazzo and wood-furnished interiors? Image © studiovd.gr

Cafe Simsim – Jeju Island, South Korea
Cafe Simsim by architects STARSIS emulates the scent and vibe of Jeju Island, thus explaining the presence of soil, weeds, plants and branches in its interiors. Image © Hong Seokgyu

Pastel Rita – Montreal, Canada
Appareil Architecture designed a multi-functional space comprised of a cafe, boutique and artisan’s workshop in Montreal, renovating the café area with pastel colored walls, adorable pink niches and pale linoleum flooring. Image © Felix Michaud