Starbucks changing the way it's stores look?

So you can be in a more relaxing environs when you stop by to get a big shot of amphetamines. Love it.

Starbucks is giving its coffee shops a makeover. Here's what to expect

Over 1,000 locations will get a new look by the end of 2026, in hopes that customers will make it their 'third space' – and order more.

By Chris Morris, Quartz Media

Updated Friday 10:51 AM

Months after Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced the coffee chain wanted to reclaim its place as customers' "third space," the company has unveiled its renovation plans.

More than 1,000 Starbucks locations will undergo a makeover by the end of 2026. The company says its aiming for a welcoming environment "where people want to gather. … Think of it as a living room outside your home."

A handful of existing Starbucks, including locations in New York City and Southern California, have already been remade. Now the company is ready to embark on a much wider refurbishment, which will cost approximately $150,000 per store.

Starbucks says it's not aiming for a universal design. Instead, it's more focused on making them a place that (paying) guests want to linger. Guests, however, can broadly expect more wood paneling and gentler lighting.

"We sat in each store and asked ourselves, ‘What could we keep? What’s great about this? What’s the history of this place? What is this community like?’" said Dawn Clark, Starbucks senior vice president of coffeehouse design and concepts, in a statement. "At that point it felt like we had a whole new approach to design, which was much more rooted in our heritage and will create an experience that is more richly sensorial."

The renovation is part of a push to bring back customers who have opted for other coffee options, as sales have fallen over the past year, with six consecutive quarters of same-store sales declines.

To lure those customers back, the company has rolled out a series of changes that bring back policies and habits that haven’t been seen since before the pandemic. Workers now once again hand write customers’ names on the cups with a Sharpie and the chain is offering free refills on some “for here” orders, a perk that was previously restricted to its loyalty-program members.

Milk and sugar stations are making a return as well, which will not only let people prepare their coffee just how they want it, but will lighten the load for baristas and should result in quicker turnaround times for getting your drink.