// My Coffee Journey
How it started:
I’ve been brewing speciality coffee at home since 2010.
It was the Clever Dripper and AeroPress that started my love affair with brewing delicious coffee myself rather than continuing to build the Starbucks empire.
In 2012, I graduated from immersion and press brewers to home espresso and never looked back.
How it’s going:
In Spring 2022, I started a small, niche instagram channel called @coffeebardesign.
Combining two things I love — making great coffee at home & interior space design seemed like a great way to share my hobbies with other like minded people.
This is a small platform where I provide…
- Insights 🔍
- Inspiration 📸
- And practical design tips & tricks 🛋️
…to thousands of followers as we look at beautiful home coffee bars from all over the world.
My Coffee Bar
Here’s evidence that I’ve also gone down the home coffee rabbit hole. My intent has always been to create a beautiful space to spend time in surrounded by things I’m passionate about. By creating an area I love I naturally want to spend time there.
@January 21, 2024 ∙ 10 minutes read
Name: Mike
Location: Ontario, Canada
Profession: Business Continuity & Risk Specialist by day // Copywriter by night
Cost of setup: $5,500 CAD
Coffee love duration: 12 years
Favourite piece of gear: Londinium Vectis
Social media: Instagram
🔮 Design Insights
When designing my coffee bar — what were my top priorities or considerations?
The Design
I like to think of my coffee bar design style with the same feeling you got as a child when you went to visit at Grandpa & Grandma’s house! Warm, familiar, well loved.
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved two things. Writing and design. Whether it’s digital design, web design, graphic design, interior design, furniture design … you name it — I enjoy the thoughtfulness and process behind it.
I also love designing using words. This is why creative writing and copywriting have become another passion of mine.
These interests naturally led to a focus on the design behind the spaces where we create our coffee.
I’m always so interested to see the unique ways people create their home coffee bars and the way it brings out different styles, work flows, and priorities.
Over the years my own coffee-centric spaces have evolved as I’ve gained knowledge and experience — likewise my own coffee bar designs have too.
The Materials
I love natural elements and wanted my current space to be dominated by various wood tones. I didn’t want all the woods to match perfectly, so I purposely chose different species and grains that allowed the various shades to pop.
The Heirlooms
I’ve always loved items that are old and quality built. So when I had the opportunity to inherit some original pieces that belonged to my grandparents for 70+ years I jumped at the chance. Two items that add so much character to my coffee bar is the walnut sideboard that lived in my grandparents dining room and a ‘hymns’ mirror that my grandfather bought from a church in downtown Toronto in the 1950’s.
The Workflow
I simply wanted a setup that has enough space to freely work. Not much worse than being too cramped and not having enough room for all the coffee making tools we love. As my current setup is primarily lever espresso focused, I really just need enough room to use the necessary tools — the scale, WDT, tamper and grinder.
So far the space and flow works really well!
My setup
The Foundation
Station Base: A family heirloom — my grandparents 70 year old walnut sideboard
Shelving: Floating walnut wood shelves
Lighting: Edison bulb pendant with cloth wiring
Decor: Antique barn board wall, family heirloom mirror reclaimed from a church, James Bond memorabilia, and other items I enjoy
The Coffee Makers
Press Brewer: Aeropress, Bodum French Press
Steep Brewer: Clever Dripper
Electric Brewer: Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select
Pour Over Brewer: Cafec Flower Dripper, Yasukiyo Wooden Dripper, Chemex 8-cup, Hario Woodneck
Espresso Machine: 1979 La Pavoni Europiccola, 2023 Londinium Vectis
The Grinders
Electric Grinder: Niche Zero, Baratza Encore
Manual Grinder: 1zpresso K-Max
The Precision
Scales: Timemore Black Mirror Basic, Brewista Smart Scale II
Manual Tamper: Pullman Big Step
Distribution Tools: Pullman Wedge
WDT Tool: Cafe Fabrique 3D Printed MDT Tool
The Accessories
Carafe: Hario V60 Olive Wood
Portofilter Basket: Pullman 876 20g
Milk Pitcher: JoeFrex Copper, Motta Europa Milk Pitcher (250ml)
Knock Box: Cafelat Tubbi
Portofilter: Wenge Handled Portafilter
Kettle: Fellow Stagg EKG
Cups: Locally Hand-Made Ceramics, Lovepresso Latte/Capp Cups, Coffee Addict Latte/Capp Cups
The Future
I owned (and loved) a Rocket Cellini espresso machine and Quamar M80 grinder from 2015-2021. Most days my wife and I enjoyed milk based drinks with latte’s and cappuccino’s the primary choices! I only sold the machine to change things up as I’m becoming more interested in manual brewing processes and lever espresso machines.
I’m very happy with my current setup with the Vectis and Niche as the centre pieces. This combo makes consistent, delicious espresso and milk based drinks. Hard to ask for anything more when you have your favourite cafe in your front living room! I feel truly blessed to have a setup like this!