Starbucks Coffee started their Shared Planet program as an initiative to make the company a lot greener and environmentally friendly. I remember noticing the new logos (like the one above) making an appearance on our retail paper bags about a year ago. Other than that, it was a silent transition. Sure, we started using recycled paper on our whole bean coffee bags, and our napkins began to display similar messages; but honestly, there was nothing about Starbucks' environmental policy that made it stand out from all the other corporate giants of America. That is, until now.
Ever since I was a little kid I loved how Starbucks stores seemed to blend the cozy comfort of old style furniture (think big poofy chairs) with sleek modern curves and angles, spherical hanging lamps, geometric woodworking and abstract wall art. It was a very balanced melding of old fashioned comfort and modern appeal. That's not to say that there aren't any ugly Starbucks Stores our there; trust me there are, but for the most part they don't exude the bleak atmosphere of any other food service chain out there. So it was sad to see Starbucks' creativity begin to decline as they started churning out new store locations like lattes on the bar.
It's about time for a breath of fresh air, and it seems like Starbucks wants to take statement literally. As the video states, every single new company operated store will not only be energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and practically made up of recycled materials; but they will also return to putting substantial creative effort into store design. From the look of it, that blend of modernity and traditional appeals has returned, and there also seems to be a larger focus on coffee itself (a very important step in my opinion) in the store's decor.
The new look is unlike any Starbucks store I've seen so far, and yet distinctively Starbucksy. To see what I mean, check out the video:
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