You Can’t Have A DIY Coffee Station Without These 7 things!

 

 

Are you a coffee lover? Here are the 7 things you’ll need to create your very own DIY coffee station in your home.

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This post has been sitting in my drafts for almost a year.

No kidding.

But 2020 was a YEAR almost everything got put on hold, so trust me, I’m not beating myself up about this one. I had a LOT going on (the biggest of all trying to survive a pandemic) , and this post just didn’t make the priority list ( bizarrely making home made play-dough with my son, actually MADE that list!)

2020 was also the year my Caffeine intake  drastically increased. I mean I had always known that I was one of the people who needed a first morning coffee to kick start my day , but I was unprepared for how addicted I would become to it last year.

Me, coffee addict? Bite your tongue.

My daily routine went kind of like this . . .

A start the day ‘to get me out of bed’  Coffee.

A ‘before home schooling starts’ Coffee

A ‘Get me through home schooling feeling sane’ Coffee

‘I’m super stressed about the news right now’ Coffee (a bit crazy considering caffeine really hikes up the anxiety) 

‘ I Can’t be bothered to cook’ Coffee

‘When is this quarantine/lock down going to end’ Coffee?

 

 

You get the picture, right?

I’m not suggesting it was terribly healthy, (and yes I’ve cut down massively this year), but coffee did help . . . in a lot of ways.

So of course it made complete sense at the time to create a dedicated space for me to display and store my coffee machine and its accessories.

A DIY coffee station of sorts.

 

 

Amongst other things, creating this coffee station gave me something to focus on, and made use of an otherwise unused wall in my dining room.

When I shared this on my Instagram, I got asked a lot of questions about how I created this wooden feature wall, the products and my tips for creating a DIY coffee station at home, hence I thought writing  this post would be useful .

I’ve titled it ‘You can’t have a coffee station without these 7 things,’ because it’s catchy and I like it. Ha! 

Disclosure : Some items in this post were gifted to me by Not on the High Street as part of an Instagram collaboration. However this blog post is not part of that paid collaboration. Please see source list at the end of this post for further clarification. This post also contains affiliate links for your convenience, see full disclosure here

 

 

1. An empty corner, surface or wall

I chose a small alcove in my dining room just behind the doors. My dining room has had many changes and additions over the years, and I’m fine with that! I love the idea that our space is evolving and meeting our needs as they change in real-time. You can see some of the other additions I’ve made to this space here, and here.

If you don’t have floor space, then clear off a surface (maybe in the kitchen), or an an existing cabinet and use that!

I like this counter top  Coffee bar idea by Jen Woodhouse !

 

Image via Jen Woodhouse Blog  

 

Abby from Just a girl and her blog, created a coffee station in her kitchen cabinet.

Image via Just a girl and her blog

 

I’ve also seen people use bar carts as coffee stations which I think is pretty clever in terms of functionality and mobility around the house. Check out this one below .

 

Image via The Merry Thought Blog 

 

 

2. A feature wall.

I created a wooden feature wall for my coffee station  in a very similar way to how I created the one in my living room. Except this one was vertical.

 

 

I cut wooden slats (Sawn Kiln Dried Timber 19mm x 32mmmX 1-8m ) to size with a saw and nailed them (make sure your nails are at least a couple centimetres longer than your wood depth)  directly into the wall, leaving a 4.5 cm gap between each slat (see here for my recommended DIY tools). You can also use liquid glue if you wanted something a little more permanent. I rent so, nails holes seemed easier to fix should I ever leave this property.

 

 

Another beautiful and useful option would be to create a chalkboard wall. You could add a fun menu or price list (just for fun).

Temporary wallpaper is another fun option. You could go bold, graphic, monochrome, or colourful.

I also love the idea of creating a faux tile feature wall. It could be reminiscent of a spa experience or a holiday in Morocco – just brilliant if you’re looking to add a relaxing touch to your space.

 

3. A decent coffee machine.

Your coffee machine is something you should choose with your needs in mind. If you work from home, you probably won’t need something that comes with a travel mug. Likewise, if you are a single occupant, you may not need something with a large carafe.

