Backstory:
2020 has been a crazy year but something unexpected happened, I found my partner and got married! Out of all years to fall in love it surprised us both that it was this one. Zach and I met on Bumble and got to go on a few AMAZING dates before quarantine hit. Our first date was special in that it was a breakfast date (my favorite) and we loved talking so much that we ended up driving for hours along the beach. While in quarantine, we Facetimed twice a day and did a great marriage app called Lasting which really helped us set the foundation of our relationship and showed us that we have the same values and view for marriage. Our relationship grew stronger through that and we were ready to commit. After many roadtrips and adventures together he proposed!
We got an apartment together and I moved in first until we officially got married so I had some time for a secret project. We love coffee shops and joke about opening one together one day called “Hand in Hand Coffee” since we both treasure the idea of partnership in marriage. As I was decorating our new apartment I pondered what to do with this awkward little area and one day I was scrolling through Pinterest and saw this photo which sparked the idea of a Coffee Shop Bar.
The Plan:
After the initial idea to create a Coffee Bar in our apartment, the planning started! I used Milanote to plan everything (seriously my fav tool for everything from wedding planning to work and now this project) and mocked up all the items in Photoshop. This was my vision:
After realizing how photogenic this project was becoming I decided to reach out to some brands to partner with, in this project. I genuinely LOVE all the brands involved and they really made this amazing final result possible. Although many of these products were sponsored, I would support and buy from these brands regardless. I’ll share a little more about them below and if you want to see all the products quickly just scroll to the bottom.
The Process:
Part 1:
@lorina.daiana Part 1 of making a #coffeeshop in our apartment! Go to @gracebelle on Instagram to view products. #renovation #coffeebar #diy
Shelves:
First up was installing the shelves on the back of the kitchen cabinets. First I purchased these renter-friendly shelves from Amazon but I didn’t quite love them. They were too thick and I didn’t think they would stay on the cabinet. They need a little room to bend so those are best for a wall.
I asked my dad for advice and he recommended these slim shelves from Home Depot. Unfortunately, these ones we had to drill in the cabinet so it’s not as apt friendly but we ended up only making 4 small holes which we’ll patch up later.
Coffee Shop Sign:
Next up was coming up with a sign idea. I spend HOURS online to find the hands illustration for the logo and after tweaking this one a bit it seemed perfect. Zach and I always say “hand in hand” when we’re going through something difficult or even something fun. Throughout our lives, we’ll be hand in hand together through the highs and lows. I knew I had to name our coffee shop that and I’m so happy with how it turned out.
I found these acrylic sheets at Home Depot (they have so many sizes) and I ended up cutting it down into a square. Don’t do what I did and actually buy the cutter that is meant for these. I didn’t know they had one until after I spend 2 hours with a box-cutting knife cutting this down haha.
I peeled the backside of the covering off and left the other cover on it while I spray painted the back with white. You can do any color here. My mom has a craft room (it’s the best) and she was able to print the logo on vinyl with her Silhouette machine. You can always look on Etsy for custom prints like that if you don’t have access to that machine. After that, I lined it up and pressed it on the sign.
I hung up the sign with double side velcro tape which I will also use later for the DIY menu board. *Quick tip – use the scissors they include because you will ruin your scissors trying to cut the sticky velcro.
Part 2:
@lorina.daiana Part 2 of Making a Coffee Shop in our Apartment! #coffeeshopbar #coffeebar #coffee GraceBelle.com/blog to view products
♬ The Office – The Hyphenate
Spoonflower Wallpaper:
I wanted the coffee bar to look like it had tile and after researching I came across Spoonflower’s removable wallpaper. This made the BIGGEST transformation and it was so easy to do. The hardest part was lining up the pattern but with a friend, I was able to do it in a few minutes. You’ll want to first clean the surface, then peel a little bit at a time as you stick it on and lastly, cut the excess (I used a box cutter for this). Spoonflower also send a tool to press it down and smooth out any air bubbles. It’s by far my favorite part of this project and it made the bar area a center point. It also has a nice texture to it and feels so high quality.Countertops:
I knew I wanted to make the countertop look like marble and it’s something I’ve done in the past as well. I used this marble paper from Amazon and although it’s not the best quality, it does make it look better. You can also peel this off when you move out and it won’t damage the countertops.Part 3:
@lorina.daiana Part 3 of Making a Coffee Shop in our Apartment! #coffeeshopbar #coffeebar #coffee GraceBelle.com/blog to view products
♬ original sound – Lorina Daiana
DIY Menu board
I spent hours researching how to make a menu board. I looked into purchasing one but everything was over $400 which seemed way too much for a home project. After strolling through Home Depot I came across these perfectly sized slats. I bought 7 and realized if I hang them with velcro strips it leaves a little room between the wall and the slat for the letters to sit on. I made the letters with these vinyl stickers and attached them to this clear plastic. Then I cut the plastic to each letter’s size and voila! For the menu, I wanted to add a little surprise so I displayed our love story in numbers. First, it started with 1 Corinthians 13:4 which describes what love is, after that the next 4 items were important dates in our life (first time we talked, our first date, when he asked me to be his girlfriend, and when he proposed). November 22, 2020 was our wedding so I had to add that in, and lastly we moved in together so I ended it with the verse “As for me and my house we will Serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24.15. I recommend playing with those numbers to make it special for you!Part 4:
TIKTOK video coming soon, follow @Lorina.Daiana on TIKTOK to see it first
Coffee Maker
Zach and I drink a lot of coffee so I wanted to make sure we got one that we can really use for a long time. After researching and watching many YouTube videos I decided to get the Breville Barista Touch and we’ve been using it daily since. We absolutely love it and highly recommend it if you love coffee as much as we do.
