Blue Bottle Coffee LEGOLAND / Atelier xy, Shanghai, China

Located beside the Shanghai LEGOLAND Resort, Blue Bottle Coffee LEGOLAND, designed by Atelier xy, reimagines the café as a playful yet refined spatial experience where architecture, imagination, and everyday ritual intersect. Completed in 2025, the 180-square-meter interior translates the spirit of LEGO—modularity, creativity, and dreaming—into a contemporary coffee shop that remains true to Blue Bottle’s minimalist design language while embracing the joyful energy of its surroundings.

Every Blue Bottle Coffee store is conceived as a unique response to its context, and this location is no exception. Situated adjacent to a theme park defined by colorful blocks and boundless imagination, the café is primarily visited by families and children. Atelier xy approached the project with a dual challenge: how to visually express the dynamic, ever-changing nature of LEGO block play within a calm, minimalist coffee environment, and how to craft a comfortable, relaxing “dream-building” experience that resonates with both children and adults.

The design concept draws direct inspiration from LEGO Technic, a series known for its architectural logic, intricate connections, and structural clarity. Rather than literal imitation, the architects abstracted the logic of beams, axles, connectors, and stacking systems to create a cohesive spatial language. The result is an interior that feels playful yet controlled, imaginative yet serene.

At the heart of the space is a striking installation composed of oversized “bricks” in Blue Bottle’s signature palette of blue and white. The white brick at the base forms the coffee counter, grounding the space and serving as the primary point of interaction. Above it, a blue brick becomes a suspended ceiling element, floating over the central area and reinforcing the idea of assembly and balance. A white brick volume extends outward toward the glass façade, angled toward the entrance to create a bold visual gesture. This protruding element acts as an architectural signifier, prominently displaying the Blue Bottle logo and drawing visitors into the café.

This composition transforms the simple act of ordering coffee into a playful moment—akin to interacting with a LEGO brick—while maintaining a clean and uncluttered aesthetic. The modular installation establishes a clear spatial hierarchy and organizes circulation without the need for excessive partitions.

Throughout the interior, elements inspired by LEGO Technic are subtly embedded into furniture and architectural details. Beams, connectors, and axles inform the design of coffee tables, merchandise displays, and ceiling structures. These components are carefully scaled and materialized to align with Blue Bottle’s refined sensibility, ensuring the space remains sophisticated rather than overtly themed. Concrete bricks and plastic materials are used as fundamental building blocks, reinforcing the logic of modularity and assembly that defines both LEGO and architecture itself.

The walls continue this stacking narrative, composed of varied brick-like forms arranged in an organized yet visually engaging pattern. This layered approach creates texture, rhythm, and depth, making the space feel dynamic while remaining cohesive. The modular language allows the interior to feel structured and legible, echoing the logic of building systems familiar from childhood play.

Material choices balance durability, clarity, and warmth. Concrete provides a sense of permanence and architectural gravity, while plastic elements reference LEGO’s iconic materiality. Glass surfaces enhance transparency and openness, allowing natural light to filter into the space and maintaining a strong visual connection to the surrounding LEGOLAND environment.

Despite its playful inspiration, the café remains a place of calm and pause. The design carefully moderates color, form, and light to create a relaxed atmosphere where customers can slow down, rest, and enjoy their coffee. Adults are subtly invited to reconnect with childhood memories, while children experience the space as an extension of the imaginative world of LEGO. In this way, the café becomes a shared playground—one that supports dreaming, creativity, and everyday enjoyment.

Blue Bottle Coffee LEGOLAND exemplifies how branded interior design can transcend replication and become site-specific architecture. Through abstraction rather than literal representation, Atelier xy successfully bridges the worlds of coffee culture and playful architecture, creating a memorable destination that celebrates imagination, modular design, and the joy of building—brick by brick.

All the photographs are works of Wen Studio