Edit Down
The first coffee bar design idea as with most spaces is to edit the number of items you have. Unless your coffee bar has a ton of open shelving and counter space (and maybe even then) I’d consider editing down what you have on your counter top and shelves to what you currently use the most. Some empty/blank space on the counter and shelves is usually more visually appealing. (Plus less to dust) As your tastes and seasons change you will probably want to go back through and edit. It’s an ongoing process.
Also when talking about editing down what is on the counter, I find that it looks better when there is an odd number of items. The first time around I had an even number of bigger items and they read a little busy too. This current bar feels better with an odd number of the bigger more simple items.
This process is important for what you have in your cabinets as well. Although not as obvious the less cluttered your cabinets are the easier it will be to use what you have. Function and form are equally important in my opinion.
Use Vertical Space
An important coffee bar design idea is to utilize vertical space. We started out using our vertical space with the metal drying rack. As you can see we dry our jars here. We use those jars for everything from drinking to food storage. I also recently started using this rack to store our mixer attachments and bowls. I use these often so it is nice to have them so handy. This rack has worked really well here, and I don’t see it moving any time soon.
We ended up changing out the smaller shelf we had for a wider shelf so that we could store more on it. Plus we wanted something a little sturdier. We also wanted to make use of the underside of the shelf so that we could hang our mugs there. I like this also because it better displays our various mugs through the seasons. This cleared up some much needed counter space.
Add Task Lighting
We recently moved a light over our coffee bar and I love it so much. The ambiance is unmatched. I’m surprised we did not do this sooner because I love any excuse to add a light. It’s really practical for early mornings and late evenings when you don’t want all the lights on but you want to make a warm cup of coffee or tea.
Add a Living/Organic Element
I find that our coffee bar always looks better with either a vase of flowers or some sort of plant. I haven’t had the best luck with a plant here, but I will probably try again once I don’t have fresh flowers to cut. It seems to help soften all the hard appliances and square edges of the cabinet.
Whenever I’m playing with decor for a space, and it seems to be missing something this seems to be the key. Adding that life and imperfection rounds out the space.
Upgrade as You Can
I feel like I have to talk about the obvious difference in our coffee bar now, our upgraded espresso maker. We actually ended up replacing our old espresso maker and Keurig with this espresso maker. The coffee was that much better that we knew we weren’t going to use anything else.
Other than the upgrade in flavor I think aethsetically it’s an upgrade as well. There are some really cute coffee makers out there in all price ranges so do what you can with what you have. I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to spend a ton of money to have a beautiful space. If you take anything away from this I hope it is that you can make a beautiful space with what you already have with some creativity and intention.
Coming Up
I have more design tips and ideas here if you are looking for more inspiration. Also we have renovated some rooms in our 100+ year old farmhouse so you can find those here. If you are into diy projects I have a few that you can check out here.
Thank you for visiting our old farmhouse. There will be more design, renovations and diy projects to come so make sure to visit again.