Stop and smell the coffee beans at Bluma, outside Buenos Aires

A welcoming third place with versatile indoor-outdoor space will always be well received, and here in residential Belén de Escobar, on the edge of bustling Buenos Aires, Café Bluma has become an instant classic. A 21st-century speciality café in a midcentury package, Bluma favours clean, horizontal geometries accessorised by tropical greens and pure Latin American sunshine. A product of the local all-female practice Muro Studio, it takes the template of a 1950s American diner and injects a fresh modernity.

A grid-like motif informs the tiling, textured brickwork and the open shelving that runs behind the bar and through the dining room. Wood seating is smooth and ergonomic, reflecting the finest South American designs of the 20th century. They pull up to new wood-topped tables that nevertheless recall the forms of their midcentury Formica predecessors. A small waiting area opposite the service counter in the foyer is homely rather than clinical.

Accents in a verdigris green steal the show. The colour frames the facade on a customised cantilevered awning and frames the glass entryway, complementing the deeper green tilework and ubiquitous flora. Two large glazed panels flanking the entrance pivot to open fully — one to create a cross-breeze, the other to form a pass-through hatch for serving customers waiting out front.

Tubular pendant lights support the darker spaces, while long cylindrical strips illuminate the green-tiled counter, echoing old-style neon without the glare. The feeling is bright and casual, a place to stop and smell the freshly ground coffee beans.

Mitre 478, B1625 Belén de Escobar, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina