The Plant Pot Café at Southampton University Students’ Union (SUSU)

Interior Design Refresh for a Vegan Café

Client: Southampton University Students’ Union (SUSU)
Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK
Sector: Education | Hospitality | Café Fit-Out

The Plant Pot Café is a well-loved vegan café located within Southampton University Students’ Union (SUSU). Forest Contract was appointed to refresh the café’s interior, creating a more welcoming, modern space that reflected its sustainable, plant-based identity while improving the overall customer experience.

Our brief was to develop a design that balanced aesthetics with practicality, ensuring the café remained functional for busy daily service while appealing to students, university staff and visitors.

The Brief

SUSU wanted to modernise The Plant Pot Café without losing the character that had made it popular on campus. The new design needed to:

• Create a brighter and more inviting environment.
• Reflect the café’s vegan and sustainable values.
• Appeal to Southampton University’s student community.
• Improve customer flow and seating arrangements.
• Work within an agreed budget and programme.

Our Interior Design Approach

Rather than presenting a single solution, our design team created three unique interior concepts, each offering a different look and feel.

Following presentations with the SUSU committee, the Neutral & Green Concept was selected. This scheme best captured the natural, calming atmosphere they wanted to achieve while reinforcing the café’s plant-based identity.

Creating a Natural, Contemporary Café Interior

The chosen concept focused on combining modern finishes with natural materials to create a relaxed dining environment.

Neutral Colour Palette

Soft whites, warm greys and natural timber finishes formed the foundation of the design. These colours created a light, welcoming space that felt contemporary without appearing clinical.

Green accents were introduced throughout the café to reinforce the vegan brand identity and add warmth and visual interest.

Biophilic Design

Plants became a key feature of the interior.

By incorporating planters, climbing greenery and natural textures, we created a stronger connection with nature while improving the overall atmosphere. Biophilic design not only supports the café’s branding but also helps create a calm and enjoyable environment for customers.

Furniture Selection & Layout

Furniture was carefully chosen to balance comfort, durability and style.

Long upholstered banquette seating encourages both individual study and group dining, while the overall layout improves circulation and maximises seating capacity without making the café feel crowded.

2D CAD Space Planning

Once the preferred concept had been approved, our in-house designers produced detailed 2D CAD layouts.

These plans translated the design concept into a practical café layout, ensuring every element worked efficiently.

Working closely with the SUSU team, we refined the plans through several revisions before finalising the design.

The completed CAD drawings included:

• Furniture layouts
• Seating capacity planning
• Customer circulation routes
• Accessibility considerations
• Operational workflow improvements

This collaborative approach ensured the finished space was both attractive and highly functional.

The Finished Café

The completed refurbishment successfully brought the chosen concept to life.

The finished interior features:

• Comfortable upholstered banquette seating
• Warm timber tabletops and flooring
• Neutral upholstery with subtle green accents
• Integrated planting throughout the café
• Feature greenery climbing the staircase wall
• A bright, open and welcoming atmosphere

Together, these elements create a relaxing environment that reflects The Plant Pot Café’s vegan ethos while enhancing the customer experience.

Project Results

The refurbished café has been warmly received by both students and university staff.

The redesign has delivered several benefits, including:

• A brighter and more welcoming atmosphere
• Improved customer flow throughout the café
• Better use of available seating space
• A stronger connection between the interior design and the café’s vegan brand
• An enhanced dining experience for customers

Why Choose Forest Contract for Café Interior Design?

At Forest Contract, we specialise in designing and delivering commercial interiors that combine creativity with practicality.

Every project begins by understanding how a space will be used before developing a design that reflects our client’s brand, improves functionality and creates an enjoyable customer experience.

The Plant Pot Café demonstrates how thoughtful interior design can transform an existing hospitality space into a modern environment that supports both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

If you’re planning a café refurbishment, restaurant fit-out, or commercial interior design project, we’d love to discuss how we can help bring your vision to life.