This winter, the Starbucks design team unveiled a new store in the hip and fashionable district of Mayfair, the heart of London. This new design not only embeds the character of the neighborhood into the store, but also elevates the look-and-feel of the traditional coffeehouse. There are many interesting features to this new store- it showcases our heritage logo, and features a large industrial community table found at an antique store in Belgium. There is artwork made from reused tea boxes once used to store legal papers in the Northwest of England. The designers also used reclaimed Welsh rift cut wood and repurposed Italian shoe/automobile leather.
The store in London is an exciting international example of the “subtle, artsy elegance” which continues to garner attention stateside. This month in the New York Times T-Magazine site, a high-end design supplement to the New York Times, a positive story highlights Starbucks innovation in store design and our commitment to local communities.
The story, “Now Brewing: Starbucks Gets a Makeover” features three Seattle locations: 15th Avenue, Roy Street and University Village. The piece explains, recognizing the need to revisit design, Arthur Rubinfeld and team have “introduced the first of its revamped stores, testing concepts it will apply to locations around the world. If these stores offer any glimpse of what’s to come, the new Starbucks will be subtler, earthier and conscious of its surroundings.”
Check out the full story and if you’re in the Mayfair district of London, check out our new store.
