February Featured Space: Kitchen - Coffee Talk

So welcome to Kitchen month!  While I was snagging my morning cup of jo, and trying to figure out what part of the Kitchen to blog about first, the light bulb started glowing above my head.  Coffee!  Yum, my favorite way to start the day.  Not so much even for the completely necessary caffeine fix that I must have in order to prevent drowsiness, shakes and a headache (pathetic I know!), but also because I really just heart the taste of it.  Weird right?  And of course, nothing can be simple when it comes to me.  I am not a regular coffee drinker, no.  I make the good yummy stuff!  My husband and his family call it "Foo Foo" coffee.  And that's ok, let them say what they want to say, I just know it tastes delish!  What is so good about it you ask?  Well, I fell into the big coffee chains hands when I discovered the White Chocolate Mocha.  And, after crying myself to sleep each night with the regrets that I probably wouldn't be able to afford to send my kids to college one day if I kept paying $4 a cup, I decided it was time for me to quickly figure out how to make them at home!  And now that is just what I do, each and every morning! 

So, enough rambling about my sweet morning indulgence, and onto the spark that hit me this A.M.  Coffee display and access.  Because I am such a sucka for my morning coffee, and I want it like, right now, not ten minutes from now, but five minutes ago now, I try and keep everything right at my fingertips.  So, how do I do that?  Well, easy really.  I just threw down a little plastic tray and added some coffee cups and corral it right next to the machine!  Piece of cake...yum!

And although I don't use creamer or sugar, I do use white chocolate sauce, and it got me thinking, you could set up your coffee area, in many convenient ways.  Hotels really are genius when you think about it, they have been doing this for years for their guests.  So why not snag their brilliant idea for yourself at home?

Example 1:  Mug, Creamer & Sugar

It's amazing the punch you can pack into this little plastic tray (which I am pretty sure I snagged at Target for like $2 or so).  Here, I put out a pretty mug, some instant coffee packets and coffee creamer packets stuck in a small clear glass, and a little dish to hold the sugar packets.  Everything you would need to create a quick cup of coffee in the morn and run out the door!  And if you use the regular ground stuff (which I don't since I currently am using espresso pods for my coffee fix), you could put a little canister or clear glass container with the grounds inside, right upon the tray as well.  The sky is the limit.

Example 2:  Mug & Coffee Beans
 

Here I just went for a more simple display, with again, a pretty mug, and a small dish of delectable coffee beans.  

Example 3:  Coffee Sauce & Coffee Beans

This time around I am showing how easy it can be to leave out on display, your coffee sauces and syrups, without creating too much eye clutter.  Simple soap pumps can work double duty as sauce dispensers, and are a lot more attractive than the original bottle they come in!

Example 4:  Mug, Flowers and Coffee Beans

 

This is how you will currently find my Kitchen coffee setup.  I let my coffee maker service as my bean holder throughout the day.  And next to my absolute favorite coffee mug, is a little splash of blooming color.  My coffee pods are a bit clutterish (yes, I like to make up words) and ugly to look at, so they reside in a very close by cabinet, behind doors, but right in arms reach!

 Example 5:  Guest Bathroom

 Yet another way that I am currently displaying my love of coffee, is by sharing the wealth with my future guests in my home.  We currently are fortunate enough to have a spare bedroom/bathroom, and therefore, I do what I can to make it as comfortable for my visitors as possible.  One of those ways is by letting them stroll into their bathroom to make their morning cup of coffee, right in the comfort of their P.J's, as to not have to show off their goods to the rest of the house.  I leave a small coffee maker, mug, instant coffee, creamer and sugar packets, all within reach!  So far so grateful, the guests have been!

What about you guys?  How do you take your morning coffee?  Black as the night or sweet like me?  Do you have a one stop shop for making your morning coffee as well?  Give me the scoop!

Posted in: Kitchen, Storage Solutions