The Starbucks Cafe stories
Work in progress- Lippan art in Starbucks Ahmedabad
Where Soul Meets Structure: Why Handcrafted Elements Define Great Design
Mass-produced interiors can create a polished room, but handcrafted artistry gives a space a soul. When a space is designed around human touch, it transcends mere function, it becomes a living story.
Starbucks cafes tell a story through its own unique art and design, created in collaboration with artists from nearby communities. From thoughtfully working with local artists who share similar values, to ideating designs and finding creative new ways to bring Starbucks mission and values to life, the Starbucks design stores reflect the distinct personality of the surrounding neighbourhoods.
A Designer’s Edge: Moving Beyond Standardization
In modern architecture, the line between slick design and sterile uniformity is thin. Handcrafted interventions break through mass-market monotony, offering designers a powerful toolkit for narrative-driven design.
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Bespoke Distinction: Handcrafted elements ensure no two projects are identical, providing custom focal points that factory-made materials cannot replicate.
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Tactile Richness: Artisanal textures, from raw mud-and-mirror reliefs to hand-spun textiles, introduce visual warmth and depth to rigid structural frameworks.
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Cultural Storytelling: Integrating indigenous crafts turns walls and installations into conversation pieces that root modern buildings in their local context.
Coffee Botanicals, Gond art in Starbucks Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Gond tribal artisans Choti and Santosh Tekam hand-painted intricate, fluid patterns onto 3D laser-cut wooden coffee botanicals, balancing vibrant primary colors of the art form with modern corporate branding for Starbucks.
Due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, this project was created remotely, this also gave a much-needed financial relief to the artisans.
Bagh handblock printing, Starbucks Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Bagh or ‘Thappa Chapai’ is a wooden block printing technique practiced by itinerant Khatri artisans for centuries. Using century-old wooden blocks and natural pigments, artisans created geometric red-and-black motifs on hand-spun Maheshwari cotton cloth dried in the sun, blending traditional textile craft with contemporary cafe design.
Our designs speak confidence to the viewer; creates a source of sustained income for our artisans and rebrands traditional crafts and its aesthetics bringing joy to the walk-in customers.
Zardosi, Arera Colony, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Lippan kaam in Prahladnagar Starbucks, Ahmedabad in Gujarat
Traditional mud-and-mirror work of Kutch, Gujarat, was brought indoors, the clay and camel dung relief work that keeps interiors cool in the desert regions. The light-reflecting wall murals with the traditional mirror work, evokes regional warmth and authenticity.
Brass cut work, Unizar Starbucks Ahmedabad
Bandhani Baroda
Rogan Art, Surat, Gujarat
Rogan painting, is an art of cloth printing practiced all over Gujarat, India. The craft nearly died out in the late 20th century, with rogan painting being practiced by only a few families in Gujarat.
In this craft, paint made from boiled oil and vegetable dyes is laid down on fabric using either a metal block (printing) or a stylus (painting).
The process of applying this oil-based paint to fabric began among the Hindu And Muslim Khatri's, a community in Gujarat. Although the name, rogan (and some of the traditional designs) suggests an origin in Indian culture, there are no reliable historic records to prove this. The word 'Rogan' comes from Persian, meaning varnish or oil.
Copper Enameling, Maker Max City, BKC, Mumbai
Rare glass-fused copper techniques used for trinkets were reimagined as a vibrant metallic installation, celebrating near-extinct artisan skills. Say hello to our siren at Jioworld Starbucks, BKC Mumbai
Phulkari, Malhar Road, Ludhiana, Punjab
Delicate regional embroideries were reimagined as large-scale textile installations, softening clean structural lines.
Chikankari, Starbucks Lucknow, U. P
Bringing meaning home as well- For homeowners, incorporating artisanal craft into daily life is about how a space makes you feel. A home filled solely with flat-pack furniture can feel like a showroom; adding handcrafted pieces turns it into yours.
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