Plush Cafe brings music, tech, design and comfort together.

For SqueezeOC.com website and magazine

When you step into Plush, the colors hit you first: bright white, large swatches of oranges and reds. And then there’s the little spaceman looking on.

The mascot’s name is Cosmo, a creation of Gilbert Wormac, owner of Plush Cafe.

“Cosmo’s a space man,” Wormac said, “because this place is far out.”

Sleek Apple iMacs line the back wall; a rack of comic books and magazines lay between. The menu offers Bawls and boba, soups and sandwiches.

The lounge in back is a tangerine melange of lush seating and glowing lamps. And despite the laid-back vibe, performances on stage get loud and lively.

When there isn’t a DJ or live band playing, XM radio fills the air.

Wormac, 40, of Anaheim, originally envisioned a place for people to hang out and get a little creative.

While working as a graphic designer for the city of Newport Beach in the ’90s, Wormac (or “Gil” to any Plush regular) embraced the rapidly growing Internet and planned out how he could work it into a business.

In the early ’90′s, opening an Internet cafe was a great idea – a way to create a hip, happening spot, he said. By ’97, home computers and Internet access had became ubiquitous.

That didn’t stop Wormac from going forward with his dream.

“Everyone has to get out of the house sometime and they need a neighborhood place to go,” he said.

Plush Design Lab + Cafe opened its doors in May 2002, sporting new Apple computers loaded with all the latest design software, a magazine rack stacked with design, fashion and art mags, a color laser printer and a small conference room for meetings and classes.

But downtown Fullerton changed. Several bars opened up in the area and it began to draw a late-night party crowd. This forced Wormac to rework the design lab.

He removed the meeting room and replaced it with a bar and stage. Open Mic and poetry readings, drowned out by the thumping dance tunes next door, were nixed.

These days, Plush focuses on entertainment. Acoustic performers and rock bands play the stage most nights of the week. DJs spin house music Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Plush Cafe is also expanding its kitchen area to offer a greater hot food selection.

“The environment inside Plush has been affected by the environment outside Plush,” Wormac said.