Just because you don’t have the counter space in your apartment doesn’t mean that you can’t put together a cozy coffee bar. In this blog post, we’ll take you through our best ideas for cozy coffee bars for small apartment kitchens with no counter space.
Space is often a luxury that you don’t get in a lot of small apartments. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own cute and cozy coffee bar.
In this post, we’ll give you our favorite alternatives for where you can put your home coffee bar in your small apartment kitchen with no counter space.
If you like this blog post, then you should definitely check out this one, which is a step-by-step guide for setting up a coffee bar in a small apartment!
This blog post is all about coffee bar ideas for small apartment kitchens.
Cozy Coffee Bar Ideas For Small Apartment Kitchens
With No Counter Space
1. Are we positive there’s no counter space?
We did say that this list of ideas is for people who don’t have any counter space, but what if you do, even if you think you don’t? We’re going to take a look around your kitchen counters right now and see if there’s not a better place or area for the items that are currently in those spots.
Do you have bulky appliances taking up space when they could be in the closet? Or maybe you have a rack of dying dishes that could be drying over the sink with one that fits over the sink? Maybe we can even maximize the space around the kitchen counter with items such as under-shelf baskets, stackable shelves and risers, and lazy Susans.
2. Use your closet or pantry
If you don’t have enough counter space for your home coffee bar, that’s totally fine. Maybe you have a small closet or pantry you can utilize instead. First, before you do anything permanent, you want to make sure that you have enough space to house exactly what you want in the space as well as electricity to plug anything in.
Then you can start the process of adding and removing any shelving that you need. Just make sure that anything that you’re setting a coffee machine on, as well as other items, is sturdy and can handle the weight. When you get all your foundational pieces in place, you can start having some fun with the decor.
Many people like to add new backsplashes or just some peel-and-stick wallpaper as well as some under-shelf lighting. We recommend some LED lighting tape that you can easily adhere to the shelves.
3. Use cabinet space
Very similarly to how you would utilize a closet or pantry, you should check out any cabinets that have available spacing as well. You may need to remove a shelf or two, but it’s a small price to pay for getting your own home coffee station.
Just like we said before, make sure that you have the proper amount of space and electrical outlets needed. You can even maximize this space needed by using under-shelf baskets and door-mounted racks.
4. If possible, use the walls
It’s okay if you don’t have a closet or pantry area to utilize as most smaller apartment kitchens don’t. Instead, maybe you have some wall space that you can! In smaller apartments overall, one of the easiest ways to utilize the space given to you is by using any vertical space you have.
In this case, you could add in some (sturdy) wall-mounted shelves on the wall to act as your “coffee corner”. Do not go cheap on the shelves if you don’t want your coffee on the floor. Before you pick an area, just make sure that the wall is actually able to hold the weight. This means that the shelves are securely anchored to wall studs. Additionally, make sure you have an electricity outlet somewhere nearby as most coffee machines require it.
When it comes to accessories, people love getting a little rustic with these types of coffee stations, usually adding in a pegboard for holding containers, mugs, and more. Feel free to add as much decor as you like!
5. Get a small table
If you don’t have the closet space and are a little nervous to test the strength of your walls, a small table or cabinet would work just as well. You don’t even have to get fancy with it. It can be a simple, small cabinet with two doors. You can utilize the top of it for your machine and most important items, while keeping everything else in the cabinet below (mugs, cups, and more extras).
Decor is always fun and helps you make it more personalized, but if you already have a small table with a decent amount of items on it, you should decorate sparingly. A great way to add something to make a big impact is to add something behind the table on the wall, like a cute coffee sign, a chalkboard listing some favorites, or even just a mirror.
6. Grab a slender, moveable cart
Maybe you don’t have all the space for a table that will take up a certain area of space in your small apartment kitchen, and that’s okay! Sometimes some moveable furniture, like a bar cart, works even better for spaces like this.
This is perfect for someone who may have a space that could fit a small table, but doesn’t have the electrical outlet close enough to make it work. This way, you could store the bar cart in that area, and then move it closer to an outlet when you want to make your coffee.
When looking for a bar cart, we would recommend that you get something that has multiple levels of shelves and drawers. Open shelves are usually the best option if it’s all or nothing, but a mix of both is ideal.
7. Find another area than your kitchen
If any of the ideas above still can’t work for your own small apartment kitchen, that’s totally okay! We still got one last idea, which is finding another space in your apartment other than the kitchen to house your home coffee setup. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with not having your coffee setup in the kitchen.
Popular places other than the kitchen include the dining area, the living room, any kind of home office area, and even small nooks and crannies around your apartment. There’s bound to be some small place you could find! Like always, just ensure that whatever you’re placing your coffee machine on is very sturdy and that you have the electrical power that you need close by!
