***Updated Post***
Wow! A lot has changed since I created this post about creating a coffee bar from a piece of furniture. First, we no longer burn candles, so it seems ridiculous that I had so many! We replaced the white floating shelves with industrial kitchen supply shelves. They are so much better and very reasonably priced. They can hold a lot more weight so I can use them for both the look and function we needed for storage. Read more about how we switched to diffusing instead of burning candles in this post.
Before
I’ve been wanting to create a coffee bar in our kitchen ever since I saw my friend Diane Karmen’s black and white coffee bar. Diane has plenty of counter space in her kitchen but wanted to have a designated coffee area. She created hers by having her cabinet maker create a simple cabinet with drawers and open space for baskets and then used a leftover piece of granite from her kitchen during the remodel. I knew we already had the perfect piece of furniture, it just needed a stone top. Diane and I found a remnant when shopping for her client’s kitchen.
A coffee bar between the dining room & kitchen
Once we added the stone, which was $300, delivered to our existing piece of furniture, it instantly felt more like a real piece intended for a kitchen. Using the original wood top was okay, but it never felt clean. The stone is perfect for the look and overall feel. We added two simple white floating shelves 36″ long and baskets from The Container Store to hold linens underneath. The piece has plenty of storage for dishes, candles, and linens, but the look all came together with the floating shelves. We are still not sure if we will be keeping our existing upper cabinets in the kitchen or removing them for open shelving, so I had to be sure and get a little open shelving for displaying our favorite things. Coffee and tea related things!
Our home is pretty open concept, which we love, so the dining room blends into the coffee bar, which is right in-between the dining room and kitchen.
The total cost for the project was about $600 and that excludes the price of the existing piece of furniture. I see pieces like this everywhere from consignment stores to goodwill for under $100. Most need a coat of paint, but could easily be made into a coffee bar with a stone or marble remnant. The place we went had a ton of options in stone, marble and granite. We already have marble countertops in the kitchen so I wanted to have something different.
- Caesarstone remnant from La Pietra Marble $300
- Mocha Water Hyacinth baskets from The Container Store $40 for 3
- White floating shelves from Wayfair $85 for 2
- Shelves updated with these from Amazon We also used them in my office.
- Habit + Form trays from Terrain $35 for 2
- Ion Porcelain Lamp from Schoolhouse Electric $129
If you have a coffee bar, station, or counter set up in your home, I would love to see it and share it. Email me a photo and I’ll create a post sharing everyone’s interpretation of a coffee/tea set-up. annie@mostlovelythings.com
Shop my coffee bar
https://rstyle.me/+wWHGUgVVIsQywE9TDk92Sw
Annie, I absolutely adore this coffee bar! The floating shelves with the plant and Schoolhouse light fixture are the perfect accessories! Love the cut stone on your already existing cabinet that I’ve always loved too. What a fun and homey touch to add to your home! You may not need upper kitchens cabinets after all? 😘
Excellent! I’m in the process of giving my kitchen a face lift, and adding a coffee station. Seeing this makes me certain I’m on the right track. Great post.
Sharon
Love your lovely touches that transform your house into a home. So practical and convenient also. Would you share the source for the simple candle holder and the black bowl on a white pedestal? I brew & steep herbal teas and am looking for a elegant solution for the strainer in my tea corner.
Hi Ria- Those are two of my favorite pieces! They are both from a trip to Copenhagen. The candle holder is from HAY. It’s called Kutter candle holder. The bowl is from Studio Arohj. We saw a few pieces at the Hay store and then made a trip to their studio in the suburbs of Copenhagen. Have a great weekend!
This has inspired me to repurpose a buffet we have into a coffee bar. Did you remove the existing top of your wood piece or simply put the stone on top. Did you secure it to the wood?
HI Rebecca, No, we left the top which was wood and it supports the stone. The stone fabricator delivered it and just set it on top of the piece. They did not secure it. It’s very heavy and I never notice that it shifts, so I think it’s fine. Let me know if you decide to do it with your buffet! I would love to see a before and after photo!