Charlie Darwin certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to the evolution of humanity. Whilst he strictly meant this in reference to our physical bodies, I think the same concept applies to our social bodies too. How we socially have evolved over time in order to be able to maintain and thrive in the comfortable environments that we have created for ourselves. Whilst more often that not, this applies to our environment, this concept certainly applies to café culture as well.

The humble café has been around for hundreds of years, in its various forms. According to my extensive (or not so extensive) Google searching, the first ever café was actually opened in 1550 in Constantinople, so maybe we are due a bit of an evolution.

Enter a new café concept, the naturally selected, evolved version: the art café.

Now this isn’t a wholly new idea, but there has definitely been a resurgence in these types of cafés, especially in London.

In fact, the capital’s art café repertoire is extensive.

1. The Arty Club

   https://www.artyclub.com/

   This cute little café in Maida Vale, usually offers the opportunity to paint pottery or a canvas, whether for a toddlers birthday, a gals wine night (it’s BYOB), a late night class or just because you fancied it. With the coronavirus pandemic, The Arty Club have also introduced Build Your Own Box, where they post you all the kit you need to paint your own ceramics from home. How cute is that?

2. Pottery Café

   https://pottery-cafe.com/

   With studios in both Fulham and Battersea, the Pottery Café offers a wide range of ceramics to paint whilst you binge on prosecco (BYOB). That said, they also offer classes for children as well. Sadly, both venues are now closed due to coronavirus, but we cannot wait for them to open their doors again, hopefully in the not too distant future.