Coffee Accessories
COFFee syrup
Baked Goods
Part 5:
TIKTOK video coming soon, follow @Lorina.Daiana on TIKTOK to see it first
Decor Items
I had this letterboard for a while and thought it would be fun to do different coffee puns on it. Another find I came across in Crate & Barrel is this cute Pinkie Promise Candle.
I really wanted this Eucalyptus Plant from IKEA but unfortunately for me, it was sold out before the surprise. The vase I got was from Michaels in the sale section and that is also sold out.
Coffee & Tea
For coffee and tea I went with two amazing brands that give back to charities for humanity. Scroll down the page to learn a little more about these two gems. Lion & Lamb sponsored coffee and Big Heart Teas Co, sponsored the tea.
Part 6:
TIKTOK video coming soon, follow @Lorina.Daiana on TIKTOK to see it first
Table & Chairs
No coffee shop is complete without a seating area! If we look back at the reason I started this whole project it was to make this space usable. We needed a seating area that wasn’t with bar stools. I found this coffee table and chairs on Wayfair and they’re the perfect addition. We’ve been having dinner at this table set and I’ve had many zoom meetings here. They’re pretty comfortable and we’ve even been thinking of getting two more chairs for the future. The table is super heavy and sturdy and it came in two boxes!
Before
After
The Products:
Spoonflower Wallpaper
Spoonflower is the first company of its kind, Spoonflower was launched in 2008 in Durham, North Carolina with the dream of empowering individuals to create, print and sell their own artwork on fabric, wallpaper and home decor. Today, the Spoonflower community has grown to over 4 million creative individuals who use their own designs and the Spoonflower Marketplace to make curtains, quilts, clothing, accessories, furniture and so much more. And, with more than 1 millions designs available! I found this beautiful removable woven tile print that was PERFECT for my vision and I was happily surprised by its quality (I love touching it, the texture is so nice). They have so many options for Faux Tiles to choose from so you can find the perfect option for you.
Lion & Lamb Coffee Beans
Lion & Lamb quickly became our favorite coffee shop with the best name and logo, sweetest owners, and cutest decor. Not only is their coffee Fair Trade Certified & Organic, they also give 100% of their profits (from their beans) to different charities to help people all over the world. Their coffee shop is located in Costa Mesa, California and definitely worth visting. Take a look at my TikTok of it:
@lorina.daiana♬ Like a Lion – Mark Forster
Big Heart Tea Co
I didn’t know about Big Heart Tea Co until I saw them on a shelf in Crate & Barrel. I was thinking about adding tea to our coffee shop for those guests who don’t like coffee and the same day I found them! The cute packaging caught my eye right away and I just had to look them up to learn more. I was happy to discover that it’s a woman-owned company and they focus highly on quality and humanity. If you have a second I recommend watching their video on this page.
Created Co Coffee Mugs
We love Created Co! Created Co is a brand we’ve partnered with many times in the past for their cute coffee mugs but I was surprised to learn that they launched a Coffee Shop collection. The Grace Belle Team is a big fan of Created Co and its founders. It seems almost every coffee shop we go into we find mugs from them. It’s cool to see a small brand succeed so much and we’re constantly rooting for them.
Church Street Designs
I found Church Street Designs through TikTok and so happy I did because it adds the perfect details to the coffee shop. I got four of these Syrup bottles for the coffee bar and we’ve been using them daily. Sarah also makes labels for things like soap bottles, spice jars, laundry bottles and so much more.
The rest of the products are not sponsored but many are affiliate links. As usual, we wouldn’t recommend anything we don’t love ourselves.
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