5 Tips for Designing Tables and Chairs in Ice Cream Shops

When I pushed open the door of the "GOOD LOOD" ice cream shop, my first reaction was not "which flavor I want to eat", but "I want to immediately sink into that pink sofa" - the warm fleece fabric wrapped in soft curves, the golden metal frame flickered faintly in the purple-toned light, and even the small round table beside it exuded a sweet but not greasy transparency. In fact, for an ice cream shop, tables and chairs are never "casually placed furniture" : they are the reason for customers to sit down, the "invisible seasoning" of the atmosphere, and even the key to the brand being remembered. The design of the tables and chairs in "GOOD LOOD" happens to contain five small tips worth referring to.

Tip 1: Use curved shapes to weaken the spatial boundaries

Look at that set of wrapped pink velvet sofas in this ice cream store. They don't have stiff right angles but extend slowly along the ground with gentle curves. Unlike straight sofas that divide the space into rigid blocks, they are like a "flowing sweet and greasy" piece, naturally guiding the guests' movement to the leisure area deep in the store. This curve also has a hidden advantage: when friends come in groups, sitting on the curved sofa, one can easily strike up a conversation with the person opposite or beside them without deliberately turning sideways, eliminating the "social distance" that comes with right-angle seats.

If you pay attention, you will notice that the curvature of the sofa perfectly matches the green plant landscape in the middle - the seats naturally curve around the potted plants, which not only leaves enough display space for the fresh green leaves but also allows each seat to "touch a bit of the natural atmosphere" : when eating ice cream, you can look up and see the spread branches and leaves, and the sweetness is somewhat diluted. Even if a guest comes alone, sitting in the concave part of the curved sofa, they won't feel "exposed", but rather have a relaxed feeling of being gently wrapped.

Tip 2: Soft fabric + metal frame

The tables and chairs in an ice cream shop can easily fall into two extremes: either choose hard plastic chairs for the sake of "easy maintenance", losing the desire to sit down; Either choose a bulky fabric sofa for comfort, which looks cheap and bulky. However, "GOOD LOOD" has solved both of these problems with the combination of "soft fabric + metal frame".

The bar stools in this ice cream shop are the most typical example. The seat surface is made of a short, highly saturated red velvet fabric, which feels soft to the touch. Even if you sit for half an hour and have an ice cream, you won't feel uncomfortable. The supporting frame is made of fine-lined golden metal, slender yet not thin; instead, it brings out a touch of refinement. This combination of "soft packaging and metal" perfectly balances the "overly sweet" feeling of the dessert shop - the warmth of the velvet fabric keeps the space from being cold, while the coldness of the metal prevents the large area of pink from being too "overwhelming".

Even the sofas in the leisure area have this little idea: a narrow golden metal border is made around the bottom edge of the sofa, which echoes the metallic texture of the circular lights on the ceiling. It feels as soft as velvet to the touch, but visually it has the "stiffness" of metal. Even a pink sofa that takes up half of the wall won't look messy or cheap.

Tip 3: Small and lightweight tableware

All the tables in "GOOD LOOD" are small and lightweight transparent round tables with a diameter of only about 60 centimeters. The material is semi-transparent pink acrylic, which neither takes up much space nor makes the not-so-large store feel crowded even when several tables are close to each other. It also has an inherent "invisibility", allowing one to see the sofa and green plants behind through the desktop, making the space appear more transparent.

Even more coincidentally, its "flexibility" : two people sitting together can just fit two or three ice creams and drinks. If a friend suddenly joins in, simply juxtaposing two small round tables can create a four-person seat. Moreover, the height of the table is just right for the sofa and bar stools - whether you are sinking into the soft sofa or sitting on the high bar stools, your elbows resting on the table surface are just right and comfortable, without the embarrassment of "not being able to reach" or "curling up".

Technique 4: Functional zoning of desks and chairs

Near the counter area, there are tall red bar stools and narrow long bar tables. This area is clearly designed for guests who are in a hurry - they can sit down immediately after placing their orders, wipe their mouths after eating and leave without having to detour to theleisure area inside. Deep in the store, there are low-saturation pink curved sofas and small round tables. The pace slows down immediately: the enveloping feel of the sofas is suitable for couples to lean against each other and share flavors, and the flexibility of the small round tables can also accommodate three or four people chatting casually.

Even better, although the tables and chairs in these two areas have different functions, their styles are unified: the red of the bar stools and the pink of the sofas are of the same color family, and the metal frames also echo the texture of the ceiling lighting. Even without physical partitions, the space won't feel "divided". Instead, it allows guests to "automatically return to their positions" according to their own needs.

Tip 5: Tables, chairs and brands

Look, the sofas in the store are soft pink, and in the brand's neon logo (that ice cream shape), there are just a series of pink circular elements. The red color of the bar stools echoes perfectly with the deep rose red background of the wall. Even the transparent pink color of the small round table is consistent with the color of the letters "LOOD" in the brand logo. This design of "linking tables and chairs with brand visual elements" is equivalent to "disassembling" the brand logo into details and hiding them in the sofas where guests sit and the tables they use.