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How to design the lighting for an indoor-outdoor café

Creating the perfect mood for every corner of your coffee shop is easy when you know the basics of lighting design. Like mixing general, accent, task, decorative and mood lighting to meet needs and get the right feel. This simple guide can help you plan indoor-outdoor illumination for an inviting café – morning to night, all season long.

A coffee shop with an indoor and an outdoor space with trees, mood lighting and SUNDSÖ bistro sets in a warm sunset light.
A coffee shop with an indoor and an outdoor space with trees, mood lighting and SUNDSÖ bistro sets in a warm sunset light.

General lighting

General lighting illuminates a larger area uniformly. Ceiling lamps, several spotlights, or large pendants provide a comfortable lighting level for guests – and your staff when cleaning up.

Explore all lighting
A video showing different lighting situations and lamps throughout the day in a café with natural light from a window.
Explore all lighting

Accent lighting

Accent lighting illuminates and draws attention to specific areas or objects, like a wall menu, your logo, a piece of artwork, or products for sale. These business-approved NYMÅNE ceiling spotlights emit a bright, directed light that creates contrasts between light and shadow and adds life to your rooms in an instant.

See the NYMÅNE series
A white NYMÅNE wall/reading lamp, wired-in inst in the living room
See the NYMÅNE series

Decorative lighting

Decorative lighting is all about bringing charm and personality to your space while lighting it up. LED candles, battery-operated LED lighting strips attached to shelves, chandeliers, stylish pendant lights, and string lights are easy additions that make your café special.

A café with VARMBLIXT LED pendant lamps in white frosted glass and open shelving units displaying bright home deco objects.
A white frosted glass VARMBLIXT LED pendant lamp

Task lighting

Task lighting is a bright, focused light designed to help people see better what they are doing. In a café, wall-mounted or floor lamps help customers read, work, and talk to each other. Make sure that your staff’s workspaces are well-lit with pendant lamps over counters and LED strips under cabinets and shelves.

Explore all ceiling lights
A barista is pouring coffee under white plastic ZEBRASÄV pendant lamps at a café bar next to serveware and croissants.
Explore all ceiling lights

Play with light and make your place stand out

With mindful, creative lighting ideas, your space becomes more than just a place to eat or have coffee – it becomes a place where people love to be. Why not play with a few wall-mounted lamps to create a unique decorative feature?

An outdoor evening café lounging area with SEGERÖN outdoor conversation sets under GRÖNSPRÖT wall up/down outdoor lighting.

Before you buy

These solutions contain a mix of articles developed for domestic and non-domestic use. Please verify that your purchases are compliant and suitable for the intended use in your area. Contact IKEA for Business for more information about the range.

Looking for more ideas for your business?

An outdoor lounge area with a two-seat SEGERÖN outdoor sofa and extra cushions. Near it are a cafe table and a coffee table.
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