It’s no accident that these places look similar. Though they’re not part of a chain and don’t have their interior design directed by a single corporate overlord, these coffee shops have a way of mimicking the same tired style, a hipster reduction obsessed with a superficial sense of history and the remnants of industrial machinery that once occupied the neighbourhoods they take over. And it’s not just London and Manchester – this style is spreading across the world, from Bangkok to Beijing, Seoul to San Francisco.
I'm trying desperately to keep a few of my coworkers from hipstering up our restaurant. They're trying to convince the manager to let them try interior design inspired by Pinterest-- corrugated steel and reclaimed wood, vaguely industrial lighting. They'll probably win. I mean, shit, I'm leaving in a week.