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Designing a kitchen for coffee

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  • TampIt
    replied
    Originally posted by highlands View Post
    Hello everybody,

    I too am in a position of designing a kitchen, with coffee high up on the design brief.

    My question fits into this thread, but takes a bit of a turn. It is really early in the design phase, colours an materials early.

    I've had previous coffee stations on timber painted with white enamel, and another on stainless steel. The white enamel is no longer white, which brings me to the reason for this post.

    Can anyone add any pro's and con's when it comes to maintaining their bench tops in general, and more specifically at the espresso machine?

    concrete
    white ceasar stone
    timber
    acrylic

    and if there is any "stay away at all costs" I would really appreciate the feedback.
    G'day highlands

    Some pointers that may help.

    1) Always power it and plumb it in from below. At least one "computer hole" for the plumbing (amazing how much quieter my 2 group La Pavoni was when the rotary pump was under the bench!) and another quite separate one (or two - I hate messy cords on a bench) for the power. The only working alternative I have seen is to have a gap all along the back - and then watch everything fall down there... In my case I had the extra plumbing for a second machine added at the time - and needed it far more often than I thought I would.

    2) Have a sink nearby or (ideally) integrated into the setup. That was my main mistake at that time... ouch! Ditto a bar fridge near / underneath the setup for the milk (I got that right).

    3) The best finish I used was granite with a Lamipanel backdrop (the thick version of Laminex) which you could write on with a whiteboard marker and rub off with a single wipe from a rag. Looking at JamesM setup, I reckon Caesar Stone and glass would be at least as practical if not better looking.

    4) Always allow plenty of space above the setup. It is amazing how many times I needed to fill some new bit of gear up from above and lacked adequate "top access" to do it. I am tall enough to have a high, narrow cupboard next time or perhaps a narrow "open display" setup. I will never have deep cupboards just above the setup again: a constant PITA plus the odd bruised head...

    5) I had full width, quite deep (150mm) drawers directly under the setup: They really worked well for spare baskets, tampers, cups, glasses etc. I used dividers, however that is simple to add later.

    6) Allow more width than you think you need. Even if nothing else, there is always a fellow CSr who drags in their new xxx machine for you to try.

    7) An island bench works well if you wish to converse with your guests and (perhaps, or is that hopefully) show them how to make better coffee.

    Good luck with whatever you decide.

    TampIt

    Leave a comment:


  • tobeanornottobean
    replied
    I have ceaser stone and find its really easy to keep clean. It's not pure white, more of a composite, but the material seems to withstand grinding, dosing, spillage, etc.

    Leave a comment:


  • highlands
    replied
    Hello everybody,

    I too am in a position of designing a kitchen, with coffee high up on the design brief.

    My question fits into this thread, but takes a bit of a turn. It is really early in the design phase, colours an materials early.

    I've had previous coffee stations on timber painted with white enamel, and another on stainless steel. The white enamel is no longer white, which brings me to the reason for this post.

    Can anyone add any pro's and con's when it comes to maintaining their bench tops in general, and more specifically at the espresso machine?

    concrete
    white ceasar stone
    timber
    acrylic

    and if there is any "stay away at all costs" I would really appreciate the feedback.
    Last edited by highlands; 18 January 2016, 10:31 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • ArtW
    replied
    Well, its over 15 months after my original post but finally the new kitchen is in with dedicated coffee area as well as new machine, grinder etc ... and I'm loving it. The only thing left is the installation of the black glass splashback which should make it look even better but make it harder to photograph. The new machine/grinder is a huge difference over my Silvia / Sunbeam setup that I've used for the 7 years previous.
    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • tehekho
    replied
    I didn't - but I'm talking about my Fridge/Icemaker...

    Leave a comment:


  • danzx6r
    replied
    I let the landlord put me off plumbing my machine.... lol

    Leave a comment:


  • brettreaby
    replied
    Hey James.
    Drilling through granite etc is not as hard as you think. I purchased a diamond studded hole 40mm for about $45.
    Drilled slowly and also pour water over the bit and it's a snap.
    So don't let the hole in the bench top put you off plumbing in your machine.

