How to Make Red Work In Your Cafe

Whether you’re starting out from scratch or simply planning a makeover for your cafe, colour has a big part to play. It’s widely recognised that colour plays with our emotions, sets the ambience, and can even make us feel hungry. However, when it comes to red, not everyone is convinced that this is a colour for them to include in their décor, so let’s take a closer look at how red can be used to good effect in your cafe décor.

Warm ambience

If your cafe interior is large and imposing then mellow red walls can give it a greater feeling of depth and warmness. It’s perfect for creating a cosy, welcoming feel and when paired with rich tapestry fabrics and velvets looks chic and expensive. It’s important to use a variety of lighting with this colour scheme, however, otherwise it will seem too dark. Lighting can be separated into 3 categories: ambient, task, and accent. If you have the space then a showy chandelier looks simply gorgeous as ambient lighting and also makes a statement. Just imagine the sun catching the glass droplets sending rays of rainbow colours onto your walls. Task lighting can be used to shine light on to your cafe tables so that people can see what they’re eating and drinking. One way is to use recessed spotlights around the edges of your room, although we prefer pendant lights and Edison bulbs hanging in groups at varying heights. Finally, use accent lighting to show off any artwork or areas of architecture which are appealing.

Furniture that pops

While neutral colours are a good way to go for your décor and won’t offend anyone, it can make an interior look a little bland and one dimensional. Red chairs are a great way of injecting some warmth and colour into neutral spaces and can be found in all types of materials including plastic and metal. We particularly like red metal chairs such as our replica Tolix chairs and stools and our Hairpin stools which feature red metal legs combined with a wooden seat. Not only does this add contrast and texture but if you’ve got wooden table tops, then it ties in the look nicely.

Hunger cravings

Red is also known to increase a person’s appetite and is used in many fast food chains. It’s said to have the effect of making people feel hungry and eat fast, which could be a sneaky way of increasing your table turnover rate. Try printing your menu on to red laminate or serve food and drinks with red china mugs and plates.

Hopefully this has given you a few ideas for incorporating some red into your cafe décor. If you need some red furniture then we’ve got plenty for you to choose from.