The next time we’re in LA, we’ll be stopping by one of Maru Coffee‘s two locations. We’ve been following its Instagram account, @marucoffeela, and are intrigued with its minimalist design and attention to detail.
The founders, Joonmo Kim and Jacob Park, who met while working at a coffee shop—naturally—opened Maru’s first location in Los Feliz in 2016. (Maru roughly means “mountaintop” in Korean, a nod to both their shared heritage and to the fact that good coffee beans often come from high altitudes.) After gaining a loyal following of coffee fiends and design aficionados alike, they opened a second, larger location in the Arts District last year.
Kim and Park have no design experience, but with help from YouTube videos, they built all the maple and sycamore furniture themselves. “We both don’t have any design backgrounds, but we were pretty particular about what we liked and didn’t like,” Kim said in an interview. “We’re both Korean, so naturally we were drawn to Korean aesthetics and design. We wanted to create a space that is simple, minimal, with warm vibes.”
Mission accomplished. Let’s take a tour.
Photography via @marucoffeela.
For more LA stores we love, see:
- Shopper’s Diary: Hawkins New York, Now in Los Angeles
- Shopper’s Diary: Lost & Found Home in Los Angeles
- En Soie: A Whimsical Home Goods Company Lands in LA
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