Second Shot, Bethnal Green

Second Shot interior layout

Featuring cubes, mahogany, and black Valchromat

Helping one of London’s new hipster coffee shops, a shop with a unique social commitment, show off their range of blends with clever retail display that gives their brand a physical presence.
We soon got to know Julius Ibrahim, the young entrepreneur behind Second Shot, when he opened an amazing coffee shop next to Bethnal Green underground station. Their recruitment policy includes giving people who have once been living on the streets a second shot by employing them in the shop, incredible!! 

Over milk frothing, the conversation quickly turned to business – we exchanged ideas on how we could improve his interior layout and style (whilst retaining the charm of existing furniture in his shop).

Julius request was simple, some shelves for retail and a standing bench to hold the lids, water and sugar for customers. There was already lots of reclaimed wood in the shop and while it was clear from the outset that the bench should be reclaimed, we felt that some more modern materials could really complement the look, especially as a retail display to help them show off their unusual range of blends.

Inspired by their logo, two rectangles, we saw a great opportunity to build this form into the shelving, to merge graphic design with functionality. A trip to the reclaimed wood yard led us to a beautiful piece of mahogany, which we complimented black Valchromat brackets. 

Recognising the commercial realities of a new business all work was conducted out of business hours with Julius brewing up a potent brew (named Chemex) to keep us going. Now we have even more reason to choose Second Shot over the other coffee shops in the area.