How Plants and Commercial Planters Can Enhance Your Cafe’s Curb Appeal

While a fine dining restaurant's decor needs to express an air of sophistication and high-class, coffee shops and cafes are a much more laid-back setting where people congregate to chat and watch the world go by. However, this doesn't mean you should forget about appearances.

The addition of leafy foliage and bright blooms spilling from sidewalk planters is a failsafe tactic to make your frontage more appealing, creating a welcome contrast to gray city streets that is sure to catch the eye of new customers. And don't worry if you're not green-fingered, as this all-you-need-to-know guide explains how pots and planters make transforming your cafe into a beautifully landscaped oasis a piece of cake.

What Are the Benefits of Using Planters in a Cafe?

Not only does sumptuous greenery make the outside of your establishment more inviting, but it has several practical benefits too. For example, you can strategically use cafe barrier planters filled with topiary and shrubs as attractive borders to enhance dead space, hide unsightly areas, and separate tables.

In addition, planters create a healthier environment for your patrons to relax in, as plants help regulate air quality by filtering out carbon dioxide and toxins like formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, and ammonia. The soft texture of their leaves also breaks up soundwaves and absorbs noise pollution, ideal if your cafe is situated next to a busy road.

The Best Planters for Cafes: Shapes, Sizes, Colors, and Materials

The exterior of your cafe is a 24-hour billboard promoting your brand. So before you begin the landscaping process, ask yourself what you want people to think and feel when they see your establishment. If you're looking to create a modern, minimalist image, then the sharp lines and sleek forms of fiberglass planter boxes are ideal. If you're going for a quaint, rustic aesthetic, then tapered, stone-look pots work nicely.

There are also practical considerations to keep in mind as your cafe's location, the amount of space you have to work with, and the plants you want to display all impact the size and style of planters you should choose. So here are a few tips to help you achieve the right balance of form and function:

• Come up with the layout first. Don't worry; this doesn't mean using complicated landscape design software to create elaborate plans. Instead, simply sketch out the rough shape of the area you're looking to enhance on paper and add in where you want to place your planters. If you're not sure if you have the space for tall pots beside the entrance, or you're wondering how many planter boxes it'll take to guide customers towards a seating area, creating a plan at the very beginning allows you to play with placement before you purchase.

• Experiment with different shapes. With such a wide variety of pots and planters to pick from, knowing which shapes suit what style can be challenging. As a basic rule of thumb, curved lines are more youthful and fun, while the sharp corners of rectangles and squares are excellent at providing drama. Feeling daring? Then, try mixing and matching the two forms and breathe new life into a monotonous space.

• Use colors to influence mood. One tool cafe owners aren't utilizing enough is psychology. Color has the power to shape a person's perceptions, so use it to help build an ambiance before your customer has even walked through the door. Reds, yellows, and hot pinks are instant statement-makers, brilliant for bringing warmth to drab exteriors and amping up feelings of excitement. In contrast, charcoal grays, navy blues, and metallics elicit glamour and exclusivity.

• Don't forget about depth. At the end of the day, planters are for plants, so you must ensure there's enough space to allow for roots to spread and grow, or else your greenery won't thrive. As root system depths vary between species, always conduct your research before buying, taking care to follow the advice given.

If you’re still not sure which commercial planters are best for your cafe, contact us on (888) 381-9501 or email us at sales@potsplantersandmore.com, and we can provide more information about shapes, styles, and sizes.