Connect Café: Designed for Connection
What if your break room became the most popular workspace in the office?
That question guided the design of our new Connect Café, a hospitality-inspired space at Connect Interiors that was intentionally created to support socializing, open collaboration, and community building. Drawing on Steelcase’s Community-Based Design research, we reimagined what a workplace café can be: not just a place to grab coffee, but a destination where people connect, collaborate, learn, and recharge.
The Challenge: A Café That Wasn’t Connected
In our previous space, the work café was tucked toward the back of the building. While functional, it lacked visibility and wasn’t an intuitive destination for guests or our team. Food and beverages for meetings and training sessions was separated from the primary gathering spaces, often requiring people to navigate multiple floors and disconnected areas.
The result was a challenge that many organizations face today: a space intended for gathering that wasn’t fully supporting connection.
Sound familiar?
Many workplace cafés and break rooms sit largely empty throughout the day, used only for quick lunches or coffee refills. Meanwhile, employees head to coffee shops to work, meet, think, and connect.
Why? Because coffee shops offer something many workplace cafés don’t: a sense of community.
Inspired by Community-Based Design
Steelcase’s Community-Based Design framework draws inspiration from thriving cities, where a variety of destinations support different types of activities and human interactions. At the heart of those communities is the “City Center,” a social hub designed to bring people together and strengthen relationships.
That’s exactly the role Connect Café plays within our new WorkLab.
The primary work mode for this space is socializing. The function is open collaboration.
It’s where spontaneous conversations happen. Where coworkers connect between meetings. Where clients continue discussions after a presentation. Where people can work independently while still feeling part of something bigger.
It’s the workplace version of your favorite coffee shop: working alone, but together.
A Dynamic Social Hub
Every design decision within Connect Café was made to support flexibility, functionality, and human connection.
A variety of seating styles showcase different ways people prefer to work and interact, from casual conversations to focused individual work. Integrated shelving creates both visual interest and practical storage while reinforcing the hospitality feel of the space.
Adjacent to our larger conference room, the café can easily support overflow seating for larger groups, ensuring everyone remains connected to the conversation. Advanced technology in both spaces allows presentations, training sessions, and virtual collaboration to happen seamlessly.
One of the most impactful features is the Steelcase bi-parting wall system, which allows the café and conference room to function independently or combine into one large gathering environment. Whether we’re hosting a client presentation, employee training, community event, or company-wide meeting, the space easily adapts to the need.
The result is a highly flexible environment that encourages both planned and spontaneous interaction.
Why It Matters for Your Workplace
Many organizations invest heavily in collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and private offices while overlooking one of the most influential areas in the entire workplace: the café.
Today’s employees aren’t looking for a traditional lunchroom. They’re looking for destinations.
Places where they can grab a coffee, catch up with a colleague, answer emails, brainstorm ideas, or simply feel connected to their workplace culture.
When designed intentionally, a workplace café becomes more than an amenity. It becomes social infrastructure, helping shape how people interact throughout the day. Community-Based Design research highlights the importance of creating destinations that draw people together and foster stronger workplace relationships.
Could Your Break Room Be Doing More?
If your break room sits empty most of the day, it may not be a people problem. It may be a design opportunity.
By creating hospitality-driven destinations that support socializing, collaboration, and flexibility, organizations can transform underutilized square footage into one of the most valuable spaces in the workplace.
Connect Café is proof that when you design for community, people show up.
And sometimes the most productive place in the office isn’t a desk or a conference room.
It’s the place where people gather.
At Connect Interiors, we help organizations create spaces people actually want to use. From hospitality-inspired cafés to collaborative hubs, we’re designing workplaces that build connection, culture, and community. Reach out today to schedule a tour!