Built-in Kitchen Coffee Bar

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You guys, I didn’t think I was ever going to get to the reveal of our built-in kitchen coffee bar. This project started at the very first of February and a couple of hiccups drew the length way out. But, it’s finished and we are in love!!! You can catch up on my inspiration post here and the progress of the build here.

Some affiliate links are used at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog! For more information, visit my Disclosure.

Before

After

built-in kitchen coffee bar

Quite the difference, huh?! I wanted this space to be an extension of our kitchen but to have a little bit different feel. To do so we used the same materials that already existed in our kitchen; white subway tile, white shaker cabinets, the same countertop material (locating the discontinued countertop is what made this project take so long), and the same hardware. Cabinets sitting directly on the countertop, open shelving, and reeded glass fronts are what set it apart from the kitchen. I’ll be sharing new kitchen photos soon where you can see how the two spaces tie into each other.

Espresso Machine

It’s funny to think all of this built-in kitchen coffee bar business began because of a single espresso machine. My husband reeeeally wanted this particular Breville after doing tons of research. The problem was that it wouldn’t fit on our countertop under the cabinets. He wasn’t willing to let that stop him from the coffee of his dreams. Ideas started brewing (har har, see what I did there??) over creating a coffee bar in the breakfast room. By the way, what do you call the smaller attached dining areas next to the kitchen a breakfast room, kitchen nook, or breakfast nook? He was thrilled because it gave him a spot for the espresso machine, and I was thrilled because we were going to gain storage. And, who doesn’t love more storage space! I’ve also become a HUGE fan of this machine and now understand his obsession.

at home built-in kitchen coffee bar

Open Shelves + Counter Cabinets

Open shelving was a perfect option for giving us enough space for the height of the espresso machine and to give us some display space. Not gonna lie, I’ve always wanted open shelving! And having mugs directly over the machine couldn’t be more handy.

When drawing up my plans for this built-in I knew this would be the opportunity to use counter cabinets. They’re something that catch my eye every time I see them in kitchen design. It’s one of the details that set this area apart from our main kitchen cabinets. The drawers are a fun touch and have a big job. The drawer on the right houses all of our devices and has a built in plug for charging. Finally, devices and alllll the cords are off our kitchen counters!

breakfast room ideas for built-in kitchen coffee bar

Lighting

The lighting for this space was chosen based off of these pendants I’ll soon be installing over the kitchen island. The sconces over the open shelves were an easy choice because they are a classic. The chandelier needed to bring the pendants and the sconces together. I found this Penni chandelier and fell in love. But… when it arrived I could tell immediately it wasn’t going to work. The product info on the website is wrong and you cannot adjust the hanging length. It was basically a semi flush mount. I refused to give up on the light and ended up rewiring and reworking the light to be hung as a traditional chandelier. This required a little more effort than other lights due to the hefty weight, but to me it was worth it.

You can see the tutorial on how I extended the length of this chandelier on my Instagram under CHANDELIER in saved highlights.

pottery barn penni glass chandelier

Reeded Glass

Glass front cabinets have always been a favorite of mine. But, they only work if all the items displayed inside are presentable 100% of the time. Not the case for our main kitchen cabinets. These built-ins are storing kitchen appliances and random items in the bottom half and serving pieces and accessories on the upper half. While most serving pieces are attractive, I didn’t want EVERYTHING on display. Reeded glass was the perfect solution. You get the airiness of glass while keeping what’s behind them somewhat obscure. And I just plain love the look of reeded glass. The smaller cabinets at the very top have regular clear glass to tie in with the ones in the kitchen.

reeded glass

Hardware

There was a brief moment where I thought about using this opportunity to change out all the kitchen hardware. I thought that it was boring and you all would want to see something new and different. Then, I got completely annoyed with myself for thinking like that. It’s not that I don’t care about you guys, but I don’t need to be changing my house just to please the masses. That’s never what I’ve done, and I’m certainly not going to start now. So, I kept the existing kitchen hardware the same and ordered matching hardware for the built in. And I still love it even if it has been used a billion times. I’ll link to it at the end of the post.

Ok, so tell me your thoughts on the built-in kitchen coffee bar! Is this something you would be into? It really does feel like it was meant to be there all along and makes the entire kitchen feel so much larger. The best part is how we use this area so much more now. Or maybe the best part is the extra storage. It’s a toss up!

built-in kitchen coffee bar idea

Sources

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Comments

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  1. Cassie Bustamante Avatar

    Oh it’s absolutely gorgeous! LOVE it so much, Shelley! All of that storage, plus so pretty!

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      Thank you Cassie!! I’ve always loved your open shelves, how you style them up, and dreamt of having a spot to make them work in our home.

  2. Pamrla Avatar
    Pamrla

    Awesome! Love the reed glass fronts, open shelving and coffee bar. Would do this too if I had the space in my little house. From the appraisal side of it your breakfast nook it is a dining area. Not a room since not 4 walls. But for general info book is good, although a book for me is small and this dining area is “Just Right”😁 Love the function but ecstatic over the look. Very inviting and can’t wait to have coffee and breakfast there soon.🥰😘

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      Ah, that makes sense that something has to have four walls to be technically considered a room. It definitely feels so great in there now. I always felt like the table was a little too small for the space, but now it’s the perfect size. Cannot wait to enjoy coffee in there with you!

  3. Lisa Avatar

    It’s amazing Shelley! I love the pretty details like the cabinets extending to the counter, the reeded glass and the open shelving. Looks like a great place for a bar when entertaining too!

    1. Shelley Avatar
      Shelley

      Thank you so much, Lisa! You are so right, this would be amazing as a bar for entertaining!!

Meet Shelley

Hi, I’m Shelley! My belief is that with a little creativity and elbow grease, you can make your home look like a million bucks without spending it.

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