For their second location, Night Swim Coffee—a cool collaboration between Charlotte’s Not Just Coffee and Undercurrent Coffee—is all about minimal, warm design. It’s more than just a cafe; it was designed to feel like an extension of The Joinery’s lobby, a super nice perk for the residents.

Cluck really focused on making the place warm and bright. A lot of natural light comes in through big windows, and there are beautiful wood accents inside and out. We honored the existing brand colors – sage green, orange, cream, and navy – in the furniture selection and materials.

We worked with what was already there, such as a big concrete wall and a staircase. Instead of hiding them, we showed them off, which adds a cool industrial touch. Even the bar is super functional; Cluck designed cool hidden handles on the cabinets by cutting circles into the wood, eliminating the risk of employees running into them. We also worked with the landlord on the signs to make sure everything looked right. There is an abundance of comfortable seating, including a lounge area, a banquette, and two big tables – one that faces inside and one that faces the patio – that bring people together for working, chatting, or just chilling with coffee.

The look is soft and simple, with curves and not too much clutter. We used concrete and butcher block for the counters to add texture and warmth, and cool fluted porcelain and clay tiles to bring in interesting details, but the awesome espresso machine is really the star.

Year Completed: 2023
Type of Build: Interior upfit 
SF: 1,876 SF

📷 : Michael Blevins