“The design felt like an authentic French bakery,” says Johanna Mele, a senior interior designer for West Elm of Almondine’s former look. “We wanted to enhance its features while maintaining the beautiful displays of pastries and breads.” That meant by clean lines and natural tones that still keep most of the attention on the food. And while a variety of seating options is important in any gathering space, it’s particularly vital within a small footprint. Here, zones keep traffic to a minimum, but still invite customers to stay a while.

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“Lack of seating was a functional weak spot in the space. West Elm Business to Business designers helped us add a mix of seating types and heights to offer our customers a variety of places to pull up a chair,” says owner, Herve Poussot.

Johanna chose a monochromatic palette of black, brown, and cream to cultivate a traditional mood. Geometric pendants provide overhead light, but wall mirrors were added to take advantage of the sunshine.

As delicious as pastries are, they can also be, well, beige. It’s easy to balance out neutrals with lush greenery, which can act as artwork when potted up a wall.