    For me having plumbed in has been a huge step up and
    I love it. Your setup deserves it!

    Leave a comment:


  • saoye
    replied
    Although I did make the work bench underneath, it's just two ikea shelves glued and screwed into the stack of wine racking...which are permanently glued together and chained to the iron bracing of the red gum for stability.

    Leave a comment:


  • saoye
    replied
    Hi scootagal, I wish I had the talent or patience. The amount of sanding and lacquer on this old red gum bench is impressive. No I bought it from a church auction and it was actually made by one of their congregation decades ago. It really is a show piece in the living room.

    Leave a comment:


  • scoota_gal
    replied
    Some great kitchen set up ideas, fellas!

    James, I love the idea of using the splashback as a place to write up what you're currently brewing. Very cafe' style!

    Saoye, did you make the coffee bar yourself? I like the timber bench and was thinking of a similar style myself.

    Leave a comment:


  • JamesM
    replied
    Originally posted by saoye View Post
    Alternatively if you have a large enough living area you could set up a mobile bench or a semi-permanent bench like this.
    a mate of mine did this too. It's a great alternative, but I'm so messy, I gotta have a sink nearby!

    Leave a comment:


  • JamesM
    replied
    Originally posted by ArtW View Post
    Wow James, that's a great setup. Its actually similar to that proposed by the architect with over-top cupboards and cupboards or drawers below. Looking at your pic has given me a couple of new ideas including the lights and having the powerpoints on either side. I also like the glass splashback you can write on. However, given that it takes away from cupboard space, my wife won't allow an area as wide. Do you know what the dimensions (height, width, depth) are?
    Thanks, it works well. One side for espresso purposes and the rest for other brewing. Neither is more favoured, I brew all kinds of methods.

    The size of this bench area is 600 deep, 700 high (to the bottom of the cabinets), and 1600 wide. The two lights are LED. I remember it cost me an insane amount to have the lights done when the kitchen went in, there are two others on the other side where the cooking area is. I did 2x 2-GPO sockets on this bench, the other bench has the same (for cooking appliances, phone, etc). The left side of this bench has the grinders and Giotto plugged in. The right side is for a kettle or whatever else I need at the time.

    The glass splashback is fun. I never originally wrote on it. I've only been in this house a year now since we finished building it. I came up with the idea a few months ago to write on it with a whiteboard marker, it works great and is more a novelty.

    Here's a pic with some cupboards and drawer open. The other cupboards have other glasses/cups, etc. These are the coffee-dominant ones. The drawer holds stuff I use every day. Scales, the actual coffee, scoops, brushes, cleaning products, tampers, filter paper, etc. The cupboards house brewing devices, vessels, pouring kettles, etc.



    An understanding wife helps, and I usually keep the right side of this area fairly tidy so it can be used for other purposes if need be (making tea, a sandwich, etc).

    Clean coffee brew bar = happy wife! She doesn't drink coffee either!

    Leave a comment:


  • saoye
    replied
    Alternatively if you have a large enough living area you could set up a mobile bench or a semi-permanent bench like this. My wife reclaimed her kitchen bench and this was my solution! She was happy with the look (as well as getting her bench space back) and I am happy with the additional space I gained.
    I find I can talk to the guests and make them coffee at the same time without having to turn my back to them. Be sure to have good lighting above though.

    Click image for larger version

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  • danzx6r
    replied
    Just make sure she leaves you an extension cord. A couple days of that shit coffee and you'll be back. Lol

    Leave a comment:


  • ArtW
    replied
    Originally posted by danzx6r View Post
    Coffee machine, a sink, a bench top, a cupboard for glasses, plates and dry food, a fridge for milk and cheeses and a phone for ordering dinner. What more do could you need??? Maybe a dishwasher and a bin.
    Ha, I like. Only problem is that if my wife doesn't get her new ovens I may return home to find my machine and grinder on the nature strip and an Aldi pod machine in their place Seriously, she wants to spend almost as much on the ovens as I want to spend on the coffee equipment!!!

    Leave a comment:

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