Here are some things to consider. . .
– How much coffee do you drink on an average day?
– Do you prefer coffee pods or a filter basket?
– Do you enjoy something that can rival a coffee house beverage or are you more traditional?
– What features would you love? Some models come with milk frothers, or have the ability to make cappuccinos and espresso drinks (like the Nespresso range). Is that something you would use?
– What features are not a necessity?

I have a Dolce Gusto Nescafé machine which I’ve had for 3 years ( and I now also own a Nespresso Vertuo) and love it.

 

 

The Spruce Eats has a round-up of some of the best coffee machines for 2021. Some of my favourites are the Keurig, Nespresso Vertuo , and the De’Longhi for overall ratings. Both tend to be workhorses in the kitchen and would be a lovely addition to your DIY coffee station.

4. Plenty of storage

Storage is key in any space, especially so if you plan on keeping things tidy and ready to use. I added a wire basket* shelf to hold a canister of tea, extra mugs, and some greenery (see here for places that I like to buy indoor plants from) .

 

 

I chose black cup hooks for mugs. I found a beautiful basket for my pods – even if you don’t have a pod machine, it’s important to keep things like filters, coffee, and a coffee scoop nearby. A basket is a perfect choice.

 

 

The bright yellow cabinet also has storage, which I find helps me hide away the less attractive items, while keeping them at the ready if someone should pop by for a cuppa. That was a joke by the way. No one pops by anymore.

 

 

5. A bin/recycle bin to keep your DIY coffee station tidy.

How do you keep things tidy when this is a space you’ll use several times per day?

To keep used pods from taking over the top of the cabinet, I added a collapsible self-adhesive recycle bin to the inside of the coffee station cabinet.  You can find a similar one here. This is essential if your coffee machine uses coffee pods, but it’s a wonderful addition for quick clean-ups no matter what machine you choose.

 

 

A lot of the coffee brands have their own recycle plans, i.e Nespresso for example has recycle  drop off points and a collection service to collect and recycle used coffee pods. You can also reuse coffee pods with this handy kit here. 

 

 

6. Art to personalise the space

I chose to keep the art somewhat simple, but whimsical. The feature wall adds so much to the space already, and I didn’t want to take away from that.

The coffee cup print is bold, but not too busy. It grounds the space and adds a place for your eye to rest. The ‘Oh Yeah!’ neon sign* is good fun (and how I feel about my morning coffee some days)! “Mocha” and “Latte” were created with small letters I had on hand.

 

7. Coffee accessories to display

You might find yourself wanting to hide away the usual bits and bobs you use for making your coffee, but before you invest in bins to do that, take a good look at some of those accessories that can also be displayed as decor. I chose to keep out the pretty bottles of coffee syrup. It gives the space a vintage feel and they’re easy to access.

If you have pretty canisters for tea or coffee, pretty mugs, or a vintage copper scoop on hand, keep those on top of your DIY coffee station. Functional can also be beautiful. Use what you have.

 

 

I’m really pleased with how my DIY coffee station turned out. It’s nice to have a spot to stop and chat with my husband during our busy work from home days. It’s given a purpose to previously unused space and now that we’re back in lockdown, it’s given us a little bit of the cafe feel at home.

Have you ever attempted creating a DIY coffee station of your own before? Let me know in the comments below

 

 

 

Here are some of the sources for products used in my DIY coffee station . .  just in case something caught your eye!

• YELLOW TWO DOOR CABINET 
• DOLCE GUSTO NESCAFE MACHINE 
• GREY TEA CANISTER (GIFTED)
• MINI BOTTLES OF COFFEE SYRUP 
• SELF ADHESIVE BIN
• ESPRESSO CUPS – SIMILAR HERE 
• COFFEE CUP PRINT
• NEON LIGHT – SIMILAR HERE 
• WIRE BASKET SHELF (GIFTED)
• GREEN MUGS 

 

 

 

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