Alleyway Cafés / Turning a Corner Only After Renting the Shop: A Duo of Design and Coffee

By Lai Yan-ru

When the hustle and bustle of the main roads gets tiring, turn into a quiet alleyway; you’ll find small bookstores, general stores, and delightful cafés and teahouses... The idol drama “Big Red Riding Hood and Little Wolf” produced by Dreamland Productions collaborated with 15 Taipei alleyway shops for a “Big Red Riding Hood Visits the Neighbors” promotional campaign. Each shop has its own charm, well worth exploring.


▲ La design café, nestled in the alleys of Taipei’s Yongkang Street, is exquisitely designed. (Photo / Provided by La design café)

Nestled in the alleys of Taipei’s Yongkang Street, La design café is an exquisite spot run by designer Victor and jewelry designer Calvin. Both their professions revolve around “creativity,” so it’s no surprise they’ve infused plenty of ingenuity into the place. They revealed that they had never even planned to open a café — “We only decided to take a detour on the very day we signed the lease!”

“We originally just wanted to find a nice place to use as a studio, but when we saw the four-story breadfruit tree next to the shop and the spacious little park nearby, we immediately decided to create a coffee space within a corner of the studio,” Victor laughed. Both are big fans of the cozy courtyard cafés in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, but such places are hard to come by in Taiwan. Since they got lucky with this spot, they thought they’d make the most of it. Victor carefully landscaped the courtyard to offer guests the comfort of an open space.


▲ Working in an environment like this would surely boost your productivity. (Photo / Provided by La design café)


▲ A relaxed vibe that feels like your own living room. (Photo / Provided by La design café)

“This shop fully reflects our aesthetic taste and lifestyle attitude.” All the furniture in La design café was personally selected by the duo during trips abroad. The styles range from European to Shanghai-style and Indian, mixed together playfully yet still maintaining a harmonious beauty. But perhaps because Taiwanese people rarely encounter designer furniture, Victor revealed that the shop’s most expensive French steel-framed chair wasn’t sat on until half a year after opening. “We also want to use various designer pieces to give guests different spatial experiences.”

All the food and beverages at La design café were personally designed by the duo. Calvin said that one male customer came in for seven consecutive days and ordered the handmade cheesecake every time, until he finally persuaded him not to eat it so frequently — proof that La design café is not only beautiful in its spatial design but also highly appealing in its food offerings.


▲ The café’s mix-and-match style is deeply aesthetic. (Photo / Provided by La design café)

“The happiest thing about opening this shop has been meeting many friends who share our taste.” Victor, who during the interview remained attentive to the needs of customers, has said this more than once. There may be no definitive answer to what constitutes good design or beauty, but Victor and Calvin sincerely use La design café to showcase their views and commitment to aesthetics.

【La design café】
Phone: 02-23968826
Address: No. 13, Lane 9, Lishui Street, Da’an District, Taipei City 106