For many, favorite travel memories often center around food and drink. The vibe of a particular European café, a cozy coffee shop, or the discovery of a little-known brunch spot around the corner from your Airbnb are what make travel worthwhile. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy that café ambiance every day?
With some creative design and budget-friendly touches, you can capture the charm of your favorite café without leaving the house. Below are some café-inspired kitchen upgrades you can do this summer.
Create a beverage station
Whether you’re a coffee fanatic, a wine or whiskey connoisseur, or love a mocktail, a designated beverage station for your preferred libations is a design element to consider when going for a café vibe. Built-in beverage stations, in fact, are an increasingly popular feature with prospective homebuyers, which, if you’re selling in the near future, could be an advantage.
Look for space in your kitchen that can be converted into a serving station, such as a corner counter spot, a repurposed side table, an underused cabinet, a shelf in your pantry, or anywhere that has space to accommodate your beverages of choice and their accoutrements.
A coffee station will include your preferred coffee machine, whether that’s a drip maker, pod model, high-end espresso machine, or a French press. Store beans, a grinder, syrups, spices, and mugs within easy reach. Tea drinkers can add an electric kettle to their set-up, with an assortment of tea bags or loose teas.
Likewise, consider a cocktail/mocktail setup that includes space to store wine, spirits, and other accessories, including barware and glasses. If space and budget allow, small, under-counter beverage refrigerators are a popular choice.
Add café seating
A proper home café experience also needs a comfortable spot to relax and enjoy. Take it outdoors if you have a patio, deck, or backyard area to set up a cafe table with two chairs and a small umbrella for shade, if needed. Whether you’re people-watching or bird-watching, café culture is about taking a moment to sit back and enjoy your surroundings.
Inside, focus on comfortable furniture to create a café kitchen. For eat-in kitchens, opt for a small to medium-sized bistro table with a wooden or marble top, paired with bamboo chairs featuring plush cushions and armrests, for a classic aesthetic. Tall wicker-woven bar stools at a shelf bar add extra seating. Or consider a built-in banquette bench along a wall, paired with a wooden table, which can both save space and create a bistro feel.
Use classic café design
Getting a café vibe just right boils down to details. Open shelving is having a moment right now, with good reason. In a commercial kitchen, open shelves are a functional and convenient way to quickly access cookware, glasses, and dishes. At home, open shelves are equally practical and can also be styled to show off favorite kitchen items, artwork, plants, or collectibles. Install floating shelves on a free wall, or create the look by removing a few existing cabinet doors and painting the inside of the cabinets.
Consider adding other classic café and bistro details. Stainless steel work stations are simple, sleek, and easy to clean, as are white subway tiles. Swap out a kitchen faucet with a restaurant-style flexible dish sprayer for an industrial look.
Set the mood with lighting
The right lighting sets the mood, particularly if you’re aiming for a soft, welcoming, and homey ambiance. Replace overly-bright overhead fixtures with warm lamps, sconces, and soft task lighting. Dimmable pendant lights are versatile options, as are smaller table lamps that can be strategically placed for glow and ambience. Edison bulbs, when used in appropriate fixtures, add a vintage look and feel.
For an extra DIY task lighting solution, install warm-toned LED strips or battery-operated puck lights under cabinets. Similarly, a display of string lights around a window or doorway adds an instant fairy-tale feel of whimsy.
Customize with accessories
Add traditional accessories that speak to your design style. No café would be complete, for example, without a chalkboard menu highlighting the week’s selections. Framed vintage café prints on the walls or pastoral oil paintings propped on a shelf or against a backsplash add personality.
Fabrics in traditional patterns, such as gingham, stripes, floral, chintz, or neutral linen, also add charm. Think about adding interest with table cloths, cloth napkins, seat cushions, pillows, and café curtains for the windows.
Finally, decorate with your favorite cookware or vintage pieces, such as a display of shiny copper pots and pans hanging overhead or decorative platters or plates on the walls.
Heart of the home
The kitchen is truly the heart of the modern home, and homeowners and homebuyers want a space that not only feels inviting but also encourages family and friends to gather and linger. Incorporating key elements of your favorite café with thoughtful design sets exactly the right mood.
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