I Built a DREAM Coffee Bar in My Home Office

Every corner of my home office has a purpose and coffee deserves one of its own. To make it right you need the right tools and the right space to use them. So in this video I'll walk you through how I built my own coffee bar inside my home office, turning a simple corner into something that feels calm, functional and clean. For the main coffee station I used the Vesta cabinet from Ikea, mounted to the wall using one of the rails. If you look closely you'll notice I actually flipped the board that's meant to go on the bottom and used it as the top surface. I knew I was going to cover it with a tabletop and the screw holes might come in handy later. I also decided not to close the back panel because the only power outlet on this wall would have been impossible to reach otherwise. Then I drilled a grommet hole to route all the cables and keep everything clean and organized. For the countertop I went with Ikea's Vesta top panel in oak veneer. To run cables between the cabinet and the panel I used M8 desk feet that fits perfectly into the screw holes I mentioned earlier. I also added a few adhesive silicone bumpers under each razor foot, just to keep the panel from sliding around. Since I'm going to place a heavy espresso machine on top I added some extra supports underneath to make sure that the tabletop doesn't bend over time. To evenly light up the space I got inspired by one of my favorite creators, Matthew Encina. Like him I built a DIY softbox using wooden slats, diffusion fabric, aluminum tape and a 3 meter Philips Hue LED strip light, so it integrates perfectly with the rest of my setup. I wanted to hang the structure under the Vesta cabinet but without damaging the furniture, so I had to get creative. I realized that the bottom of the cabinet already had M8 screw holes and that gave me an idea. After a few failed attempts and redesigns I finally come up with a solution. I designed a set of 3d printed brackets that could both connect the wood slats together and slide right onto those M8 screws. The softbox can now be attached or removed easily without any extra screws and without leaving a single mark on the cabinet. It's a small detail but it works like a charm. For anyone curious I print most of these parts using the Creality Hi which has been super reliable for quick and precise prints like this. I'm also planning a full makeover of this cabinet in the coming months so if you're into this kind of projects stay tuned. Now that the softbox is in place there was still one more issue to solve. The LED cable coming out from the side. To hide it elegantly I used a couple of leftover wooden wall panels from a previous project. I cut them to size and hung them on the wall using my own rail and hook system. I didn't have a full panel so I used two smaller pieces side by side. Once they're aligned you can't even tell it's not one single piece and the LED cable now runs neatly behind them. A simple solution that keeps everything looking clean and intentional. On the left side I decided to keep this Scali spec board which is super functional and gives me space to hang all kinds of coffee related accessories and the best part is I can always get creative with it. Designing custom 3d printed parts whenever I need to organize something in a smarter way. Now that the space is ready it's time to add the most important piece. The espresso machine. For this video Meraki sent me a unit to test out. The first thing that stands out is the design. It blends contemporary form with a futuristic minimal look. The materials feel solid and premium with a stainless steel and dense abs plastic throughout. At the center there is a circular touch screen that controls everything. The interface is clean, simple and easy to navigate. It packs a grinder, dual espresso scales and a smart brewing system all inside one clean unit. I pick the dose and the built-in time more grinder automatically grinds the exact weight into a magnetic dosing cup. I tamp, lock it in and the machine pulls the shot automatically stopping at the target yield every time. The included accessories are just as well considered. There's a 58 millimeters portafilter, a weighted tamper, a distribution tool and a wooden stand that keeps everything tidy and in place. If you enjoy milk-based drinks like I do these machines has you covered. The steam power is strong and milk heats to 55 degrees in just seconds. You can toggle steam pressure between gentle, medium and strong and it supports auto frothing. The wand has a built-in temperature probe at the tip so in auto mode it stops exactly when your milk hits the target temp. If you prefer manual steaming that's available as well. The wand produces smooth velvety microphone ideal for lattes or cappuccinos and good enough for latte art if you've got the skills. Daily maintenance is simple. The drip tray pulls out smoothly and has a float indicator that pops up when it's full. The grinder and hopper can be removed which makes cleaning straightforward. I've been using the Meraki for the past week and it already feels like part of my morning routine. If you want to check it out I'll leave the link below. While I'm really happy with how everything turned out I'm still waiting on a few accessories I ordered online to improve the coffee corner even more. Unfortunately they didn't arrive in time for this video but I'll definitely cover the updates in a future video when I do a full home office tour. If you enjoyed the video feel free to subscribe and if you're interested in any of the products I mentioned I'll leave all the links down below. Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next one!