You won't need to read a 2,000-plus-word trend piece on matcha, the finely ground powder obtained from the specially shade-grown and processed green tea leaves of Japan's Camellia sinensis plant, to know that it has now taken over the West's traditionally coffee-oriented culture to the point the drink has turned into its own, viral '-core': an Instagram or TikTok account or even just a pair of well-functioning eyes is enough for you to aknowledge the extent to which the vibrant blend has infiltrated our life — whether in its sippable form or in the countless, aesthetic design declinations associated with its coming to the fore.
According to recent data gathered by Japan House London, one of the most authentic destinations for matcha lovers, "sales of matcha drinks at [in-house bar] The Stand have increased by 36% since 2023," with younger visitors driving the spike in consumption. A new report released by The Business Research Company, meanwhile, predicted the world's matcha market size to reach $6.35 billion by 2029, with an expected growth of 11.1% set to unfold over the next few years. Still, 2025 has made matcha green into a global phenomenon that inspires and influences people far beyond the walls of coffee shops.
Gen-Z's leading role in the rise of this matcha mania "coincides with the social media boom of matcha-related content," the staff at Japan House London tells me. Inspirational lifestyle reels and carousel posts that center the beverage's electric hue, as captured in matcha-imbued desserts or see-through cups, are undoubtedly behind its abrupt advance. As the popularity of its gastronomic uses and that of the earthy, biophilic interiors of the best cafes in London and beyond selling it continues to grow, a question arises: health benefits aside, what else makes the emerald green beverage so wildly covetable in people's eyes? Could its sudden omnipresence be explained by design?
Meditative and Design-Worthy — Why Matcha Is More Than Just a Drink
With matcha, "we talk about a lifestyle focused on the pursuit of a more balanced life. This is reflected in the interiors through natural materials that translate this language of well-being," says Studio Guilherme Garcia founder Guilherme Garcia, the mind behind the design of Florianópolis's Green Blood Matcha.
"I got into matcha a few years ago, a little before it became the full matchalabubudubaichocolate phenomenon it is now, and mostly, I'd say, because of design," Livingetc's editor Hugh Metcalf tells me. "My connection to it came from my love of Japanese ceramics and my interest in the philosophy of wabi sabi, not from pastel-painted matcha bars, wavy front logos, and takeaway cups." While appreciating the slowness that goes into well-made matcha — or that, unlike coffee, its preparation is still "inherently manual and human" — he admits that the main reason for buying his first-ever matcha set was that it comprised "objectively stunning objects". Home wellness writer Amiya Baratan, a long-term matcha devotee, shares his same style-driven motive for consuming the drink. Unsubdued by milk, she explains, "it retains its punchy, statement green, turning every morning, afternoon, and evening into a design moment, which it now is."
The majority of the matcha references present online (largely, pictures of friends styling it as the coolest of accessories while sitting at design-forward, minimalist cafes, bookshops, and bars) make it clear: if, in the past, the beverage was prevalently rooted in ritual, a feature most of its drinkers still praise as one of their favorite aspects about it, today, the advent of matcha in the Western world is directly linked to — and maybe, even justified by — the feed-worthy spaces one enjoys it in. "Blame the digital detoxification tied to it, but for many of us, matcha is where we go for a sweet, calm moment that feels like 'touching grass,'" Amiya laughs. "When you make it at home, you must weigh, whisk, and whip with care to pour yourself a cup that feels truly restorative: this meditative element is reflected in matcha-inspired destinations, too."
Matcha as an Antidote to the "Sensory Fatigue" of Contemporary Life
Along with the need for an attentively crafted matcha drink, then, another trend seems to emerge: one that sees matcha lovers embrace the environments where they have it as a refuge from the chaoticness of contemporary life. According to Japan House London, teenagers, university students, and young professionals living in big cities — notably the generations most exposed to the negative effects of no-stop internet consumption — are the most loyal of matcha fans, suggesting they might, at least partially, also be embracing it as a coping mechanism.
"There's no denying that matcha's vivid green color and elegant preparation make it magnetic, especially in today's image-driven culture. But more than its catchy looks, it's its deeper meaning that gives it staying power," Elle Liu, founder of THEORÓ, a boutique brand dedicated to heritage Chinese tea traditions and mindful living, tells me. For her, the ongoing matcha craze "is a reflection of what people are craving right now: calm, clarity, and care".
Against the overwhelming backdrop of the world's largest metropolises, from London to LA and New York, where 24-hour crowds, din, and visual stimuli are the norm, and extensive commute journeys weigh on traditional working hours, matcha grants us the opportunity to regain control, acting as a portal into softness, nourishment, and repose. An antidote to the sensory exhaustion of 21st-century routine, matcha, it turns out, is more than just aesthetics — it's a countercultural lifestyle. But how has the beverage managed to reshape the look and feel of modern coffee shops, and why?
80g-worth of cocktail-grade organic matcha from Kagoshima, courtesy of Livingetc editor Hugh Metcalf's go-to tea brand, Avantcha. Because matcha-fueled tonics and spritzes are the next big thing!
And a minimalist, stainless steel spoon to serve and measure your favorite blend of matcha and beyond. Because the ritual lies in the tiniest details.
