Having cafes within furniture stores isn’t all that new a concept. Just look at how long meatball lovers have been getting their fix at Ikea. What is new, however, is how far design has muscled in on the F&B territory.

Chill-out spots to have your cuppa have increasingly become more like design galleries — and it’s a happy coincidence that these spaces were started up by artistic-minded folks or those in the design industry with an eye on an increasingly design-conscious demographic.

Afternoon tea might mean a hot beverage and a muffin somewhere else, but at these hotspots, it’s a day spent lounging on specially made furniture crafted from materials salvaged from a much-missed heritage area. Would you like milk with that?

> Bar Twentytwo (22 Mosque Street)

P C Ee built Exit Studio up into a successful design firm, specialising in product development and customised furniture. He went on to win the President’s Design Award for his Paper Fold rocking chair in 2010. Then he kinda sorta accidentally opened a bar.

“I was looking for a showroom space for the furniture business and came across this space. It came with a liquor licence and I thought, ‘Why not’?” the soft-spoken Ee explained.

“In the beginning, I wanted to incorporate the showroom within the bar and have each piece here designed by someone in our studio. But after careful thought, I wondered if it would make a big difference to the experience, and also that customers might miss out on appreciating or paying attention to the furniture since they’re here at a bar to enjoy themselves.”

Even though Ee scrapped the idea, Bar 22 still exudes designer cred: Grey walls currently exhibiting artwork of Bangkok street artist P7, exposed brick beams, Tom Dixon lamps, bar stools from Konstantin Grcic and Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, and a stable of designer chairs lined up along the bar tables, including recognisable classics like the Panton chair, Frank Gehry Wiggle Chair and the Pierre Paulin Orange Slice.

Ee sees Bar 22 as an evolving arts space where he can showcase works by different international designers and artists every two months while guests tuck into deliciously authentic Thai food and Asian-inspired cocktails using ingredients like bandung and pandan by former Overeasy bartender, Jeremie Tan.

As for the obvious Thai touches, they point to Ee being very much inspired by the casual cool bars of Bangkok such as the Volkswagen Kombi mobile bars in Khao San and Tuba in Ekamai.

“I do hope to have some bit of that Bangkok vibe here.”

> Artistry

(17 Jalan Pinang)

Opened last October, Artistry is a gallery cafe that has quietly built up a following for its arty activities such as its Deja Brew workshop combining coffee appreciation and lomography held yesterday, as well as its exhibitions and awesome homemade offerings (try the lemon poppyseed cakes).

More interestingly, it’s a space that evolved from a collaboration with design collective Chemistry, located just above the cafe.

“Artistry is set up by myself and two other partners, Prashant (Somosundram) and Matthew (Foo). I handle the gallery aspect, while they take care of the cafe business,” said co-owner artist Marcel Heijnen, one of the founders of Chemistry.

The space below the Chemistry office opened up fortuitously when the previous tenant, a Middle-Eastern restaurant, decided not to renew its lease last year.

It may not look it, but the stylish 1,000-sq-ft space is littered with history. Tables, chairs and stools are actually made from wood Heijnen recovered from the Malay Village in Geylang, which closed in 2011.

“I’m inspired by upcycling. And as I live close to the Malay Village, I saw the contractors breaking it down so I approached them about buying the wood. In the end, I managed to get about four tonnes of wood for our project,” said the Dutchman, who enlisted the help of Chemistry colleague John Chan to design the furniture.

Vintage aluminium chairs were shipped from a clan association, which Foo chanced upon while travelling through Penang. Even the dessert plates and cappuccino cups are customised by local potter Todd Tok and fired at one of Singapore’s oldest dragon kilns at Jalan Bahar.

“We didn’t want a white box, sterile gallery-like environment, so we try to keep the look a bit rustic, warm and inviting with some character. But not too much as we don’t want the furniture to compete with artwork,” explained Heijnen.

“I think people might be tired of cookie-cutter cafes and they’ll always be those seeking out interesting places,” said Somosundrum. “And with the closure of Post-Museum and The Pigeonhole, we hope we can offer some value to the community with our programmes.”

Visit www.facebook.com/artistryspace for event info

> Commune Cafe & Bistro

(#02-50 Millenia Walk)

Commune began life in October 2011 as a furniture store selling “rustic modern furniture” designed by owner Julian Koh and his team, as well as lighting and other home accessories sourced from around the world. Along the way, Koh figured since the name of the store was Commune, it would be nice to have a communal element by having a cafe within the store. “Food and drinks fit well with the idea of a home,” he said.

Commune Cafe & Bistro was officially born late last year when Millenia Walk allowed him to use the walkways as a seating area, turning it into a bona fide cafe. And, yes, all the furniture in the cafe reflects the same soothing wooden aesthetics as the pieces in the store — and they’re for sale.

Koh and company are also in the process of producing the wooden serving boards and coasters currently used in the cafe for customers to purchase in a month or two.

Even though Millenia Walk is chock-a-block with coffee joints, Commune has managed to win regulars with its strong java and cakes and sandwiches made daily by a professional pastry chef. In fact, Koh, who has another Commune outlet in Jakarta’s Jalan Suryo, is in the process of looking around for the right spaces in town to expand.

Explaining the growing appetite for design-centric spaces, Koh — who is designing a series of smart furniture to be launched next March — suggested such spots allow people the time to absorb the environment they are in, to appreciate design and furnishings. “There’s definitely a growing appreciation for places with more style and character.”