Farmhouse Coffee Bar Ideas: Materials, Furniture and a $65 Build

Farmhouse coffee bars are forgiving. A scratch on the wood counts as character. A mismatched mug counts as charm. A piece of furniture from a thrift store looks better than one from a showroom. That is why the style suits coffee stations so well: they get used hard every morning, and wear only helps.

The five materials that make a coffee bar look farmhouse

Farmhouse is a material palette more than a color. Get these right and the style follows.

• Reclaimed or distressed wood. The most important element. A thick plank as a shelf, a weathered cabinet, a butcher block surface. If you can see the grain and the flaws, it is right.
• Galvanized metal. Trays, buckets, tiered stands. The dull gray finish of galvanized steel says "farm" more clearly than any sign. A galvanized tray from a craft store (about $12) is the easiest farmhouse piece to add.
• Mason jars. For beans, sugar and stirring spoons. Regular mouth quart jars (about $8 for a 12-pack) with bamboo lids (about $10) look better than most branded canisters. A quart jar holds roughly a 12 oz bag of beans. The glass is clear, so keep the beans jar out of direct sun. If you want something more airtight, see the coffee canisters guide.
• Burlap or linen. A small table runner, or a burlap bag slit open and laid flat under a tray. It adds texture without adding more objects.
• Cast iron or oil-rubbed bronze hardware. On cabinet pulls, hooks and shelf brackets. Dark metal finishes look like they have been there for decades. A row of iron hooks under a shelf also makes a good mug rack.

Farmhouse coffee bar furniture that works

Thrifted furniture that you refinish just enough is the target. A full dining hutch from a thrift store is the best find. Sand it lightly, chalk-paint it cream or sage green (about $18 a can), swap the pulls for oil-rubbed bronze ones (about $2 each), and you have a piece that passes for one costing several hundred dollars new.

Before you buy a hutch, measure the gap between its counter surface and the first upper shelf. Most drip machines are 12-15 in tall and many espresso machines are 14-17 in tall and need access from the top to fill. If the gap is tight, the machine has to live on a lower side surface or the shelf has to come out. The coffee bar hutch guide goes through this in detail.

For the KALLAX route, the IKEA coffee bar page has the hack: add a reclaimed wood top and wicker basket inserts and it stops looking Swedish.

If you are buying new, search for "farmhouse buffet" or "rustic sideboard". Look for a plank-style top, X-frame or barn-style doors, and dark hardware. Those three details carry the look without a thrift-store hunt.

Three farmhouse color palettes

Classic white farmhouse. Cream or antique white furniture, natural wood shelves, white ceramic mugs, and green plants as the only color. Clean and bright, and it works in any kitchen.

Sage and wood. Sage green chalk-painted furniture, warm wood accents, cream stoneware, brass or gold hardware. More personality than white without being loud.

Dark rustic. Espresso or walnut stain on the wood, black iron hardware, dark stoneware mugs, a dark galvanized tray. Moodier. It suits dining rooms and darker kitchens where a white piece would look out of place.

DIY farmhouse coffee bar for about $65

Add a small chalkboard sign from a dollar store ($1) and battery fairy lights ($5) if you want them. One can of chalk paint covers a shelf or small table with paint to spare, so the same can will do a matching stool or frame.

The DIY coffee station guide has three more detailed builds with step-by-step instructions.

One sign, not six

The most common farmhouse coffee bar mistake is too many signs. One well-chosen sign looks good. Two is fine if they differ in size and style. Three is too many. Six looks like a store aisle.

If you want a sign, make it handmade or actually vintage. A hand-lettered sign from a local maker ($20-$40) has texture that a mass-produced one does not. Or skip the sign and let the wood, the jars and the galvanized metal do the work.

Signs, trays and the other small pieces are covered in the coffee bar accessories guide, and how to style a coffee bar explains how to arrange them so the surface still has room for making coffee.

If all this sounds like too much stuff, the modern coffee bar is the opposite approach. For more styles and rooms, browse the coffee bar ideas gallery.