Coffee Station

Are you on team coffee or team tea? I'm team coffee - all day long (lattes in the morning, iced coffee in the afternoon...are you with me?)! If you're like me, your coffee maker/ espresso machine/tea pot stays out on the counter; I use my espresso machine throughout the day, so lugging it in and out of the cabinet is not practical. And if it's out on the counter it has to be pretty! Curating a coffee station also makes for easy access to everything needed. Not only is a dedicated coffee area more efficient, it can be a beautiful part of your kitchen or pantry - I promise!

The first element to a put-together coffee station: a tray! A tray adds a sense of organization; everything within it is purposely there. They also add texture and unify the station. Collect everything you use for your coffee/tea and decide how large of a tray you require. In my tray I have: espresso machine, espresso grounds, espresso cups, mugs and utensils.

The second element is cohesive containers. For the purpose of keeping things simple, use coordinating or matching containers for all your coffee/tea needs. An example of this would be all glass containers, or all brass containers, or all white containers. I love Wreck jars for my coffee grounds (THESE are what I use).

The third element is coordinating cups and mugs. Having mismatched mugs is a fun way to remember your favorite vacation or a good reminder you're the 'worlds best mom', but those don't make for a beautiful coffee station (sorry, not sorry! keep those in the cupboard!). If you're going for a peaceful, beautiful look, keep your mugs cohesive. I use all glass cups for my espresso, and white mugs for everything else. I most definitely own, and use, a mug with my child's face on it, it just stays in the cupboard :) HERE are similar cups and HERE are similar espresso mugs to what I have!

By the way, Wade gave me THIS espresso machine as a Christmas gift last year. I am impressed by the quality - I use it at least twice daily and I've never had any issues...and it's only around $100! If you are in the market for a 'starter' espresso machine, I highly recommend THIS one!

There you have it! The three elements of a beautiful coffee and tea station. A tray, cohesive containers, and coordinating mugs. If you want to really up your coffee station game, throw in a little potted plant or stack a couple wood cutting boards behind it for dimension!