Styling a Chic & Functional Office Coffee Bar

When designing our Waiting on Martha Team office, it was simple to design the easy-on-the-eye aesthetics.  But what about the practical we’re-getting-sh**-done-here part of the space?  We needed a working kitchenette that doubles as a tech/printer storage solution to keep things organized, and we DEFINITELY needed a coffee bar to kickstart our mornings and of course, close out our days with wine.  But the real catch; I didn’t have a big budget for all of those needs. 

To stick to the budget I journeyed to Lowe’s and found a wardrobe, bathroom vanity unit, and simple white wall shelving that I DIY’d to create the kitchenette you see now.  I drilled holes in the back for all our tech chords and switched out the handles brass versions which gave the unit a bit more pizazz.   The wardrobe, part of the Allen + Roth organizational line, does a great job housing our office printer, mode, phone, etc. and is easy on the eye because it blends in completely with the space.

On top of the kitchenette (and all around the office), I added woven baskets to stash stuff.  Baskets are one of my favorite ways to add warmth to any space and hide and/or store anything you don’t want just lying around.  Lastly, our office French press and all of our coffee accompaniments live nice and organized on the “bathroom vanity” beside it, (to my immense delight, having our office at ADAC allows me to use hot, steaming water at a snap of a finger for my French press coffee…#gamechanger!).  I even used the drawer to hold all of our coffee and entertaining extras.

Above the “bathroom vanity” I installed two simple floating bookshelves (which perfectly align with the popular open shelving trend) to hold our mugs, water, bowls, glasses, and favorite coffee.  This is probably the absolute easiest shelving option to install; I got mine from Lowe’s, but Target, Ikea and West Elm sell a variety of options at different price points.  Just pull out your level and hang them on the wall with brackets. 

Lastly, since I segmented the large office space into several separate vignettes, I knew I wanted to create an inviting area for members of the team to meet over coffee.  The corner, however, is on the smaller side, so I turned to this skinny marble top console table to serve as our bar, with two white cafe stools.  This is where I did splurge and spend the majority of my budget because I knew—just like a home’s kitchen—this space would end up being the heart of the office.  A place where we’d sit, plan, gab, and enjoy our beloved coffee and wine.  And it’s marble, so duh.  The end result?  A chic, functional corner to share all of our brilliant ideas.  Truly, MKR