Hot Ideas and Tips for Coffee and Tea Stations

No matter how cozy your home may look, it might not feel 100 percent complete if you don't have a big mug of warmth in your hands. While it sounds like a no-brainer to brew a cup of joe or fix a spot of tea, there are methods to enhancing the making of these blessed drinks.

I spoke with kitchen designer Laura Moloney-Grelli, owner of Kitchens Galore, and Wendy Anderson of Dura Supreme Cabinetry, who have a lot of thoughtful ideas on the topic. Grab a mug of something hot, snuggle into the sofa and take a look at these ideas of how you can improve your beverage experience.

Teatime. Let’s start with tea, said to be the most popular beverage in the world next to water. “I love pulling my teakettle out this time of year,” says Moloney-Grelli. “When it’s not in use, I still keep it on the stovetop as a decorative piece. It’s a welcoming sight to a guest no matter the time of day. In the morning it suggests tea, and at night it can mean a hot toddy.”


Moloney-Grelli suggests having your water and tea leaves as close to your heat source as possible to reduce early-morning effort and accidents with scalding water. “A pot filler is awesome for making tea,” she says.


Drawer inserts. Though this drawer insert is filled with utensils, it would work equally well for beverage ingredients. A drawer insert with dividers placed near the stovetop is an easy way to compartmentalize your tea stash without trying to stuff those bags and boxes into your pantry and making it a giant mess.

“I recommend using full-extension roll-out drawers that are just deep enough for a single layer of tea boxes,” Moloney-Grelli says. “This way you’ll be able to see exactly what you have without digging around or losing loose tea bags. Dedicating the entire drawer box as a tea box is a good opportunity to categorize a large collection into herbals, greens, blacks etc.”

“Drawer partitions come in fixed or adjustable styles,” adds Anderson. “Having the ability to adjust the compartments is a great way to customize your changing drink choices as they may progress throughout the season.”

Maybe you go whole hog on tea selections from your favorite shop in November, but come early December, the family is all about indulging in specialty hot cocoas. Then of course the onslaught of holiday guests may have you wanting to stock that drawer with everyone’s favorite coffee beans. Adjustable partitions allow you to keep up as necessary without anyone's having to ask you where things are.

An organized drawer allows folks to serve themselves, allowing you to look like a great host without having to do all the work.


Coffee. It’s the next most popular beverage worldwide after water and tea, but for some it’s the only beverage that matters. Period.

OK, most people wouldn’t actually give more importance to coffee over, say, the oven or fridge, but if incorporated the right way, a built-in coffee system can enjoy the status it deserves without rivaling the primary food prep and cleaning stations. “I try to avoid too many tall, bulky cabinets in a kitchen, because they take away from countertop space, but they do serve as an optimal place for a coffee station,” Moloney-Grelli offers. “To make one tall cabinet work efficiently, I'll add as much as possible to it, including a built-in coffee machine."


A built-in coffee machine is about 18 inches tall (widths vary depending on brand). An ideal place for it is at or just above counter height, depending on the user. The space above could be a pantry, while the area below the built-in appliance could be all about coffee.


“This is where I’d include a drawer for stirring spoons. Giving the drawer its own pullout counter allows it to be turned into a table. Pull up a bar stool, and you've got a cozy little bar,” says Moloney-Grelli.


Placement. “When determining where the coffee station should go, I use what I call the Uncle Ned Test," says Moloney-Grelli. "If you’re cooking dinner or cleaning up after a big meal and Uncle Ned wants to help himself to a cup of coffee, you don’t want him to get in your way.”

Both Anderson and Moloney-Grelli suggest situating a coffee station (built in or not) just outside the immediate work zone, ideally in close proximity to a seating area so it's part of the hangout zone.

How the kitchen work zone has replaced the triangle


To build in or not? While a built-in coffee machine is a cool tool to have for everyday use, it can also help you sell you house. "It adds a custom touch that buyers like," says Moloney-Grelli.


Let's call this the Uncle-Ned-Meets-the-Built-in Test. “If coffee is generally a once-a-day or less occurrence in your household, you may in fact not want a built-in coffee maker," even for parties, says Moloney-Grelli. "Those built-ins can be intimidating to guests — the Uncle Neds of the crowd — who will inevitably have to bug the host to teach them how to use it. For this scenario I'd recommend either forgoing the built-in or having a countertop coffeemaker that is pulled out specifically for such occasions.”


Appliance garages. If you prefer to go with a countertop appliance but don’t want to see it all the time, Anderson recommends storing it in an appliance garage.

This would ideally be situated at countertop height and feature outlets so there's no need to fuss with cords. “Instead of the roll-up door that looks too much like a garage for some people’s tastes, use a lift door to create an attractive look when open or closed,” she says.


This is another variation of the lift door that can add distinct character to your beverage station.


Cups. No matter what hot drink you’re offering, present it in style. Undercabinet hooks with cups can add personality to the presentation. If you’re designing a new kitchen, you can shorten the wall cabinet to 33 inches (rather than the standard 39) so the bottom of the cups won't compete with the 18-inch backsplash.


Otherwise take advantage of that appliance garage, shown here with a regular swinging door that matches the cabinetry, by adding a row of shelves for cups.


Your turn: Please show us how you've personalized your hot-drinks station in the Comments!

More: Simple Pleasures: Indulging in Teatime

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