Design Overhaul at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

With the recent grand opening of a new store in Conejo Valley, California, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, unveiled the first of four new store design concepts.

The new look and layout, created by Gensler, an award-winning global architecture, planning, and design firm, engages customers with their surroundings by offering easier interaction with baristas and community message walls for patrons to localize.

“It is important for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to evolve and change with both our franchisees and our customers’ needs,” says Terry Mansky, chief administrative officer for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

“We wanted to create an environment that illustrated our commitment to our local communities and that would keep the character of the company’s culture during the process.”

“Gensler’s work with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has been a great opportunity to clarify the look of a brand, yet celebrate the sacred design elements for which it is known,” says Guy Williams, AIA, senior associate & project manager, Gensler Los Angeles.

“With these four new store concepts, our design team sought to acknowledge the company’s Southern California roots and see that the heritage, spirit and quality of the brand are expressed.”

Keeping in mind the design elements that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf defined as sacred to their brand - oak woodwork, the color burgundy, and the signature tea crate panels – Gensler also worked to incorporate key attributes of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: the premium quality of their products; its handcrafted beverages and bakery items; and the sense of community that exists in their stores.

Similar to the coffees sold by the chain, each of the four new store concepts is a “blend” of these design standards and brand attributes, with added flavors to make each a distinct fit for its neighborhood or location.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Thousand Oaks location illustrated this “blend” and the result is an inviting 1,650-square-foot space with woodwork wrapping the bar and ceiling planes, complemented by a stained concrete floor featuring a prominent stamp of the company’s logo. The bar has been configured to ease employee/customer interaction while a mix of furniture and fabric styles add variety and warmth to the look. A community message wall is prominently featured, ready for patrons to localize. Outdoors, a fire pit serves as the centerpiece of a large patio. Comfortable furniture and landscape planters with built-in benches provide ample seating under the shade of umbrellas, or the glow of soft lighting in the evening.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Vice President of Business Development, Bob Kaufman, will speak to industry insiders this weekend at Dine America [9], an annual executives-only event in Atlanta.