Home coffee station ideas – designed for the smallest spaces, with maximum potential – for a dose of caffeine at any time of the day. However you take your coffee – strong, decaf, oat milk or soy – these elegant home and kitchen coffee station ideas for your small space will deliver on the pick-me-up you’ve been craving using premium coffee-making equipment.
Whether it’s bringing the cafe vibes of barista-made coffee into your home, or the efficiency of a cup of joe at the press of a button, even if you’re low on living space, there are plenty of ways to improve your coffee-making skills with your home coffee machine.
We’ve got seven coffee bar ideas for small spaces that ensure you get the most from your coffee beans. From espresso to cold drip, cupboards to countertops, and even trolleys, we’ll help you make your home coffee station the best it can be, depending on the coffee you like to drink.
Coffee Bar Ideas For Home – How Do You Brew Your Coffee
Flavour is everything, but time is of the essence. We could go on and on about the intricacies of brewing coffee, but what it all boils down to is the type of coffee you want and how much time you have to brew.
Even though drinking coffee could help you live longer, according to world-first research by heart specialists at The Alfred, we know everyone has their preferred coffee brewing method. And a mixed-bag collection of coffee-making equipment.
While we can’t know for sure what kind of coffee utensils you own, we’ll quickly run down seven of the most popular coffee brewing methods and the coffee station ideas we’d use to create the home coffee station of your dreams.
1. Instant Coffee – Hanging Shelves
Born out of convenience, instant or freeze-dried coffee is the most straightforward method for brewing coffee. A couple of heaped teaspoons in a cup, with boiling water and your choice of milk and sugar. Not exactly the most delicious, but certainly the fastest method of coffee making.
Home Coffee Station Idea:
If you’re an instant coffee drinker, then all you really need is your freeze-dried coffee of choice and an area in your kitchen to store your jars, preferably near your coffee mugs and your kettle. If you’ve got space on the walls, consider installing hanging shelves to keep everything within an arm’s reach. You can go for an industrial look or perhaps a Hamptons-style open-shaker wall shelf unit for something more subtle.
2. Pour Over/ Drip Coffee – The Dedicated Coffee Station
For more flavour with the same level of speed and efficiency, pour-over coffee is a fantastic method for brewing coffee. Hot water is poured over coffee grounds in a cone-shaped filter and slowly drips through and into your cup.
Home Coffee Station Idea:
The kind of coffee station you build depends on the sort of equipment you own. If all you have is a coffee cone and a paper filter, you can probably stick with our number one pick, the hanging shelves. For more invested pour-over coffee station setups, you might consider clearing an entire kitchen section for coffee brewing.
Some pour-over coffee kits come with everything you need–the coffee cone, a kettle, coffee filters (if required), dedicated coffee cups and a carafe. With all the bells and whistles, we recommend displaying each piece of equipment for all to see. Beyond the convenience of having your coffee-making supplies ready to go, your counter space display will signal to your guests that you take your caffeine seriously.
3. French Press, Plunger – Serving Coffee on a Tray
Despite their adoration for the Italian espresso, the French Press is an innovative coffee brewing method and desirable addition to any home coffee station. Arguably easier than pour-over coffee, a French Press soaks the coffee grounds in hot water before straining through an integrated filter, which is pressed into the coffee grounds, extracting even more flavour.
Home Coffee Station Idea:
Sometimes you don’t even need a dedicated area for brewing coffee. If plunger coffee is your preferred style, then all you need is a French Press, some coffee grounds, a few mugs and a tray to serve.
Alternatively, you could use a coffee cart for added space for extra mugs, a jug of milk, and maybe a few biscuits.
4. Espresso – The Kitchen Cupboard Barista
Even the name can send a jolt of energy through your body. Espresso is one of the purest forms of coffee and the brewing process of choice for baristas. Whether brewed in a professional espresso machine or a countertop coffee maker, all espresso machines work the same–they push pressurised hot water through the ground coffee. This brewing method produces a much thicker coffee, notable for its crema, ??a foam with a creamy consistency.
What makes espresso coffee so beloved is its versatility. Espresso forms the basis for other popular coffee drinks, including caffè latte, macchiato, mocha, flat white, Americano and, of course, the world-famous cappuccino.
Home Coffee Station Idea:
A home barista coffee station requires more countertop space than the rest of our options. Since espresso machines come in various shapes and sizes, that’s before deciding on your coffee grinder of choice. So rather than suggest a setup based on a specific espresso machine, we’ve got something better in mind.
If your kitchen allows it, set up your espresso machine inside your kitchen cupboards—displayed front and centre alongside your coffee grinder. Here you can also store coffee cups and mugs, sugar, syrups and anything else you plan to add to your home barista coffee station.
5. Moka Pot – Your Stovetop
Give thanks to Alfonso Bialetti, the man who patented stovetop Moka Pot coffee brewing way back in 1933. Ground coffee is placed in the middle chamber of the Moka Pot, with water in the lower section. Once boiled, the steam pressure passes through the coffee grounds, leaving brewed coffee in the upper chamber.
Home Coffee Station Idea:
Moka Pot coffee is made on the stovetop, so why not set up your coffee-making station where it’s brewed? Spice up your stovetop with a wooden coffee tray with your Moka pot, your ground coffee of choice and a mug or two ready to go.
6. Turkish Coffee – Peg Board Wall
One of the oldest methods for brewing coffee, Turkish coffee uses a cezve to brew an intense coffee flavour from finely ground coffee beans without filtering. Once the mixture of coffee and water (and sugar if desired) begins to froth, it is taken off the heat before it boils over. You can reheat Turkish coffee multiple times to increase the foam before serving.
Home Coffee Station Idea:
Since Turkish coffee only involves a cezve, heat, coffee and sugar, save your countertop space by storing everything on the wall with a pegboard. Hang your coffee making utensils above your kitchen space for easy access whenever you need your coffee fix.
7. Siphon Coffee – The Art of Coffee Making
Our final coffee station idea is a little on the fancy side, making it impractical for small spaces. So why is it on our list? Siphon coffee is less about practicality and more about the spectacle of this unique coffee brewing method.
Invented by the Germans in the 1840s, siphon coffee works similarly to the Moka Pot but with a far more scientific appeal. The pressurised steam is forced through coffee grounds into the upper section. The brewed coffee is pulled into the bottom chamber using the natural force of gravity, leaving behind a delicious cup of coffee. And thanks to the transparency of glass, budding chemists can marvel at the distillation process.
Home Coffee Station Idea:
Although the natural location for any home coffee station is clearly the kitchen, considering the visual appeal of siphon coffee, we recommend setting up your coffee bar in the living room for all to see.
Alongside a buffet full of fine china and a collection of wine bottles, your side unit is the ideal home coffee station to display the art of coffee making.
Premium Coffee Making Equipment
Discover elegant home and kitchen coffee station ideas for your small space that will deliver on the pick-me-up you’ve been craving using premium coffee-making equipment.
