Starbucks: Familiarity Within the Unfamiliar

For writing and creative work, I prefer a space that is separate from home.

I find motivation in places filled with white noise, spacious seating, and plenty of people. Paradoxically, it is in these crowded environments—where I can remain anonymous among strangers—that I focus best.

So on my days off, after getting ready in the morning, I instinctively leave the house and head somewhere that isn't home. More often than not, that place is Starbucks.

Sometimes I wonder if I should spend more time exploring beautiful independent cafés with unique interiors and distinctive personalities. Yet when I need to get work done, I often end up returning to the same Starbucks and ordering the same drink. There are three reasons for that.

The Stimulation of New Spaces

I love exploring new places.

One of the defining themes of my life in 2025 has been discovering different neighborhoods throughout Seoul. At one point, I even worked briefly as an editor who visited and wrote about interesting spaces.

The best places all seem to share one thing: they carry the energy of their owners. Every piece of furniture, every light fixture, every decorative object reflects someone's taste, experiences, and worldview.

When I first step into such a place, I often spend hours absorbing its atmosphere. I find myself taking photos of every corner, listening closely to the music, or simply sitting quietly with my eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of being there.

Ironically, these same qualities can make it difficult to focus on work. There is simply too much to take in. My attention drifts easily. I want to hear one more song, observe one more detail, and close my laptop just to sit and daydream.

Starbucks sits somewhere between a highly curated independent café and the comfort of home. Whether I walk into one in Seoul, Hong Kong, or elsewhere, I know roughly what kind of experience to expect.

It is not extraordinary, but it is rarely disappointing. Starbucks allows me to skip both the risk of failure and the time required to adapt.

No matter what project I'm working on, I can settle in and focus almost immediately.

Consistent Quality Around the World

I enjoy exploring unfamiliar neighborhoods and countries.

Last year, when I visited Zhuhai, China, for the first time, one of the first places I went was Starbucks. I ordered exactly the same drink I would have ordered in Korea.

A Chinese friend laughed and asked, "You came all the way to Zhuhai. Why would you go to Starbucks instead of somewhere local?"

My answer was simple:

Precisely because I came all the way to Zhuhai.

Whenever I enter a new country or culture, the amount of stimulation increases dramatically. New languages, unfamiliar customs, different sounds, different rhythms of life—they all arrive at once.

If too much enters my awareness too quickly, I become overwhelmed and lose the energy to keep exploring.

So I start with something familiar.

I sit inside Starbucks and allow the new environment to enter gradually, one percent at a time. I observe the people around me. I think about where I might go next. I pay attention to how the city feels.

From a relatively safe and familiar place, I begin my exploration.

Then, once I have gathered enough energy, I step outside again to experience the things that can only be found there.

Interior Design, People, and the Menu

No matter how beautiful a café may be, I rarely feel drawn to enter if it seems completely empty.

After thinking about it, I realized that part of the energy I receive comes not only from the space itself, but also from the people sharing it.

The atmosphere of a place is created collectively by everyone inside it. Simply being among others gives me energy, and that energy becomes fuel that helps me focus on my own work.

Most Starbucks locations are designed in a way that transforms conversation into something closer to white noise than distraction. High ceilings, spacious layouts, wood finishes, and fabric furniture all help soften the soundscape.

And for someone like me, who doesn't tolerate caffeine or dairy particularly well, the availability of decaffeinated coffee and soy milk is an added bonus.

In the end, Starbucks offers something I value deeply: a familiar and reliable system within unfamiliar environments.

Inside that consistency, I have repeatedly found opportunities to concentrate, create, and grow.

That is why I like Starbucks.