Cafés
Order Counter Small Space Design for Cafés
Keep one clear route and make infrequent activities share a footprint. Measure what happens when the room is occupied.
Explore the ideas
Plan in this order
- Remove items used elsewhere and list what still needs to fit in the room.
- Put frequent-use storage against a fixed edge and test whether shallow storage works there.
- Tape the occupied footprint of the largest movable item, including the user and the space needed to operate it.
Worked example
A compact apartment entry has no separate closet, yet coats and bags pile up beside the front door.
Replace a deep cabinet with a shallow wall-mounted rail and a bench with lift-up storage. Tape the open door and seated footprint first to confirm neither blocks the route.
How to test it
Rehearse the busiest moment with everything open or pulled out. If the route disappears, change the furniture size or position.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Place ordering first and pickup farther along the counter, with a queue lane that does not cross the entrance.
- Detail
- Make the menu legible from the queue and use a durable counter edge that tolerates bags and trays.
- Trade-off
- A longer counter clarifies stages but reduces room for seating.
- Simulate ordering and pickup at a busy moment
- Check menu readability from the back of the queue
The Elixir portfolio
Details worth a closer look
