6 Coffee Bar Essentials
Do you love the coffee bar trend? If so, this post is for you! I’m sharing 6 coffee bar essentials, now that I finally have my very own coffee bar.
I have loved the coffee bar trend ever since it became, well, trendy. 😀 Unfortunately, in our last house, we just didn’t have a good spot for a dedicated coffee bar. As soon as we put an offer in on our new home, though, I knew exactly where I wanted to set one up.
My husband and I are both coffee drinkers, but my husband is a total coffee geek. We have many, many coffee accessories and gadgets and makers, etc. In fact, I’m going to do a whole coffee series this coming fall (once the weather cools off a bit) that will cover everything from budget friendly gifts to favorite finds for the total coffee nerd.
In this post, though, I want to talk about 6 coffee bar essentials that will help you get your very own coffee bar set up.
Your coffee bar can be as big or as little as you have space for. We had a large space to work with, so I used a buffet type piece for mine. But if you don’t have much space, you could easily set up a super cute one on your counter. I’ve seen lots of different styles that all work equally well.
This post contains affiliate links. To see my full disclosure, go here.
6 Coffee Bar Essentials
1. Coffee Maker
One of the first things you will need for a coffee bar is some type of coffee maker. Now, there are lots of different types of coffee makers out there. But for the purpose of this post, I am going to mention a couple of basic makers. We actually own both of these, and I have no reservations recommending either one to you.
First is the Keurig. Everyone knows about the Keurig machines, right? Our Keurig is one of the more basic models, but that suits us just fine, since we have so.many.other. options. Ha! (More on that this coming fall…) I like the Keurig because it is fast and easy. Plus, there are a ton of options and varieties and flavors of K-cups.
Second is the Ninja Coffee Maker. I bought our Ninja quite a few years ago when it was brand new. There are now newer and fancier versions of the Ninja than what we have, but we still love ours. (The one I have linked is a newer version than ours, but it is very similar.) This is the coffee maker, by far, that gets the most use around our house. I like the multiple settings – various cup and pot sizes, as well as a classic brew and rich brew. It also has a iced coffee feature that I love. It is very easy to use, and ours has been going strong for quite a few years now.
2. Organizer for coffee pods
If you go the Keurig route for your coffee maker, you will want something to help organize all of those coffee pods.
I found a cute, metal lazy Susan at At Home when I was setting up my coffee bar that I use to organize my K-cups. I wasn’t able to find the exact one that I have, but I’ve linked some other options for you here.
3. Mugs
You’ll obviously need a few mugs in your coffee bar to hold all that precious liquid. I collect Rae Dunn, which is what you see in my pictures. Rae Dunn is sold at TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, and Home Goods, and trust me when I say it is WAY cheaper to buy it in store than it is online.
Coffee mugs are a dime a dozen, though, and you probably already have more than you know what to do with.
4. Mug Rack
I would highly suggest some sort of mug rack for your coffee bar. They are cute, help keep your mugs organized, and give you easy (and fast) access to all those mugs.
If you have the space, I love my wall hanging mug rack.
If you don’t – fear not! – here are a couple of other cute, counter top options.
*Make sure you check height measurements if this is going under your cabinets. I have the rack pictured on the right, and it is too tall to go underneath my cabinets.
5. Shelves
Shelves aren’t necessarily essential to having a coffee bar, but if you have the space, I would definitely recommend them. They provide more space for organization, more space for coffee accessories, and more space for coffee decor. 😉
We built the shelves that are hanging in our own coffee bar, but there are tons of options out there if you aren’t feeling another DIY project.
6. Coffee Decor
And finally, you can’t have a coffee bar without some cute coffee decor. This is the fun part, and fortunately, coffee decor is not hard to come by. So, just find some cute signs, plants, mugs, etc. that suit your style, and you’re set.
So, there you have it – my list of 6 coffee bar essentials. Hopefully, this has given you some guidance on how to set up your very own coffee bar.
Any other coffee bar essentials you would add to the list?
Like your old house, I have nowhere to set up a coffee bar but I’ve been wanting one too since the trend became popular. I love the antique sideboard you’re using for yours. I have the coffee mug K-cup holder and LOVE it. Great tips here for the day I finally have a coffee bar.
Thank you! I found the sideboard at an antique mall shortly after we moved, and I knew it would be perfect for my coffee bar. I hope you are able to figure out a place for one. They really are fun! And I’m glad to know that you love the K-Cup holder. I think it is super cute!
Hi Amy!
Your coffee bar area is lovely. I like coffee, but have to be careful and only drink caffeine in the early morning….. so I usually have decaf. I have a hard time finding any flavored decaf k-cups….. so I’d like to know if you know of any. Also, I can’t see any of your pictures under your numbered list— I can see all of the photos above that, though. I’m using Chrome on my laptop….
Liberty
Thanks so much! I believe Green Mountain has a couple of flavored decafs – like Hazelnut and French Vanilla. There is also a brand called Crazy Cups that I think has a number of flavored decafs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in store (at least in my area), but you could always order them online. Hope that helps! And thanks for the heads up about the photos. All of the photos in the numbered list are affiliate links. I checked on Chrome from my own laptop and they came up just fine. I’ll look into it, though. Thank you!
You have a great set up going on there!
Thank you so much! We are enjoying it!
I’m jealous. We don’t have the space at home for a coffee bar either and I do so want one. Love the dresser you’ve used for the serving station. It’s gorgeous Amy.
Thanks, Michelle! I desperately wanted one at my other house, I just never made it a priority to create the space for it. Now, I am having fun decorating it, plus it gives us a way to organize all my husband’s coffee gadgets. 😀