The Coffee Bar: A Small Luxury Worth Designing Around

There are certain things in a home that are purely functional, and others that turn an ordinary routine into a ritual. For me, the coffee bar falls firmly into the second category.

When we designed the addition to our home, I wanted the coffee bar to feel intentional rather than like an appliance station tucked into a corner. Coffee is part of the rhythm of the morning in my house, so it deserved its own space—and its own point of view.

The cabinetry is Benjamin Moore Soot, a deep, almost-black charcoal that gives the area a sense of weight and sophistication. Against it, we chose navy blue glass tile from AKDO for the backsplash. The combination is dramatic without being flashy. The Soot grounds the space, while the navy introduces color and a subtle layer of depth.

I particularly like using darker colors in smaller, highly functional spaces. There is something about committing to a strong color in an area like this that makes it feel more like a designed room and less like a utility zone.

The backsplash was also an opportunity to bring in something reflective. Glass tile catches the light differently throughout the day, which keeps the darker palette from feeling flat. In the morning, when the coffee bar is actually being used, the space feels especially warm and atmospheric.

But ultimately, the design is about more than the finishes.

A coffee bar is a small expression of how you want your mornings to feel. It creates a place for the things you use every day instead of hiding them away. It makes a routine feel deliberate. I think that is one of the most important principles of designing a home: the everyday deserves beautiful surroundings, too.

We tend to save our most beautiful rooms for entertaining, holidays, or special occasions. But there is something much more luxurious about designing around the moments that happen every single day.

For us, that starts with coffee.

And sometimes, a little dark paint and a beautiful tile backsplash are all it takes to turn a five-minute routine into a ritual.