Over the last two centuries, café design has evolved, cycling through trends such as Parisian-style decor and the “Central Perk” aesthetic to neon signs and bold design choices curated for influencers. Today, café design is rooted in community, comfort, and craft. With a renewed focus on the “analog lifestyle”, (2) bakeries and cafes like Crust & Crumb are seeking functional, yet fashionable design elements that will stand the test of time — and trends.

When it comes to cafe design, many brands have shifted to minimal, almost clinical styles. With design choices that “look more like laboratories than living rooms” (1), cafes are increasingly scrutinized for aesthetics that feel more like a bank. The over-simplification of cafe design, however, is a challenge that business owners like Debi Hatton never had to face.

Since opening her Crust & Crumb café and bakery in Louisville, Hatton has prioritized good food and connection, drawing on the bakery’s ethos of thoughtful craftsmanship and community engagement.

When it comes to cafe design that feels sterile rather than sensory, digital screens and elements have contributed significantly to the problem. Before the minimal, digital “wave” of cafe design, baristas relied on mechanical scales, manual lever espresso machines, and hand-crank grinders. These were more than mechanical tools; they contributed to the tactile look, feel, and sound of a neighborhood coffee shop. 

During the digital boom, many of these analog tools slipped into obscurity, only to emerge due to a sweeping return to handcrafted elements. Many customers and owners have grown tired of the over-digitization and minimalism in coffee shops, missing the warmth and craft these third spaces used to provide. 

The challenge with eliminating digital components entirely is how businesses realistically need to function. With the loss of digitization in parts of the cafe experience, the process of getting a cup of coffee becomes less efficient. This presents a challenge during peak times at coffee shops, mainly the morning rush.

What many patrons and business owners attribute to digital is actually a desire for ease and flexibility, which until recently, could only be achieved with a digital ecosystem. This is where the strategic use of functional analog technology comes into play. 

When Debi Hatton designed Crust & Crumb in Norton Commons, it was a departure from oversimplified or influencer-crafted cafe designs. Without sacrificing efficiency, Hatton carefully integrated handcrafted, curated elements with minimal design that felt styled rather than sterile. From bistro-style marble tables to upholstered banquettes to a Herringbone wood floor, Hatton’s attention to detail resulted in a community space that exudes warmth.

In terms of analog tools, the centerpiece of Hatton’s bakery and cafe is a custom Split Flap from Oat Foundry. With a frame in our Classic Black, custom-color flaps, and the Crust & Crumb logo, the display adds movement, texture, and subtle sound to the cafe.

With a custom Split Flap display, Crust & Crumb has more than a stylish focal point. The Split Flap is a unique differentiator in café design. The Split Flap serves as an interactive menu and brand message board, cascading through quotes, menu items, dates, weather updates, and much more. The custom-colored flaps provide Hatton and her team with additional transitions, such as pixelated art and illustrations. 

Compared to smaller, off-the-shelf consumer signage, which needs to be read from no more than 3-4 ft away, the Oat Foundry Split Flap is highly legible and easily read from up to 100 ft away. For Crust & Crumb, that means the display can be easily read regardless of where you’re standing: at the door, in the back of the line, or at the register.

When it comes to promoting a business, it’s unavoidable: brands need to have a strong social media presence. But in an environment where everyone is scrolling (and rarely stopping), brands need to find a way to stand out in the feed. For Crust & Crumb, that happens constantly, with patrons frequently sharing shots of the cafe design, menu items, and (you guessed it) the Split Flap display. 

In addition to their photo-worthy drinks and desserts, which include, but aren’t limited to, Fluffernutter lattes, croissant twists, hot honey pepperoni focaccia, and handcrafted marble rye, patrons are always posting shots of the Split Flap display between bites of artisan bakery items. 

Split Flaps date back to the 1950s, when the original Solari boards were displayed through departures and arrivals in European train stations and airports. With their signature “Split Flap click”, the style and sound of the displays were a sensory component of the mid-century aesthetic.

Solari brand no longer fabricates mechanical Split Flaps; however, Oat Foundry has stepped in with our reimagined displays. With the same large-scale, yet minimal style as the Solari boards, Oat Foundry is the only US brand that creates custom commercial Split Flaps.

The opening of Crust & Crumb, credited with the “best chocolate croissant” in Louisville (5), was heavily featured in local publications, including The Courier Journal and Louisville Business First. Across social media, Crust & Crumb patrons ranging from local foodies, realtors, and influencers have flooded their feeds with accolades of the bakery. Dubbed “a foodie’s delight” (5), the bakery continues to attract new visitors from all over Kentucky.

A custom mechanical Split Flap from Oat Foundry can hold its own against stationary signage and hot screens. From cafes to restaurants to bars and much more, Split Flap provides an analog advantage for brands looking to implement a signature, functional focal point. 

During the early stages of a cafe or bakery design, consumer, off-the-shelf signage is sometimes considered. For us, this misses the entire point: installing architectural, highly legible, and truly mechanical displays.

Resources

1. Why coffee shop design, The Psychology of Luxury 
2. Going Analog in a Digital World, Cozy Analog Cafe
3. Split Flap Comparison, Custom Installations vs Consumer Signage, Oat Foundry
4. This artisan bakery may sell the best chocolate croissant in Louisville, Courier Journal
5. Crust & Crumb, Louisville Bites
6. Crust & Crumb (2), Louisville Bites