Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium in Gentofte, Denmark (Bjarke Ingels Group: 2013) While towering new campus additions often get all the attention, this subterranean, space-saving solution from a Danish architectural firm was just as creative. A secondary school looking to expand saw the playground as the only viable space to place a new multi-purpose gym. To preserve vital outdoor space, a multi-purpose meeting space was sunk partway into the ground. The curved roof, meant to recall the curve of a handball, serves as an eye-catching gathering spot.

Pleck, a cafe in the Dutch city Delft.

The Trails Cafe in Griffith Park Los Angeles, uses fresh ingredients to fuel passerby. In classic style, The Selby went behind the scenes of the cafe and kitchen.

Once home to a shoe repairer and abandoned for the last two years, Central Hotel & Café received a much-needed makeover from owner Leif Thingtved, who is seen here peering out the one-roomed hotel located above the downstairs café. The single room comes with a bathroom, flat screen television, high-speed internet, Royal Eden bed, and mini bar. Photo by: Martin Kaufmann

The glass cafe—another of the House Cafe projects.

Fuglen Fans of mid-century modern furniture shouldn't miss the recently expanded Fuglen, a popular vintage cafe by day and an even more popular cocktail lounge by night. Spread out across four snug rooms, the bar-cafe doubles as a furniture showroom, and virtually all of the low-slung furnishings, which date mostly from the 1950s and 60s, are for sale. Many reveal the influence of Japanese aethetics on Norwegian designers, many of whom explicitly sought a warmer version of classic Scandinavian modernism.

Talkhouse Tozer reconfigured a Portobello Road retail space into a light-filled cafe with a healthy dose of reuse. The cementitious resin floor and wood counter are composed of materials found on-site.

Eley Kishimoto's Venice print in two colorways wraps the entire space. The paper is hand-printed in London.

Beachwood Cafe in Hollywood, designed by Bestor Architecture.

Lantana Cafe A street frontage dominated by ducts for an underground substation provided challenges as well as opportunites at this retail conversion. Tozer concealed the ducts with slatted wood, which also succeed in drawing the eye inward through an open window.

Quaffing a perfect cappuccino is this writer’s true weakness.

Once the site of an 1859 coal, feed, and carriage barn, Piccino now makes its home in the vibrant and developing Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. Behind the unassuming Victorian façade, affectionately known in the neighborhood as the Yellow Building, Sagan Piechota Architecture has created a warm and elegant interior that is decidedly modern. The rustic space features soaring ceilings and exposed rafters, reclaimed oak floors, and sleek communal tables flanked by Eames shell chairs. Sightglass coffee can be enjoyed from the airy main dining room, or the adjacent coffee bar, both contemporary counterparts to the historic 19th-century shell. 1001 Minnesota Street

Though some might have seen the gritty and desolate Mission block that houses Stable Cafe as an obstacle, Malcolm Davis embraced the transitional backdrop when imagining not only a cafe, but an incubator for local businesses that aims to foster a sense of community. The cafe was once an 1800s carriage house, and was severely neglected over the years before the extensive restoration and revitalization effort by Davis. The light-filled interior boasts soaring ceilings and exposed beams, along with a modern custom steel staircase which leads to the lofted seating area. A spacious communal courtyard provides an urban oasis and gathering area for Stable Collective entrepreneurs and neighborhood patrons alike, while Malcolm Davis Architecture holds its offices in the old hayloft above the cafe. 2128 Folsom Street

Michael Thonet’s bentwood café chair of 1859 is one of the most iconic furniture pieces to emerge from Austria. In 2013, Vienna-based designer Thomas Feichtner reinterpreted the design for Czech company TON, honoring the original production processes while introducing a molded-wood seat as a way to bridge contemporary and traditional furniture design.

Opulent Louis XVI décor may not exactly be mod, but contemporary British architect David Chipperfield helped re-imagine the Café Royal—where louche met lux—that re-opened in December 2012 with renovated parquet floors, cast-plaster walls, a new Champagne and Caviar lounge, marble hammam, and restored ballrooms once frequented by Liz Taylor, David Bowie, and Oscar Wilde. Rooms from $530.

The yellow area features a cafe with wooden Vitra chairs around tables by .TEBIAN.

A small bar off the cafe pairs dark oak details with denim-upholstered bar stools. Photo by Nikolas Koenig.

A slightly raised, plaid-fitted cafe stays open all day. Photo by Nikolas Koenig.

In the open kitchen, stacks of cups wait to be filled, machines wait to serve piping hot beverages, and spoons ready to stir. Photo by: Stine Christiansen

A glance into the visually cacophonous cafe at Giardini.

Salvaged Ring (a21studio: Nha Trang, Vietnam) This thatch-roofed café is a site-specific masterpiece created from stacks of scrap wood from a nearby carpenter. The unique curved roof, structured with a gap for ventilation, leaves a curved shadow that shuffles across the floor as patrons contemplate and caffeinate.

The café's blackboard menu lists many global favorites such as an espresso, Americano, and iced coffee. Apparently some of the best coffee around is brewed here. Hotel guests are treated to a complimentary organic breakfast. Photo by: Martin Kaufmann

The Leopold Cafe is a popular local haunt.

The hotel and café's outdoor signage. Photo by: Martin Kaufmann

At the opposite end of the "public spine" is the café, rendered here looking north from within (or near) the cantilever over the entrance.

One of the many House Cafes designed by Autoban.

Maple cafe plate by David Rasmussen Design.

If you’re looking for a caffeine refuel, or merely to have a leisurely conversation with other local Beaconers, head over the Bank Square Café on Main street. With a hip clientele, gourmet coffee, and an overall early 90s-meets-modern-design feel, Bank Square could easily be mistaken for one of the better java shops in Williamsburg or Portland. Minus the long wait of course.

"We had fantastic natural light in the space from the large existing skylights," Dunn says. "That gave us the freedom to think we could just line the walls and floors with a warm, natural material, and let the light take care of most of the 'impact' of being in the space—it led us to be a bit more restrained." Photo by Patricia Chang

"The owner had a great vision of a business focused on an open, interactive exchange between the customer and the barista," Dunn says. "Juggling the practical workflow of coffee-making—and selling—with the desire for a low, obstacle-free counter that would be conducive to that interaction was probably the biggest challenge." The matte white hexagonal tile covering the sides of the counter was purchased from Design and Direct Source. Photo by Patricia Chang

"From a practical standpoint, we organized the space in layers—starting with the sidewalk display function of the window seating and signage, then to the entry space with its merchandise shelves, and next to that is the recessed pastry case and barista station," Dunn says. "Past that point is the serving area, point of sale, and main seating area with service spaces in the back." Photo by Patricia Chang

Saint Frank offers beans by the pound in addition to coffee and espresso-based drinks. Photo by Patricia Chang.

The interior of Saint Frank Coffee, which is located at 2340 Polk street in San Francisco, features oak walls, flooring, and furniture. "There's a warmth and openness to the space," architect Ian Dunn says. "It's the product of some restraint and refinement; perhaps there's a peacefulness that comes through. You're there to enjoy a really great cup of coffee and the cafe was designed for that purpose." Photo by Patricia Chang.

Liberty Bakery is a neighborhood cafe founded by artists and bakes up an array of pastries, from cinnamon rolls to croissants and more.