Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 73

Café Fresco’s main store was very big. It had two floors and was over 10,000 square feet (approximately 300 Pyeong).

Back in 2010, land prices in the Samsong Wonheung district weren’t too high.

Because of this, the owner, Kang Seok-jung, bought the whole building himself.

So, Woo-jin didn’t have to worry too much about how big the space was when he was designing it.

Of course, from a business point of view, the more seats, the better.

This meant he didn’t have to make the design worse just to fit in more chairs.

So, Woo-jin boldly used the high-ceilinged center of the first floor for his main design idea.

He put the huge coffee roasting machines and display cases for different beans, which Seok-jung had brought from other countries, right in the middle of the first floor.

This design idea started with one answer Kang Seok-jung gave in a meeting.

“In the Café Fresco brand, what’s the most important thing you want to show?” Woo-jin asked, trying to figure out the design.

Seok-jung answered, “It’s the taste of the coffee, of course.”

“The taste of the coffee, huh?”

“I want to focus on the coffee’s taste more than anything else.”

After hearing this, Woo-jin said to Seok-jung, “It shouldn’t just be you who knows that Café Fresco cares most about the taste of coffee.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you need to let the customers know.”

“The coffee at our store is different from regular chain cafes. We’re proud of how good our coffee tastes.”

“Hmm…”

“Of course, people might talk about it and we might become successful just because of the taste.”

“Haha, are you reading my mind?”

“But, instead of waiting for people to notice, it’ll work much better if we actively show them.”

“You mean…”

“From the moment a customer walks in, they should feel that confidence, even if they don’t realize it. That’s the kind of place I want to design.”

Seok-jung listened carefully and looked very happy, but he didn’t understand how to show confidence in coffee through the design of the space.

But Woo-jin already had a design idea in his head.

‘When customers walk into the store, they should be amazed by the professional coffee equipment, the size of the place, and the atmosphere.’

As soon as you enter, you see complex silver roasting machines, baskets full of different beans, and packages.

When customers see this, they’ll trust the coffee and expect it to be good.

That’s why Woo-jin wanted such a bold and different design.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cafe like this before…” Seok-jung said.

Woo-jin smiled and replied, “It’s about showing customers what you, or rather, Café Fresco, are most proud of, right from the start.”

“I understand the idea, but…”

Woo-jin smiled at Seok-jung’s confused face.

It was a normal reaction.

Seok-jung hadn’t seen the design plan yet. Because he wasn’t a design expert, the strange floor plan might have made him dislike it at first.

But Seok-jung trusted Woo-jin and wanted to hear more before asking questions.

“Okay, okay. Tell me more. Let’s hear the whole plan, Mr. Seo,” Seok-jung said.

“Thank you,” Woo-jin replied.

Woo-jin unfolded the floor plan again and started explaining everything carefully.

The floor plan was simple: a large, open area with roasting and baking machines in the center, and an oval shape.

But the floor plan was just the beginning. A cafe doesn’t need a complicated layout.

The design of the walls and how the materials were arranged to create the right atmosphere were more important than the floor plan.

When Woo-jin showed Seok-jung the wall design and the view of the first floor, Seok-jung’s eyes widened.

“Wow…”

Seok-jung was surprised for two reasons.

First, the picture Woo-jin showed him looked so real it could have been a photo.

‘This looks like a real photo!’

Woo-jin used a program called ‘3DMAX’ to create a realistic image. He even got help from experts recommended by Professor Jo Woon-chan to make it even better.

But Kang Seok-jung didn’t care about that. The important thing was the amazing picture in front of him.

“Is this a graphic?” he asked.

“Yes, Mr. Kang. I wouldn’t start building without your okay,” Woo-jin said.

How good the 3D pictures look depends a lot on how skilled the person using the computer program is. Even among professional interior design companies, the quality can vary.

Woo-jin was very skilled and had help from one of the best experts in the country, Professor Jo Woon-chan. So, the picture Woo-jin showed Seok-jung was better than anything he had ever seen.

“Seeing this, I understand the idea you were talking about,” Seok-jung said.

The second reason Seok-jung was surprised was the special design he had never seen before.

He was a bit confused by the design and materials used.

“Mr. Seo,” he said.

“Yes?” Woo-jin replied.

“The walls and ceiling look like they’re just concrete. Is that what you wanted?”

Woo-jin smiled again. He knew Seok-jung would ask this.

“Yes, that’s right,” he said.

‘Using these materials in a cafe isn’t common yet.’

Using exposed concrete with a vintage style would become popular in a few years. In 2010, it wasn’t common, but some buildings were starting to use exposed concrete on the outside, and it was slowly being used inside as well.

As it became a modern trend, companies started making exposed concrete panels for interior design. But it would take a few more years for it to become popular in cafes, so Kang Seok-jung was surprised.

Woo-jin smiled and said to Seok-jung, who looked a bit unsure, “Mr. Kang, are you worried?”

“Yes? What do you mean?” Seok-jung asked.

“The exposed concrete and the urethane floor are vintage, but the place doesn’t look old or worn out, right?”

“Ah…!”

Seok-jung finally understood why he felt something was a bit off. The pipes and air conditioning on the ceiling looked unfinished, but the overall design felt complete.

Even though it was vintage, the space Woo-jin created was modern and clean. It was different from other vintage designs that were too cluttered.

‘It looks like a fancy coffee factory.’

The combination of brown wood, gray concrete, and clean, black furniture created a unique and stylish atmosphere.

Woo-jin tore a sheet of yellow paper and said, “Mr. Kang.”

“Yes?”

“If I scribble on this, it looks messy, right?”

Seok-jung nodded. “Of course.”

“But…”

Woo-jin drew a neat circle around the scribble and erased the lines outside the circle. He said, “Even if it’s messy inside, a clean line like this makes it look much better.”

Seok-jung looked at the paper and nodded. It looked like a circle with pencil marks inside.

Woo-jin continued, “You can understand my design in the same way.”

Woo-jin pointed to the concrete on the picture. “Even if we use this stained concrete on the wall…”

He pointed to the wood on the outside of the concrete. “…if we add these fancy materials, the vintage factory look becomes modern and clean.”

Woo-jin looked at Seok-jung and smiled. “The cafe will feel like a vintage bean factory, but the overall design will be clean and modern.”

Seok-jung nodded again.

Woo-jin was very confident, even though he was young. Seok-jung thought, ‘He’s a good speaker.’

Woo-jin explained everything so clearly that Seok-jung couldn’t help but agree. He realized that Woo-jin was good at more than just design.

Woo-jin kept explaining, “And this ceiling…”

He pointed to the pipes and equipment on the ceiling. “It might look like we’re just leaving it open to save money, but it’s actually harder and more expensive to leave the ceiling exposed than to cover it up.”