Do you wish you could have your own coffee bar at home? Over 60% of people in the US are coffee drinkers. I personally do not drink coffee and have never gotten into it. I love the smell of coffee but coming from European-born parents, tea was the drink of choice in my household. So when I asked for a Keurig coffee maker last year, my husband thought I was nuts! “We don’t drink coffee,” he says. “I know,” I tell him, “but when we have guests over I want to be able to make a quick cup and not waste a whole pot of coffee. And Keurig now has so many other flavors other than coffee, like hot cocoa and tea.” Now that we have a Keurig, I realized we needed to create a space for it, so I created a coffee bar area in my kitchen. Maybe in my household it should be called a hot beverage station but you get the idea.
Coffee bar area
If you are one of many Americans who can’t function without coffee in the morning, you probably have a ritual to get you moving. Most Americans had a coffee maker out on the counter top but have since moved up to a Keurig or something similar in your household. In order to avoid looking for all the things you need to make your coffee in the morning, wouldn’t your time be better used if everything was in one place? This is why creating a coffee bar area is a great idea.
Now I’m not saying you need to have a huge coffee bar area because kitchen counters can be a limited commodity in some homes. In fact, you can probably even add a small table in the corner of the kitchen or add a small bar cart to hold everything you need. But once you find a designated area, let’s discuss what general items you need to create your own coffee bar area.
Basics of a coffee bar
To start your own coffee bar, let’s start with the basics. You need a place for the coffee maker whether it’s the old fashioned pot maker or a Keurig. Make sure your area is near an electrical outlet and if you have little kids, keep it out of their reach.
Next, bring the items that make the coffee. If you still use filters, have those handy and the actual coffee beans. Put the bean grinder there too unless you use instant coffee. If you use K-pods, you can stack them in a basket or have them arranged in a swivel K-pod holder.
No coffee bar is set without sugar or some kind of sweetener like honey or other sugar substitutes. Lastly, if you have some favorite coffee mugs put those on display, especially when you have some pretty ones to show off. My favorite mug is a Disney mug but I also have pretty turquoise blue mugs where the color just makes me happy every time I see them.
You can use a tray to corral all these accessories or use a cake stand like I did here. You can also add some artwork around the coffee bar area if you have a bigger corner in your kitchen as shown in the second picture. This little area also makes it easy for friends and family to help themselves to making their own cup o’ joe.
Inspirational ideas
If you truly are at a loss on what to use to create your coffee bar area, take a look at my pinterest board. I had a little fun with this bar cart I found at a local Tuesday Morning store. There are endless possibilities on how to best use this cart. It can hold coffee, a liquor bar, craft supplies, stationary to name just a few.
There are so many ways to create your own coffee bar area. It just depends how much space you really want to dedicate in your house. You don’t have to be a coffee connoisseur. Decorating the space is half the fun and function is what makes it easy to stay with it.
