As we close off Breakfast Week here on The Kitchn, I couldn't help but share this brilliant setup for all you morning espresso lovers. Elsie (of the blog A Beautiful Mess) has a much-loved espresso machine and a tiny kitchen. But when she could no longer afford to give up precious counter space to her beloved machine, she came up with pretty swell solution. Move over, cocktail carts. She just stole your idea and made it better!
This isn't just a cart and a few mugs; it's a full-on espresso station in her studio space. Elsie says she loves to entertain, and often has friends and colleagues working at her home during the week, so she needed a practical set-up that would enable her to make lots of espresso drinks but wouldn't clog up her tiny kitchen. Here's what she writes about the station set-up:
To keep things organized, I sketched everything that I wanted the cart to hold before we even started shopping for one. Once it was ready to use, I invested in some good airtight containers for espresso beans, some lucite trays to hold coffee cups and of course, some really good beans... We used Martha Stewart labels and small letter stamps for our beans and syrups... I wanted to have a good variety of sweeteners [so] I made a few simple syrups... and stocked up on truvia and sugar as well.
What a great idea. See more photos and read about the project below:
Read More: Elsie's Restyled Espresso Cart | A Beautiful Mess
Related: Do You Make Espresso at Home?
(Image: A Beautiful Mess)
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Okay, now this I can get on board with. I love the beverage cart concept, but my spouse and I just don't do more than the occasional beer or glass of wine so a bar cart would be useless. A coffee cart, however, seems like the perfect place to wrangle the adorable coffee/tea paraphernalia I have acquired over the years. It would be great to clear up counter space and be able to move from the kitchen to living or dining room with everything for guests or just the family. Splendid idea!
I f-king love this idea! I originally wanted to set up a bar cart because it felt more 'grown up,' never mind the fact that I rarely drink. But a coffee cart? It's the best way to start the day, especially if your BF makes coffee before you wake up. :o)
Forget the kitchen, I want this in the master bedroom suite!!!
I've got a tea station set up in my living room: all my teas, teabags (for loose-leaf teas), kettle, mugs, disposable spoons, containers for used teabags, etc. are all there. The only thing I need to bring out when guests come over are the sugar, milk, and hot water for the kettle. Works wonderfully!
I want to go to there!
AHH! Okay, I am so excited about this! I just told my husband the other day that I wanted to start one of these!! Here I was thinking I was being all original. We don't drink much alcohol, but love coffee and have started to accumulate some cool coffee gadgets. Now to find the perfect bar cart...
This is so cute! My only problem would be that I have wayyyy too much coffee/tea related stuff to even fit on a cart.
I love this! Whenever I get annoyed at my tiny flat it's because of counter space. Having a cart dedicated to hot drinks (I love tea) would be perfect.
Awesome. I love it.
We're not big drinkers, but we're coffee obsessed. This is a great idea!