New Order is a small-batch roaster located in Detroit, MI. Founded with a gleeful defiance to the status quo, New Order has a singular aim: to delight and energize your everyday life.
Coffee shop design definitely has trends – dark woods, rich browns, and dim lighting. With New Order Coffee Roasters’ aim to represent the future in coffee, their design needed to be the antithesis of all the common design tropes found in their market. The design challenge was to balance the their forward-thinking vision of coffee and their expertise in the field, with their approachable, friendly, and playful personality.
The build-out of New Order's flagship cafe in Midtown aimed to establish this personality by transforming an existing 2,100 square-foot space in a historic building into a fresh and friendly atmosphere. Materials were selected for a light and airy vibe, and to serve as a neutral backdrop to the company’s bold brand colors and bright packaging and graphics. Modular patterning in millwork and other elements playfully showcases merchandise and signage, while being functional and flexible. Cork-topped tables provide the perfect backdrop for social-media-worthy coffee photos.
The cafe also includes a large service bar for creating coffee and specialty beverages, ample seating for individuals and small groups, a private conference room for larger groups, and a separate bar for demonstrations of the cafe’s custom roasting program. Covered outdoor seating was created by opening the south facade to the street, adding a new wood-framed window wall, and replacing the existing windows with custom metal screens and planters.
Client - New Order Coffee Roasters Graphic Design - Unsold Studio GC - Commercial Interior Resources Fabrication - BOX Furniture (millwork), Taru Lahti (metalwork) Engineers/Specialty: EAM Engineering (MEP), Darvas Engineering (structural), Millis & Associates (FSE) Photography - Michelle and Chris Gerard
