listening matters. a café study.
warm brutalism.
dedo coffee, long beach
Dedo Coffee
Long Beach, CA — Wrigley
Coffee Shop
hospitality design · design through construction
hannah dunsirn
most coffee shops play music. this one was built to listen to it.
at dedo coffee in long beach, espresso and a hi-fi system share one room. the music shapes the program.
we planned the room so neither gives way to the other. coffee needs a counter. listening needs a room. the design is how they share one.
01 — a concept you can hear
the concept sets the brief. “specialty coffee shop” is a category. espresso with hi-fi listening is a concept. a concept tells every square foot what to do.
the espresso bar is the heart: the work of coffee, out in the open. the listening side holds the sound, the seats and the records. the layout and the equipment behind the bar were planned as one system. nothing in the room is there for the photograph.
02 — sound before surface
acoustics come first. speaker positions, acoustic panels and bass traps were planned with the seating and the record storage.
the panel spacing became part of the wall. the treatment stays visible, placed where the sound needs it. the records needed an address too. a wood cabinet, built for the collection, gives them one.
03 — dark, earthy, honest
warmth comes from the materials. three color directions were tested. the room went dark and earthy, rooted in the coffee farm.
custom tile, set with red grout. wood millwork where the eye can rest. a stronger ceiling holds the room. the skylight moves daylight across it. honest surfaces, tempered by wood and light. read it up close: a joint, a grain, a line of grout.
04 — a room to listen
listening is a decision. so is the seat you do it in. the bar keeps the rhythm of coffee: order, pull, pour, go. the listening side keeps another one. a seat inside the sound. one side of a record. maybe the whole album.
the records stay within reach and get played. two tempos, one room. the plan decides which one you fall into.
Press & references
Related reading: What makes a space feel like it was designed for you?
a listening room that hides its listening is just a café with speakers.
What is a hi-fi listening café?
A coffee shop where listening, often full albums on a hi-fi system, is part of the experience rather than background. At Dedo Coffee in Long Beach, the sound system, the records and the espresso bar share one room.
Who designed Dedo Coffee?
Kellie Patry Hospitality Design (KPHD), a Los Angeles hospitality design studio. KPHD designed Dedo Coffee from concept through construction, including the layout, listening area, millwork, tile and espresso bar.
How do acoustics change a café's design?
Speaker positions, acoustic panels, bass traps, record storage and seating are planned together, so the treatment becomes part of the wall rather than an add-on.
every room keeps a tempo. let's find yours.
PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY: HANNAH DUNSIRN / DEDO COFFEE, LONG BEACH