How to Design A Juice Bar With Zero Experience | Lazy Haus Project

Updated: Jun 24

It all started in a small coastal town Pula, Croatia. In a search for a cute space with a good location, we found this tiny shop for rent with nothing but white walls and breathtaking views on the Arena. It was love at first sight - an empty sheet to write a brand new chapter. The initial idea was to have a coastal feel with lots of greenery.

How we designed and completed a small juice bar on a budget. Our story...

1. The Vision

Interior design rough sketch of the juice bar and the view on the Arena, though the large window

The Rough Sketch

Looking back, I find it almost ridiculous how bravely we entered the whole project not knowing the town, without having any contacts, or where to find good shops for all the material, a handyman, accountant. Pretty much nothing. All we had at that point was a vision and a brief sketch I drew on a piece of paper. But you gotta start somewhere, right?

Even the name was a joke between my husband, and I. Lazy Haus sounded fun, memorable, and I'm sure many people thought we misspelt word 'Haus' :) which is actually house in German. The 'Lazy' bit just felt right for a holiday destination like Pula, where everything and everyone is super laid-back and relaxed. That's something we got used to quickly. :)

2. Finding the right handyman

After doing the research, quickly, I realised - finding the right person is easier said than done. After roaming through several paper adverts, I started asking random builders I met literally in the middle of their construction job. Asking if the team leader would be able to come and take a look at my shop. In the end, I had a few people coming over to take a look, do some necessary measuring and provide a rough quote.

The way I approach any work - beyond the price, for me, it is fundamental to find someone who I feel I could trust, who understands the vision and the design, someone who is not trying to change the design without explaining the technical reasoning behind it. Since it was my very first project, I needed someone with patience and attention to details. I am so grateful I met a gentleman called Dario, who was everything I was looking for. He literally did everything as I imagined if not even better!

3. Building material

It really depends on the budget and what are your priorities. For us, money-saving bits was the counter, shelving and the mini kitchen. For example - instead of spending money on distressed looking wood, I found this gorgeous inexpensive wallpaper for the bar. Instead, I invested more in the actual equipment like a good fridge, freezer, juicer, coffee machine, etc. P.S. Bauhaus is a great place when it comes to pretty much everything, from start to finish.

4. The layout

Dealing with a tiny space (less than 20 m2 in our case) was challenging enough, and it meant we really had to think about every centimetre and measure at least twice. Things to consider - having enough space for the customer to walk in and feel comfortable without compromising on the much-needed working corner. For a room to feel airy and visually bigger choosing brighter colours is always the right choice. Also, adding a mirror where possible is a perfect way to trick the eye of thinking there is an additional space beyond the wall.

5. Coastal vibes decorating

For me, decorating is probably the most therapeutic and exciting thing ever! In our case, Bauhaus was a perfect choice when it comes to finding some adorable decor and plants. Jysk is also an excellent place to find decorative bits. There are probably a few other interesting shops, but we were on a tight schedule, and the big shop like Bauhaus is definitely a time saver.

To summarise.

I'll be honest with you, there were some challenging points when it comes to finding things online and in general just doing a project in a foreign country where we just moved to. But as it turns out when you put your mind to it and truly invest yourself, anything is possible. I was so happy with the very first project we built from scratch with zero experience and lots of love and enthusiasm. If I can do it, you can too! 😊

Hope you like how it all turned out: