While some designers will make space in a kitchen design for a pantry or bar area, I believe it’s time to embrace your inner barista and build yourself a stylish at-home coffee bar.
I would personally bet that we drink more coffee than wine, so why not make a real statement in your interior. Whether it’s in a kitchen or even an open-concept space, making space for your very own coffee bar is an excellent idea.
1. Designing the Space
Yes, making space in your kitchen plan for a dedicated area is definitely best, but why not think beyond that. As long as you’re not too far from the kitchen creating a dedicated space for your daily brew is an excellent idea.
The option would be to include a space when designing cabinetry or to designate a table or counter height free-standing piece of furniture, like this one I scored at Homesense. It has a great vintage vibe, which works well with the eclectic, stylish look we’re going for.
2. Coffee Machine
Let’s talk about the piece de resistance first. If you’re going big, why not go really big and find yourself an espresso machine that both looks good and pumps out a perfect shot.
This one is the Elektra Micro Casa from Zuccarini Importing, yes, it’s Italian, and Zuccarini was actually the first company to start importing machines into Canada back in the ’50s.
Now, while a machine like this is an investment when you purchase a machine like this from a specialty retailer, you can often rely on them to give you the training to make sure you can actually make it work!
3. Coffee Grinder
Of course, if you’re investing in a machine, you have to invest in a good grinder, too, and this matching Elektra unit promises the perfect grind. Built to last, a good grinder should make your coffee happen for at least a couple of decades.
On the smaller side, you need a good tamper to press down the grinds before you pull your shot, and of course, a stainless steel pitcher to steam and froth your milk.
4. Syrups
Let’s also keep things sweet with quality coffee syrups. Here, quality is key, and these naturally flavoured syrups from the French Alps are the bee’s knees.
5. Picking The Right Coffe Cup
No matter whether you’re brewing espresso or whipping up a latte, the right cups are key, so why not make things bright, graphic and fun with some major pattern. These are Casa Cubista, the company I co-founded with my husband, and they can be found in-store and online at Saudade.
One thing to note is the size of the mugs, They’re small, right? This is a trad European size for a latte, so it’s funny to tell you Europeans think our ‘normal’ sized mugs are better suited for a large serving of soup!
6. Bringing the Space Together
Since we’re in a living space here, I’ve added a lamp. Now, from a trend perspective table lamps in kitchens are a hot commodity right now, and are a favourite of stylists and are cropping up in all of the right magazine photoshoots. Take a look on Instagram, I bet you’ll spot them!
7. And finally… Making the Perfect Cup of Coffee
I have three favourite at-home ways to brew up a perfect cup. Yes, they’re traditional, but can classics be improved upon? Across the board, the first lesson is to buy good quality coffee and only grind as you need on a daily basis. That way you’ll get way more flavour in your cup.
The French Press
I’ve already done the legwork here of brewing the coffee in this Canadian-designed Espro unit. Now, they’ve improved on what used to be a muddy or gritty cup of coffee from these with their super-fine double filter. Get the full french press recipe here.
I love using Barocco’s delish 100% Arabica Alto roast with flavours of milk chocolate and almond. We’re also using a medium grind, instead of the trad coarse grind, and have let the coffee brew for less time. 3 rather than 5 minutes.
Bialetti Moka
Bialetti were the originators of the stovetop espresso brewer, and theirs are still the best. The trick here is boiling water, rather than cold tap water. It speeds up the process and means the coffee doesn’t have a burnt taste. Get the full stovetop espresso recipe here.
The coffee here is a fine grind, it should resemble table salt, and the Centrale roast is perfect with flavours of caramel and brown sugar.
Pour-Over Coffee
This is the strongest cup you’ll get out of the three, since the longer the water stays in contact with the coffee, the more caffeine it has. This is the Grosche pour-over carafe and filter.
Here we’re going for a medium grind again, and the trick is to let the coffee bloom first, and that means wet it with boiling water and your gooseneck kettle, and let it stand a little before your main pour. Don’t forget the circular motion as you pour to make sure everything gets a good soaking, and this time we’re going for even more flavour, with Barocco’s Ethiopean Wush Wush heirloom roast. Get the full pour-over recipe here.
