As part the remodel to our old house, I got the go ahead to plan an independent space for what my wife calls my mess. It had to fit into the theme of the kitchen and hopefully simplify the process and improve on my prior corner of the kitchen which was white counter tops covered with coffee stains.
So we agreed on a concept of seeing if we could make it look like a piece of furniture. So we came up with this design:
Basically storage on the sides. Still a bit of work to do there...we'll have fabric behind those screens and main work area in the middle. While I did allow for additional space for future growth, it was designed for the Oly as the primary machine. Here she is with my current grinder. Note my new lever handle that Les from Thor Tamper...this is a new design of his that is a tad longer with a new shape...I can't speak highly enough of this new design. Also I am trying the tray for the time being to see if I can further contain the coffee grinds....note espresso colored. Counter is granite called rivergold with has a high degree of movement to it and all shades of coffee coloring...thus all for camo...
One of the things that bugged me with the old setup was the constant view of wires. I did all under counter outlets which resulted in several arguments with our local inspectors. All cords run through the counter and the whole bar is on it's own separate breaker and there is space behind the drawers to allow everything to be flush, and allowed me to maintain the furniture look of the piece with no exposed outlets.
Next to the sink. I chose a porcelain sink with an aged copper finish. Drain is Italian oiled bronze. Nothing shows in the sink..in has a very durable finish and simple to clean...also deep enough to cool a bottle or two of wine should the wife need to commandeer my space.
For water, I went with a KWC fixture which is Swiss made to keep the Oly company. I was looking for a simple unit, cold water only with a great extension that would allow me to eliminate funnels from the process of filling the machine. The snout on this one worked perfect and allows for one hand operation with only pressing the button on top. My daughter has also found that this now acts as the water fountain in the new kitchen.
the other nice thing about the KWC is that it is from its filtered line, so we have commercial grade filters under counter that should have a 5-6 month life.
For disposal we tried several design and ended up with a false front drawer with a divided base that would hold a stainless receptacle fitted for a knockbox. The receptacle will also use plastic grocery bags, so I can get a bit of recycling from this setup as well...
Plenty of drawer space on the left for tools and cups which I am still sorting out. ( you will see a few Gaggia parts in there as I get ready to play with Dan's Achille).
And finally for the overhead. I convinced the wife that if I was finally going to master latte art that I needed some training videos. So I put in a 32" LCD on a swing arm to help me study.
And the final touch to complete the coffee theme, was the upholstery of the bar stools...just so you can be completely immersed in the caffeine theme when I pull you one. All coffee plants:
Dan came over for a trial run with this setup and things were running pretty smoothly and the Larry's Beans were flowing quite well. So again, I apologize for my absence and hopefully will get your pardon for time well spent.
Now back to future posts on tearing old levers apart.
Thanks
