We are coffee people. Our days start with my husband doing a zombie-like walk to the coffee grinder that releases not only a noise that will jolt you out of REM sleep but also a delicious sweet coffee aroma. It is this aroma that wakes me up everyday. That or my toddlers foot in my face. That is a different aroma. Lucky for you, not part of today’s post.
Having coffee with my husband before the house gets “hectic” is one of life’s simple pleasures for me. I like to sit next to him, enjoy his company and chat with him while we sip away. It’s usually me doing most of the chatting and him grinning at me while he listens. He physically wakes up earlier than I do but the rest of him catches up a little later. I’m sure he wonders how I can have so much to say so early in the morning. I think he is listens so attentively because he loves me so much (and because he feels bad that for the rest of my day my conversations will only involve Elmo and Barney :-)). I took a picture of him this morning as he prepared the coffee. He looked at me kinda strange…
Back to the coffee. Like with everything else in the house, I look to “containerize” my coffee. I like having a coffee station where all-things-coffee can be found. The coffee station is behind these doors because the coffee maker sits on this counter.
We have a cappuccino maker, a cuban coffee maker
and the regular american coffee machine
. The american coffee maker stays out. It has earned its place on our counter. In our lives. In our hearts. The rest go in the cabinet. Normally large appliances are stored in cabinets under the counter but space is at such a premium around here that I just store the espresso maker with the rest of the coffee supplies. Here is the cabinet opened up.
I don’t store our coffee cups in this cabinet because there are too many of them and they don’t fit nicely. I have them in the slender cabinet right next to this one. I use any of the coffee cups in the cabinet but pictured below is my favorite coffee mug. It is a substantial mug with a thin but not-too-thin rim. Coffee tastes better in it. Only a coffee lover could understand such madness. I bought it in PINK because I thought that it would surely scare my husband into using one of the other 14 Starbucks coffee cups that we have in there. It turns out my husband is one of those secure men that isn’t bothered by pink in the very least. Needless to say, my ingenious plan failed miserably. There are mornings that I walk into the kitchen and there he is sipping away in my pink mug. Then he smiles at me and I smile back with a smile that says “you have just sucked the joy out of my morning BUT I love you and I am grateful for you anyway!” Then I grab another “less-perfect” mug. Kinda melodramatic but what can I say? I like the pink mug.
Back to the coffee station. I use these OXO containers for the coffee beans and for the Cuban coffee. They are the perfect size to hold a full bag of coffee.
I purchased this placemat at Target as well and I use it to line the area with the coffee. It’s cute and it keeps the cabinet free from coffee granules.
Behind the coffee containers is this white basket that holds extra coffee, frothing pitchers and coffee syrups. It’s a nice, deep basket so that the cabinet still appears organized.
I added a mug full of spoons for stirring the coffee. We used to have to walk to the utensil drawer every morning to get a spoon. I finally purchased a set of spoons just for the coffee cabinet.
Since my husband prepares the coffee, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for him so I placed the sugar/stevia in a wide bowl instead of another container with a lid. I like that it’s large enough not to require frequent re-filling.
On the side are the cappuccino cups, tiny Cuban coffee cups and disposable travel cups.
Lastly, next to the espresso machine is a set of dishes that we sometimes use for breakfast.
So that’s it. Having a coffee station avoids having to touch every corner of your kitchen just to make a simple cup of coffee. Now I will head off to the kitchen to join my husband for breakfast. Pray that he isn’t using my pink mug!
Happy Organizing!
Maria
Love this coffee station! Beautiful and functional! Luckily my husband doesn’t drink coffee, so I get to keep my pink starbucks mug all to myself!
🙂
You coffee station is very nice…. I gleaned some ideas from you and have some improvisations that will work better for our family. Thank you so much for sharing
Hi Maria!
I’m new to your blog after finding it through “I heart Organizing.” My husband and I are moving into a new loft at the end of this month and I have been wondering how to set up a coffee/tea station in the kitchen. This post really helps! Where did you get your Cuban coffee maker?
Cheers,
Kristina
Hi Kristina! I just added the link above; it is the Bialetti 6857 Moka Express. The cappuccino maker (in the picture) also makes really good cuban coffee.
xo,
Maria
Great tips! Baskets are really handy organizing tools. My wife have them everywhere in the house, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, at the kids’ playroom and like you, on our coffee station beside the coffee maker. It holds different things from mugs, coffee jars, tea packs, etc.