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The Ultimate Coffee Station

March 30, 2016 · by Maria · 6 Comments

The Ultimate Coffee Station

You know those days that you wake up so wired and alert that the last thing on your mind is coffee?

Yeah, neither do I.

The first thing I did when we moved into this house (12+ years ago) was put together the coffee cabinet.  It has changed a little, but many things have remained in the same exact spot.  You know a system works for your family when it remains fairly well maintained.  I am not including kid rooms in that statement.  🙂

The Ultimate Coffee Station

For as much as I like entertaining and cooking, I consider my kitchen to be on the small side.  It doesn’t appear that way at first glance but when you consider that a lot of the cabinetry is for pantry items, not much is left for all my other kitchen needs.  I really have tried to use every inch of that kitchen (without it looking too busy) in order to house my many cups, mugs and dishes.

 

The Ultimate Coffee Station

One of the ideas that I love is using the cabinet doors as a place to store small items.  I purchased this large adhesive bin to hold larger items like agave or honey and also these two stainless steel shakers that I use for cinnamon and cocoa.  I chose those specific shakers because they come with a plastic lid to cover the sifter top.

In the middle is a smaller bin that holds sugar packets.  Below that are a few smaller ones that hold the spoons that stir our coffee in the morning. the cappuccino spoons and a few essential oils.  Many people may not need spoons in their coffee station because they may have a utensil drawer nearby.  In our case, our utensil drawer is across the kitchen.  I purchased a set of spoons at Homegoods and dedicated them to this spot.  No more walking across the kitchen in the morning just to get a spoon.  Maybe this isn’t a big deal but considering that we are half asleep when preparing our coffee, I’ll take the convenience.

The Ultimate Coffee Station

On the other side of the cabinet I place my cappuccino maker which I don’t use as often as my coffee maker – that one stays on the counter at all times.  Next to it is powdered creamer which I rarely use but I like to have it on hand, just in case my guests request it.  You may notice that I removed the wrapper and it looks like a plain white container.  This little step may seem silly but keeping your cabinet as monochromatic as possible, makes it look less busy.  That big label was red and yellow and now it’s just white and disappears into the cabinet.  In front of it you may recognize that plastic container.  It was a sweetener and I removed the label on that as well.

I used white plastic shelves throughout the cabinet which allowed me to double up on storage for my plates and various cups.

The Ultimate Coffee Station

Then I have my two coffee containers that are really easy to access and to open and close.

The Ultimate Coffee Station

I keep a coffee measuring spoon inside each container.

The Ultimate Coffee Station

Behind the coffee you will see two woven plastic bins.  There I keep extra coffee and frothing pitchers.  These items are all concealed inside those 2 stackable bins that I found at Target.

The Ultimate Coffee Station

On the other side of the cabinet I have another adhesive bin for more sugars.  You should make sure that these bins will have enough clearance when the cabinet closes.  In this case, if they were any lower they would crash against the coffee containers.  I measured mine to fit above the canisters when the cabinet closes.

The Ultimate Coffee Station

Right in the middle are my vitamins.  I chose this stainless double tier turntable to hold all of our bottles.  Be sure to measure your cabinet to make sure the items will have enough clearance.  I have tried so many places to store our vitamins but if they are not in front of our face when we make our coffee, we forget them.  Sometimes we still forget them.

The Ultimate Coffee Station

In the very top there is a casserole set that I rarely use and that is why it’s so high up.  Of course there are many different kinds of coffee mugs in the cabinet but the big ones in the very bottom are the ones we use daily.  We keep our coffee maker next to this cabinet (besides the knife).

The Ultimate Coffee Station

This system has worked so well for us.   I can tell you that besides some minor touch ups, I didn’t have to do much to the coffee station to get it photo ready for this post.  It pretty much stays looking like that.

You can customize an are of your own and even add flavored syrups with pumps, just like the fancy baristas have.  You can add your touches to make it perfect for you!  So are you a coffee or tea lover?  How many cups a day?  As much as we love coffee, we only have one.  Also, do you have an area already dedicated to coffee items?

I love you a latte!

I have tried to link as many items in this post to their source, just in case you are interested.  There are some Amazon links included which means that I get a small portion of the sale.  However, you do not pay more because you purchase through the link.  I wouldn’t do that to ya!  Thank you for your support!  

 

Filed Under: Kitchen, Top Navigation, Uncategorized · Tagged: Coffee, Coffee Bar, Coffee station, Kitchen Organization

Coffee Station Organization

July 9, 2013 · by Maria · 8 Comments

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…

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

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.

Coffee Station Organization

On the side are the cappuccino cups, tiny Cuban coffee cups and disposable travel cups.

Coffee Station Organization

Lastly, next to the espresso machine is a set of dishes that we sometimes use for breakfast.

Coffee Station Organization

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

Filed Under: Kitchen, Top Navigation · Tagged: Beverage, Coffee, Coffee Bar, Coffee station, Coffeemaker, Cuisinart, Kitchen, Starbucks

Welcome! I'm Maria, the blogger behind Graceful Order. I hope to share with you helpful ideas about organizing, cleaning and entertaining. I am passionate about living a healthy, balanced life with my husband and two boys. A life where I am in charge of my home and not the other way around. A life with a little bit of order, and a whole lot of grace!

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