Store designers are finally waking up to error of prescriptive, generic store design and moving over to more bespoke formats that are influenced more by the local area and its materials.

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Starbucks fits neighborhood into new look

Starbucks has begun designing its stores differently, with local materials, recycled and reclaimed items, and new looks that reflect their…

The remodeled University Village Starbucks has redwood siding that was reclaimed from hop vine poles in Eastern Washington. The store’s cabinets and wall fixtures were made from Douglas fir originally used in school bleachers.

The remodeled University Village Starbucks has redwood siding that was reclaimed from hop vine poles in Eastern Washington. The store’s cabinets and wall fixtures were made from Douglas fir originally used in school bleachers.

Starbucks designer Lionel Sussman arranges chairs at the University Village store, which reopened today with a new interior. The new look features slate recycled from the renovation of Garfield High School and ash table tops milled from a fallen tree in the Wallingford neighborhood.
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Starbucks designer Lionel Sussman arranges chairs at the University Village store, which reopened today with a new interior. The new look features slate recycled from the renovation of Garfield High School and ash table tops milled from a fallen tree in the Wallingford neighborhood.

Starbucks has begun designing its stores differently, with local materials, recycled and reclaimed items, and new looks that reflect their neighborhoods. This remodeled store at University Village, which reopened this morning, includes menu boards and coffee stories written on slate from recently renovated Garfield High School in Seattle. Light fixtures once used in the store are being adapted for another Starbucks store. Liz Muller, director of global concept design for Starbucks, said the company’s remodeling program could change as well. “The design we are doing now is more timeless, and I think they will last longer” Muller said. “When you remodel, it’s not about flattening the house again.”