Decorating & Design
Are Coffee Bars The New Kitchen Stars?
Updated on October 16, 2025
Stunning enamel stoves and range hoods traditionally get the starring role in kitchens, but there’s been a shift towards creating a design moment with a striking coffee bar. A designated spot to make your fresh brew sparks joy and invites you to show off a well-loved coffee maker — and its barista-worthy accessories. Plus, it doubles as a self-serve drinks station when hosting friends and family. Below, see how designers seamlessly integrate coffee stations into their clients’ hardworking hubs. In some cases, they’re tucked behind pocket doors, but other options elevate them into focal points. These coffee bar stations are ones you’ll want to wake up to!
The coffee bar niche in this kitchen is a real wake-up call courtesy of the bright, aquamarine paint colour (Benjamin Moore’s languid blue, Lazy Sunday) that highlights the inset beadboard panelling.
This beautiful coffee bar goes a long way to establishing the quaint English vibe of this Quebec kitchen. The brass rail for the mugs, petite landscape and brass hardware are the perfect complement to the dramatic grey cabinets (Sico’s Wet Asphalt).
This standalone, tiled coffee bar does double duty as it separates the kitchen from the family room. Plus, boasting a glossy black backsplash with tiles laid in two distinct patterns, the bar is also equipped with a microwave and fridge drawer.
Located in a pantry just around the corner from this Vancouver home’s kitchen, this coffee bar’s substantial shelf, flat-face cabinets and swirling Caesarstone backsplash has a pared back, modern look.
The genius of the coffee bar in this Toronto home is that the TV screen practically melts into the background — and it can be closed off by pocket doors.
A hidden coffee station in this loft kitchen helps keep counters clear, plus, the pocket doors slide out of the way for full access. The wood shelf adds an artisanal touch, and it’s set high enough to accommodate appliances.
This sleek coffee station is contrasted with a subtly veined backsplash and portrait in a gilded frame, making this niche more of a design feature. The nearby mini fridge is handy for storing cream and milk if needed. (And other beverages!)
A coffee bar designed by Ami McKay features pocket doors and a base that slides out for easy use when customizing the brew.
Ceramicist Sara Wood’s kitchen has an old world vibe thanks to the heavily veined marble that backs it. The drawers pull out to make prep easier and also store plenty of coffee gadgets.
Details like reeded wood make coffee niches stand out. This cottage dining area with an integrated coffee bar is ideal for entertaining since weekend guests can help themselves, and the pocket doors hide everything away once the morning rush slows.