decorating ideas for a cafe?

Question

could you please throw my way ideas to decorate a cafe/tearoom? I need to stand out a little in a jungle of boring joints, I like unusual but not tacky ideas and I am on a limited budget.
I already have wrought iron tables and chairs so I need to paint the walls, and also ideas for unusual plates, cups, cutlery, menus, aprons... anything you've seen or imagined, any help welcome!!

Answer 1

What about the history of the town that you live, pictures of the same town years ago, how the town was first started. You can have old things for display, lanterns,dolls, toys, old picture frames,just about any thing that you can find. Shop at thrift stores , you will be surprised at what you can find. Old time cups, they don't have to be the same, it will make conversation.

Answer 2

Paris decor for sure. You can get most of your stuff on Freecycle.Org for free and yard sales .Think of a lovely mural seane on the wall with a beautiful country side. Or Soft hilly mountains all painetd very soft Or a street seane like in a paris area Cobble stone streets and block walls beautiful flower shop flower cart old fashion type.
Buy the mis match paints from home depot can do a whole wall for about 25 dollars.

Answer 3

Blue,white and yellow are always charming and can lend themselves to so many styles...American country,french, Scandinavian,Mediterranean almost anything. For table cloths a crisp,classic blue and white check and cut glass vases of yellow and white flowers on the table. Plates could be a classic blue and white pattern like Blue Willow or Blue Danube or for more contrast, white plates with yellow trim and a scalloped edge or heavy yellow hand thrown-looking plates. Sunny yellow walls and blue and white toile cafe curtains. Clean crisp white chefs aprons. And menus printed on the back of reproductions of impressionist paintings and laminated. For wall decor you could scour resale and thrift stores for old plates and ceramic molds and copper molds. Don't forget some real plants.

Answer 4

Hi again,

I answered your Q about the floor, but even here you don't say what "theme" you have in mind, or the size of the cafe.

The wrought iron chairs and tables suggest to me what i did in my own kitchen.

I did Tile,,,as I said in my other answer, but broke it up, creating a terracotta mosaic effect. labor intensive, but inexpensive.

Not knowing any local competition I offer this.

Italian Theme
Greek Theme
Spanish Theme

Any, designed to appear to be an outdoor kind of cafe, or at least an open effect that causes one to feel like they may be on a patio or deck, overlooking whatever the view actually is outside.

Again, not knowing anything about your plan, but hoping you have one, The 3 I mention above lend themselves to casual, ornate maybe, and definitely colorful. I'd refrain from eclectic, at least in overdoing it. I'd stick pretty close to a main theme.

I don't have a link, but for accessories you might try looking for "Darden restuarants" themed locations. They defintely have their act together in accessorizing.

Rev. Steven

Answer 5

There was a deli I used to work at some years ago. It was decorated with lots of wonderful pictures of various famous composers and poets. And it had framed collages of various poems and pictures made by students at the local college.

Below the chair rail, the wall was covered with a dark rich 'natural' bead board. Above the chair rail, the wall was off white and separated into sections by very dark beams.

Good luck with your cafe!