Elevate Your Home Coffee Bar With These Ideas From Designers (2024)

A great coffee bar has everything you need to make a cup in arm's reach, including fresh water to fill the coffee maker. Eric Olsen put a tap in the coffee station of this sunny California kitchen for ultimate functionality. Situating it in its own designated area away from the main sink and stove also means people can cook and make coffee without being right under each other's feet.

The kitchenette of this Montana bunkhouse by Stephanie Wirth of Leo Designs has everything overnight guests need to caffeinate. Mugs sit on the open shelf, and a coffee maker is in the cabinet. There's even a microwave to warm up your cup if it gets cold.

If you're making coffee for a group or just want your coffee bar to look more organized, keep your espresso cups on a tray like the one seen here in the Delish test kitchen. It makes cups easy to transport, serve, and tuck away when more counter space is required.

The narrow shape of a galley kitchen tends to present some spacial challenges. In this one designed by Catherine Kwong, the decision to ditch upper cabinets in favor of a floating shelf really opened things up. The shelf is just wide enough to set a mug, jar of coffee beans, or bottle of creamer on while preparing your perfect cup.

In Food Network star Molly Yeh's home, each of her favorite mugs has a home on this custom pegboard, an homage to the ones culinary icon Julia Child hung her pots and pans on. When she makes coffee, there's no rummaging through cabinets (or the clean dishwasher) to find the ideal cup. "We feel like this is really the heartbeat of the whole house," Yeh says. "Because every morning it's our ritual to come up to our rainbow of mugs and think, 'What color should I choose today?'"

In this 1940s bungalow, designer Laura Jenkins opted for an open portion of cabinets to house this family's kettle and Chemex. It's situated right next to a butcher block counter that provides plenty of room to measure, pour, and serve to people sitting at the nearby breakfast table.

In this low-key coffee station, a French press sits right next to the mugs for easy access. Its close proximity to the sink is ideal for those mornings when every step feels like a marathon.

In a small kitchen, every shelf counts. So why not add one right over the stove? Now all you need to do to add tea to the kettle is reach up.

Designer Phoebe Howard used color coordination to her advantage in this Palm Beach kitchen, where blue coffee pods that match the color palette sit out proudly on the counter.

Studio Dearborn founder Sarah Robertson opted for glass cabinets over the coffee bar in this storage-focused Nashville kitchen. There's no wondering which door your favorite mug is hiding behind.

Alison Victoria removed the door frame on the small pantry niche in her Chicago home and transformed it into a coffee bar with extra storage. The house is long and narrow, so it was important to open it up in as many places as possible, the designer explained. She worked with Hammer Design to create a carved molding archway, incorporating corbels sourced from the Paris flea market to give the angular space a more unique character.

Gideon Mendelson made the coffee bar in this Westchester County, New York, home stand out by choosing an espresso-inspired countertop to contrast with the lighter one on the island. Hooks directly under the top cabinets hold mugs, while the counter has ample space for small appliances and a bar sink.

Glass and ceramic mugs and an espresso machine are hidden inside a stove-side cabinet in this Florida home. Nicole White opted for a shallower depth so that there's still some countertop in front of the cabinets. That small space makes prep and clean up so much easier.

Scotch and coffee, the homeowners' drinks of choice, were what they had on their minds when they hired Melanie Millner to revamp their Atlanta home. They're cool and sophisticated, but the couple also really wanted their home to be a place where they could relax and enjoy their favorite beverages. Hence this tricked-out coffee bar, located right by the kitchen island. The custom enclosure was built to slide between the wall and cabinet so that it can look great open or closed. It's painted in the same blue paint color as the rest of the kitchen, Sea Serpent from Benjamin Moore, for a cohesive look.

Heidi Lachapelle's primary objective in revamping this New Hampshire farmhouse was to meld the occupants' contemporary taste with the original structure. Because the kitchen is open to the living space, they decided to put the coffee bar just around the bend from the entry. It leaves more room for other cooking essentials in the main kitchen area and offers a taste of what’s to come when you first enter the home. "They call it the coffee shrine," Lachappelle says. "Our clients have important morning coffee rituals."

Amanda Greaves carved out a pantry behind the kitchen in this Massachusetts party barn for extra storage and to keep breakfast items. The coffee supplies are conveniently located right by the window to elevate the morning ritual. "We turned the horizontal beams of the structure into shelves by inserting rods as rails," she says. "Given the rustic nature of the building, the clients wanted a durable, simple, and natural material," and to get function out of every nook and cranny.

Breegan Jane set up a mini bar area with a True glass door under-counter refrigerator to make hosting easier. When throwing parties or entertaining a few guests, she encourages them to pick and choose their own drinks. The glass enclosure makes it easier for them to help themselves and really make themselves at home, so it's a win-win for everybody.

All the small appliances and coffee equipment are tucked behind custom cabinetry in the walk-in pantry of this San Francisco home designed by Regan Baker. The appliance garage is conveniently located right by the coffee station so it's easy to pull breakfast together even on a busy morning.

This fancy-pants New Jersey kitchen is not messing around when it comes to making a high-quality morning cup of coffee. Designer Birgitte Pearce selected gorgeous surface materials to elevate the everyday routine. From the warm shade of red paint to the glossy espresso tiles, beige grasscloth wallpaper on the ceiling, brass hardware, and refurbished period details, this home coffee bar is beyond special.

The kitchen of this Montclair, New Jersey, home didn't have space for drinkware, bar goods, coffee essentials, and appliances, so Beth Diana Smith wheeled them into the dining room on a bar cart. It works, since that's where they enjoy their drinks anyhow, and the art and mirror make the setup look intentional. "They don't like a lot of color at one time, but the wife likes funky elements," Smith says of the combination of bold Etsy finds and eye-catching originals.