Inside the Coffee Scene's Matcha-ification
Whether at matcha-specialized chains and independent establishments or more traditional coffee hubs, the influence of the viral drink is everywhere. In London, we have most recently spotted it in the decor of Covent Garden's new Café Kitsuné, the eighth hospitality opening by founders Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki's cult lifestyle label, where a historical red-brick building on Monmouth Street has been revived via spirited artwork by French duo Sacrée Frangine, stainless steel shelving, sculptural lighting, and, needless to say, matcha green walls.
Dotted with quirky, sculptural design finds and characterized by the retro-futuristic feel that has made the brand renowned worldwide, Café Kitsuné treats guests to Uji-sourced matcha drinks, including iced strawberry matcha lattes, and freshly baked pastries imbued with the tea leaf's distinctive, energizing flavor, like the seasonal matcha and raspberry financier. Most importantly, though, it is characterized by a laidback-cool, linear vibe — a sign of how the green tea leaf's soothing power can weave its way into design.
Elsewhere in the British capital, like at Brooklyn-born coffee group Blank Street's freshly unveiled 110 Moorgate location, matcha cafe design gets a 1980s-infused Space Age makeover. Here, sweeping, 'snake' banquette seating, checkered and glass block walling, HAY Rey bar stools, and mid-century modern pendant lights facilitate a poppier, more eccentric, and eye-catching drink experience, one that counters the organic palette of the Japanese beverage with an openly whimsical vision of interiors.
Both addresses capture a sense of escapism; a desire to break with the reality around us. If the former allows guests to retreat into a suspended-in-time dimension, where the present blends into the past, the latter catapults them into a vintage club-like environment, leaning heavily into a cinematic atmosphere centered around nostalgia, entertainment, and fun. When striving to translate matcha's essence into a liveable space, then, even a similar approach can lead to diametrically different results. I wonder: what are the principles, materials, and aspirations creatives hone in on within this niche slice of interior design?
Peek Inside Florianópolis's Sci-Fi Green Blood Matcha
For Brazilian architect Guilherme Garcia, founder of the eponymous studio, "materials, shapes, and architectural design must be in dialogue with the product," he tells me. In conceiving the sci-fi-esque interiors of Florianópolis's Green Blood Matcha flagship, he strived to achieve an aesthetic that reflected the drink's health benefits while simultaneously capturing it as a wider lifestyle. "When we talk about matcha, we talk about a routine focused on the physical and mental care of those seeking a more balanced life," the designer explains, adding that the store's natural monomaterials aim to echo "this same language of well-being".
Informed by Japanese culture and its visual lightness and essentialism, Green Blood Matcha was born to be more than a cafe: it is a house of pause. Plastered almost entirely in white cement, the project strives to create "a clean, sensorial, and intentional experience," Guilherme says. "Clear walls, soft curves, and the subtle presence of green build an environment of breathing space, while natural and diffused lighting enhances this atmosphere, connecting the space to the matcha ritual, which is, above all, an invitation to slow down."
According to the designer, the ultimate goal of a matcha cafe should be to "awaken a sense of self-care — with every detail reminding you of the importance of taking a pause." At Green Blood Matcha, this gave way to a space that encourages visitors to pay attention to their wellbeing, their health, and the present moment.
Behind the Crafting of NYC's Alchemical 12 Matcha
A similar, yet more transitional in style, approach to matcha cafe design is showcased at New York City's two-story 12 Matcha shop, whose charged-with-mystery, almost alchemical understanding of the rituals associated with the coveted green powder is rendered in a space shaped by a sense of awe. "We wanted the interior to echo the qualities of matcha itself: pure, grounding, and alive," Camille Bénard, co-founder of Paris-based studio ciguë, says of the design of the store, situated on 54 Bond St in Manhattan's Noho.
To reference the beverage's restorative properties in the architecture of 12 Matcha, the team opted for a "soft, green-toned clay wall finish that feels almost velvety, like the umami of tea," says the designer. Natural woods that "age gracefully" were chosen to welcome the time of usage, while the monumental, surreal glass vessels used to filter water with Binchotan charcoal "serve as a reminder that what nourishes us most is often elemental and invisible," Camille goes on. If matcha is about fostering an ambiance of focus and calm, then the coffee shops that serve it, he suggests, should be "minimal and sensorial", conveying that narrative through light, texture, and form.
That the setting's distinguishing atmosphere is one of peacefulness doesn't mean contrast didn't have a hand in its decor. "The palette leans toward soft greens, clay, and warm walnut, offset by touches of steel and stone to mirror the balance between tradition and science," explains ciguë's co-founder. To envision 12 Matcha, "we embraced duality from the start," he adds.
"We thought a lot about how filtered light in Japanese tea fields creates intimacy, and tried to bring that into a bustling Manhattan context: subtle, enveloping, but never didactic," ciguë's co-founder Camille Bénard says of the thought process behind 12 Matcha.
To a bright, social, and performative upstairs anchored by a bar counter in enamelled lava stone from Volvic in France, "an open stage for the ritual of tea", follows a lower ground where the mood shifts: here, walnut woodwork, a glazed tasting room, softer light, and a sense of retreat feed into matcha's communal feel, with the painstaking precision and immersiveness of the design "revealing how matcha itself is at once technical and meditative".
Contrary to what its gaudy social media takeover may suggest, matcha "is less about spectacle than presence," Camille concludes. "At 12 Matcha, you feel embraced the moment you enter: the filtered light softens the noise of the city, and the air itself feels balanced. For us, it creates both alertness and serenity, like stepping into an urban sanctuary where you can taste time, craft, and care in every detail."
Who would have thought a drink could reveal so much about what our brains and bodies need?
