Currently we’re in Copenhagen for the launch of the HP Designjet and Bjarke Ingels’ 8-House premiere. Coincidentally we stumbled upon an interesting new coffee bar concept here. The bar on the picture called Fotocaféen is a photo and printing coffee bar, which means that the art of photography and the crafts and service of printing are spatially combined with a space to sit, hang around, talk and drink coffee. The place breaths a bar atmosphere and design, but gives room to pretty much printing equipment that can be used by customers, and it provides services like free Wi-Fi. Besides that, the bar has a role as a meeting place for Copenhagen’s photography scene, which gives it a little touch of an artist’s bar.

In the past we and other blogs have already written about cross-over formulas with coffee as a main ingredient, such as the book store as a coffee bar and, not so long ago, the urban bike bar (bike repair shops spatially combined with a coffee service and a cosy hang-out). The discovery of this printing and coffee bar in Copenhagen reveals an ‘everything could be a coffee bar’ trend in contemporary cities. In fact, pretty many urban functions have the potention to be combined with serving coffee and creating a nice place. What about the launderette as a coffee bar, the car wash as a coffee bar or the fitness center as a coffee bar, or, even better, the furniture store. This idea works for services or shops with two main components. First, the products or services offered should have some lifestyle components in them. It connects with a group of people that like to hang out with a subculture formed around the service provided, such as bikers in a bike coffee bar and photographers in a printing coffee bar. Secondly, people have to come to this place anyway, so why not drink a cup of coffee while waiting? Applying this coffee bar formula means creating a more profound connection with the customers. One creates a community around a brand or service with specific lifestyle components in it, instead of offering a single run away service.