4 Core Principles for Café Furniture Selection

Stability Testing

Beyond visual checks, conduct physical tests: sit and rock the chair, press diagonally on tables. The Little Stove café in Bangkok uses anti-slip foot pads to eliminate scraping noises. Quality furniture won’t wobble even with 10kg weight on corners.

Craftsmanship Inspection

Run hands along panel joints—any protrusions mean poor quality. Arc-shaped edge banding (trending at Milan Fair) is safer than sharp angles. The Camel Step café’s booths stand out for seamless stitching and hidden nail heads.

Eco-performance Verification

New GB/T 45918—2025 standard limits formaldehyde to ≤0.124mg/m³. Smell for pungent odors or ask for E0-grade certification. We once rejected a toxic batch—customers deserve healthy spaces.

Lifecycle Durability

Check wood for wormholes and metal for rustproofing. Phuffle café’s terrazzo tables last 5+ years thanks to strict material screening.

2. 3 Matching Strategies for Tables & Booths

Style Cohesion

Pair burgundy booths (2024 color trend) with vintage wooden tables, or white metal tables with mint sofas—seen in Gucci’s home collection. Little Stove’s stump-shaped chairs mirror its garden banyan tree.

Space Efficiency

University-area cafés benefit from 3:7 soft-to-hard seating ratio: 30% 2-person booths (12007001100mm) for long stays, 70% hard chairs for turnover. Starbucks uses 600mm round tables to fit 2 seats in 2㎡.

Positioning-based Plans

3. 2 FAQs from Café Owners

Q: How much more expensive is custom furniture?

A: 15-30% premium, but space optimization pays off. One campus café gained 12 extra seats with custom booths, recouping costs in 3 months.

Q: Is eco-certification necessary?

A: Mandatory under 2025 rules. A client solved complaints by switching to E0-grade furniture, boosting positive reviews by 40%.