We love our coffee and our café culture. On the Balmain Peninsula, we’re blessed with so many great cafés, it’s hard to choose which to visit next. However,for entertaining at home, wouldn’t it be great to be able to serve barista-style coffee to your guests?
Coffee machines at home have captured the imagination of many young professionals ‒ and we don’t mean the ‘cheat’ ones with coffee pods. No, we’re talking about the real deal with grinders for your coffee beans added. In our smaller homes, though, the challenge is where to put your shiny new machine.
In this article, we give you some ideas on how to get started, and finished, with designing and building a coffee bar.
Find a space for your at-home coffee bar
The first step is to work out where you would like your coffee bar to go. This can be tricky, so take your time to really think about it. You need to consider functionality and ensure it won’t get in the way of thoroughfares. Some people choose to repurpose a cupboard near the kitchen, or make use of an awkward corner; others will find a blank wall to set up a butcher’s block or stand-alone unit and shelving.
Tip: Don’t forget that it will need to have a power point nearby (unless you’re okay to get the sparky in to install a new one).
Design your coffee bar
Now the fun part ‒ designing your coffee bar! Let your imagination get to work, coming up with all kinds of cool ways you could display your machine, types of coffees, syrups, cups and other accessories. It’s probably a good idea to keep it similar to your current home design aesthetic, but there’s also no harm in going a little bit ‘extra’ (unless your preference is for minimalism).
One of the first places we’d stop for inspiration is Pinterest ; there are loads of stylish and quirky ways people have designed their at home coffee bar. You could go for the DIY option, upcycle a found piece of furniture, or buy ready-made cabinetry from your favourite homewares store.
Make sure you measure the space accurately so you don’t go too wide or deep, and you’ll also probably want it the same height as a normal kitchen bench so you’re not having to lean over when making your delicious coffee. Will you hang your cups on hooks or pop them away in the cupboard? What kind of shelves would you like on the wall ‒ floating or something more country chic?
Think about how you’ll decorate it too. You could pop up some wallpaper for a fresh statement, have matching jars and bottles for a modern look, or mix it up for a more bohemian finish. If you want a few more gorgeous ideas, Etsy has everything from coffee kitsch to elegant posters and industrial-chic stools.
Tip: Don’t forget about the practical aspects of your design too ‒ like ensuring you can put everything out of sight if that’s what makes you happy, and the coffee bar is easy to clean.
Get building your coffee bar
The final step is setting everything up. Depending on whether you went with pre-made cabinetry or are making it yourself, this part could be sorted in a morning, or take the good part of a weekend. But no matter your choice, it’ll all be worth it in the end.
The ‘measure twice, cut once’ rule is definitely applicable here. Check the height of everything that will be going on your coffee bar so that you leave enough space between the cabinetry and shelving.
Tip: Check that everything is not only easily accessible, but secure too. You don’t want things falling down in the middle of the night, and it’s simpler to fix things as you go rather than realising it isn’t quite right after you’re done.
What next?
How exciting! You now have your very own coffee bar at home to indulge in one of life’s simplest pleasures. However, we know that our at-home coffee machines can’t replace the pleasure of stopping in for a coffee at a local café like Kafeine at 260 Darling St, Bertoni at 281 Darling St, Hungry Bull at 411 Darling St or Mr. Cafe and Bar at 418 Darling St on your way home from the gym or after an exhausting morning of shopping. Because the one thing we can’t replace in our homes is the buzz of a popular busy café.
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