Cafe furniture has long been a place to rest weary feet, and the very concept of a cafe - rather than a restaurant - is often associated with a less formal setting for daytime snacks, perhaps attached to a museum or gallery or other such venue, and typically for a shorter visit than a full evening meal.
But the versatility this brings to cafes is now finding a new lease of life as a way to support town centres as they adapt to 21st century shopping and lifestyle habits.
With the rise of online shopping and out-of-town malls, town centres have been undergoing a transformation for several years, and despite the widely touted 'decline of the high street', many are now finding a new balance of independent retail and service outlets.
Convenience stores are driving the shift in retail types on the high street, with research from Experian showing 153% growth in the number of these shops on British high streets.
But the study, cited by the Department for Communities and Local Government, shows the next biggest growth rate is cafes, at 75% - eclipsing fast food (30%) and restaurants (20%) during the transformation process.
It's a demonstration of how, despite the increase in convenience shopping, a visit to the high street is becoming less about buying essentials, and more about the experience of spending some time in the town centre, in the same way that shopping in an out-of-town mall has become experiential.
Simon Roberts, co-chairman of the Future High Streets Forum, a cross-departmental government working group, said: "High streets and town centres form the heart of many communities. They are what many towns are defined by and provide a focal point for local populations."
The trends show that high streets, far from being in a state of inexorable decline, are adapting and transforming to the wants and needs of modern-day shoppers and local residents, with a new balance of retail and service outlets to cater for those desires.
As a consequence, cafe furniture is being brought into new demand as people stop for coffee, cake and other light snacks over the course of the day, creating new opportunities for owners and managers of these informal and traditionally British eateries.