Coffee is a central component of my daily routine. I’m off-kilter if I don’t have at least half a cup of coffee in the morning. When I’m entertaining, especially during family celebrations and the Holiday season, coffee and a festive home coffee station are also a key consideration. So my recent decision to set-up a home coffee bar in my kitchen was a no-brainer.
While there are some really gorgeous coffee bars out there, we needed to be practical for a number of reasons. The key reason is that we have little hands that like to grab things. So my beautiful coffee cups are usually put safely away.
The second reason why I opted for a simple is that I have little counter space to work with to create a coffee bar. Most likely, you may not have much room either!
Finally, I needed to be close to a source of hot water for my pour-over carafe.
The good news is that this method won’t take up too much space and will be easy to implement in your own home. My Holiday Gift to you is this idea for a gorgeous but simple coffee station.
Disclosure: Product samples for this coffee bar were provided by Melitta Canada. No other compensation was provided. All opinions below are based on my experience. For more information please read my Disclaimer.
How To Set-up A Simple, Festive Home Coffee Bar
First things first – always have high-quality ground coffee. It all starts with this. If you don’t have good coffee on hand, you’re cheapening the experience with your coffee station.
I remember so many times when my parents invited family and friends over for the traditional “kawa i ciasto” get-togethers. It’s something that Polish people like to do instead of formal dinners. Invite friends over for coffee and cake or desserts. My mom always used the best ground coffee she could get and her coffee percolator. The coffee she made, always smelled and tasted delicious – like anything you’d get from a find-dining restaurant.
So we’ve established, great-tasting, high-quality coffee is always a must to set up a home coffee bar. We like the Melitta brand because it always has fresh coffee beans that grind up nicely (love the 100% Colombian). You can also get ground coffee from Melitta – like the Euro Ground Coffee (medium dark roast) that saves you some time.
Now that we’ve established the need for quality coffee, let’s look at the elements of a beautiful, simple coffee bar.
| Related: How To Master Using A Pour-Over Coffee Brewer And Make Restaurant Coffee In A Few Minutes
1 // Choose The Right Spot For Your Home Coffee Station
For many, including us, the kitchen makes the most sense for a coffee station. It’s close to the sink for accidental spills or need to rinse anything out.
However, you can use a flat space such as a cupboard or sturdy shelf in your living room or other space where you entertain or enjoy quiet time with a cup of coffee.
Think of it as a bar or bar cart, but in this case, it’s for coffee, not alcoholic drinks.
2 // Set Up The Caffeine & Equipment
Now you need to set-up your home coffee bar with the key essentials: the coffee and the equipment.
If you’ve got a coffee machine, that’s great for big batches of coffee. But for everyday, quick solo cups of coffee or when you’re entertaining a friend or two, you can easily opt for a space-saving pour-over coffee maker.
This type of carafe doesn’t take up too much space and looks gorgeous. The Melitta brand kindly sent us one of their pour-over carafes, and it looks perfect in my little coffee bar area. Not to mention, it’s super easy to use!
Whether I’m entertaining or doing my daily morning coffee routine, I always like to have my freshly ground coffee stored in a labeled canister. These kinds of containers are easily found in most stories – even in dollar stores. Look for one that has a snap lid that helps seal the coffee in.
I’ll grind my coffee every few days with my electric coffee grinder. Since nobody wants to hear or see the unsightly coffee grinder at my home coffee station it gets put away.
3 // Add The Necessary Extras
What goes with coffee? All the lovely extras such as:
- coffee syrups if you like using them
- six to eight decorative mugs and matching spoons
- a good quality milk frother and pitcher (if you like cappuccinos)
- sugar bowl and creamer
- garnishes (cocoa, cinnamon, chocolate shavings)
These make the coffee-making experience a lovely ritual and can be part of your home coffee station.
One more tip: have filters within hand’s reach if you’re using a coffee machine or pour-over carafe. These can be stored in a fancy tin that you can label.
3// Personalize It
Wherever you decide to set-up your home coffee station, give it your own touches when it comes to decor and style. I added a silver tray to store all items in one spot – and to keep my counter as clean as possible.
Whatever the season, you can add some decorations and nummy treats to your coffee bar.
- For the Holiday season: add a few Christmas decorations and cookies.
- For Spring: decorate with a bowl of colourul chocolate eggs in a bowl, sprigs of fresh Spring flowers (hyacinths, daffodils) or a small arrangement of fake spring blossom branches you can get a Michaels. Serve with fresh, dainty cookies.
- Summer coffee station must-haves: when entertaining, give the option of creating an iced coffee with a bowl of ice-cubes.
- Fall coffee bars are not complete without something pumpkin-spiced. I love adding pumpkin-spiced muffins on a plate.
4 // Use It!
Once you’ve set up a simple coffee bar at home, you’re ready to entertain friends with coffee and desserts!
A nice-looking coffee bar is inviting, visually appealing and makes it super easy for guests to feel free to make their own coffee.
Take the experience one step further by learning the art of creating artistic cappuccinos to impress them.
Easy Coffee Station Set-up
There you go! A simple four-step method to set-up a home coffee bar for entertaining and everyday use.
Another key tip to consider: place your coffee bar near your kettle is you’re using a pour-over carafe or French press. This makes it so much quicker to pour hot water and make a fresh cup of coffee.
| Related: How To Set A Formal Dining Table & Fine Dining Etiquette
QUESTION: What are your home coffee bar must-haves?
6 Comments
Thanks for the coffee bar inspiration. I’ll be using your tips to create a coffee bar. My theme will be Canadiana – western Canada cabin theme!
I love your blog!
Brenda
Calgary
Brenda – thank you! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I’m sure it will look amazing! I
Cute post thanks!
Glad you like it!
This post is so cute!! I love the at home coffee bar idea. Coffee is so incredibly important lol I don’t understand how people can go without it.
Me neither. I also don’t know how people can go out every morning to spend over $5 on something they can make at home. The convenience is a good excuse, but you can make FABULOUS brewed coffee in a matter of minutes for a fraction of the cost. :)