Ice cream shop design starts with the display case, not the decoration. The case decides where guests stop, where the queue forms, how much power and ventilation the room needs and what the shop looks like from the street, so it has to be placed before any finish is chosen. UNFORMALDESIGN is a Bangkok-based interior design and architecture studio, led by Italian architect Alessio Carta, that designs cafés, restaurants, bars and hotels across Thailand. At La Dolce Vita, Gelato & Caffè, a 90 square metre gelato and coffee spot in Bangkok completed in 2025, the studio built the brand into the room instead of onto a sign. This article covers the technical side of a small gelato shop and the one design move that carries the identity.
Why is the display case the first decision in ice cream shop design?
The display case is the product, the menu and the shop window at the same time. It must be visible from the door, reachable without crossing the seating, and placed where heat and sunlight will not fight the refrigeration. Every other element of a small gelato shop is arranged around it.
Gelato and ice cream are not held at the same temperature, and the case has to match the product. Gelato contains less fat and less air than industrial ice cream, so it is served warmer to stay soft.
| Gelato | Ice cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Fat content | about 4 to 8 percent | about 10 to 16 percent (the US FDA minimum for ice cream is 10 percent milkfat) |
| Overrun (air whipped in) | about 20 to 35 percent | about 50 to 100 percent or more |
| Display and serving temperature | about minus 11 to minus 14°C | about minus 14 to minus 20°C |
| What happens if served too cold | icy, hard to scoop, flavour muted | hard, but the extra fat keeps it creamy |
A case specified for ice cream at minus 18°C will make good gelato taste icy. The brief to the equipment supplier should name the product and the holding temperature before the counter is drawn around it.
What does a gelato display case need in a Bangkok shop?
A gelato case in Bangkok needs to be rated for the room it will actually stand in. Refrigerated display cabinets are tested under ISO 23953 at set climate classes, and a cabinet rated only for class 3, 25°C at 60 percent humidity, is designed for a fully air-conditioned room.
Bangkok streets run hot and humid most of the year, and a small shop with a door that opens straight onto the pavement rarely holds 25°C near the entrance. Class 4 is tested at 30°C and 55 percent humidity and is the safer specification for a case near the door or a sunny glass front. Condensation on the glass is the first sign that a case is working outside its class, and it is also the first thing a guest sees.
Three planning rules follow from that:
1. Keep the case out of direct sun. A west facing glass front in the afternoon adds heat load and makes the gelato look tired. 2. Give the machine room to breathe. Self-contained cases reject heat into the room, so the counter joinery needs ventilation openings and a dedicated power circuit, drawn before the joinery is detailed. 3. Plan the queue in front of the case, not across the seating. Guests choose slowly at a gelato counter, often for longer than at a coffee bar, and a queue that blocks the tables makes a small room feel crowded.
How do you give a small café a brand without printing a logo?
A small café carries its brand best through one strong object that guests remember and photograph, with everything else in the room supporting it. In 90 square metres there is no floor area to stay neutral and rarely the budget to make every surface a statement, so concentrating the identity in one place solves both problems.
At La Dolce Vita, nobody had to print a logo: a red vintage Vespa, built into the interior, does that job. The brief was easy to say and hard to deliver, a café that feels like a home away from home. UNFORMALDESIGN answered it with “Retro Modern”, borrowing from the Italian black-and-white films of the Sixties, and a supporting layer of vintage furniture and props, handcrafted pieces and hand-painted wall decoration. Guests do not read the brand story at La Dolce Vita. They sit inside it.
| Layer at La Dolce Vita | What it does in a 90 sqm room |
|---|---|
| Red vintage Vespa, built in | the anchor: the image guests carry out of the door and share |
| Retro Modern reference, 1960s Italian cinema | one clear period, so every choice has a rule to follow |
| Vintage furniture and props | supports the period without competing with the anchor |
| Handcrafted pieces and hand-painted wall decoration | original craft instead of printed decor |
The anchor works only if it can be seen from the entrance and has space around it. Placed behind seating or next to the service counter, the same object becomes clutter.
What this article does not cover
This article covers the front of house of a small gelato shop. It does not cover the gelato laboratory, food safety licensing or refrigeration engineering, which need the equipment supplier and the relevant permits. The temperature and fat ranges above are typical values from gelato and equipment suppliers and vary by recipe. Google Ads Keyword Planner data pulled on 5 October 2026 shows about 1,300 monthly searches worldwide for “ice cream shop design”, 1,000 for “ice cream shop interior design” and 1,900 for “small cafe interior design”.
Working with UNFORMALDESIGN
For gelato shops, cafés, restaurants and bars in Bangkok, on Koh Samui, in Phuket and elsewhere in Thailand, the first meeting is the right time to place the display case and choose the one object that will carry the brand. Contact UNFORMALDESIGN at alessio@unformaldesign.com or on WhatsApp at +66 97 112 3561.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important element in ice cream shop design? The display case is the most important element, because it is the product, the menu and the shop window at once. It has to be visible from the door, reachable without crossing the seating, kept out of direct sun and given ventilation and its own power circuit. The rest of the layout is planned around it.
What temperature should a gelato display case be? A gelato display case is usually held at about minus 11 to minus 14°C, warmer than ice cream at minus 14 to minus 20°C. Gelato has less fat and less air, so at ice cream temperatures it becomes icy and hard to scoop. The exact setting depends on the recipe and the supplier’s guidance.
What climate class should a display freezer have in Bangkok? A cabinet rated only for ISO 23953 climate class 3, 25°C at 60 percent humidity, is meant for a fully air-conditioned room. In a Bangkok shop where the case stands near a street door or a sunny glass front, climate class 4, tested at 30°C and 55 percent humidity, is the safer specification.
How do you design a small café with a strong brand identity? Concentrate the identity in one memorable object that is visible from the entrance, choose one clear reference such as a period or a place, and let furniture, craft and wall finishes support it. At La Dolce Vita in Bangkok, a red vintage Vespa built into the interior does the work of a logo.
Does UNFORMALDESIGN design cafés and gelato shops in Thailand? Yes. UNFORMALDESIGN is based in Bangkok and designs cafés, restaurants, bars and hotels across Thailand, from La Dolce Vita, a 90 square metre gelato café in Bangkok, to Warehouse Wine & Dine, a 1,000 square metre restaurant in Phuket, and Socialtel on Koh Samui. Contact alessio@unformaldesign.com.
The takeaway
Good ice cream shop design puts the display case first and the decoration second: the right temperature, the right climate rating and a clear route for the queue. Then one strong object carries the brand, the way a red Vespa does at La Dolce Vita in Bangkok.
Internal links: /projectes/la-dolce-vita-gelato-caffe/ (La Dolce Vita project) · /restaurant-interior-design-bangkok/ (restaurant interior design in Bangkok) · /interior-design-koh-samui/ (interior design on Koh Samui) · /projects/ (projects)
