How to get the look of a cozy boutique café at home, without breaking the bank.
How to Style Your Kitchen So It Feels Like a Boutique Café
Imagine waking up and strolling into your kitchen, only to realize you’ve just entered your favorite little café.
There’s a warm, alluring glow from the lights and the smell of fresh coffee in the air, and perhaps a soft song playing on the sound system.
It’s mellow and cozy and totally low-key fancy. Just the way you like it!
You don’t need to drop a small fortune or redo your whole kitchen to emulate those boutique cafe aesthetics.
In fact, it’s all about invoking the mood and texture of it, or the scent, or the little things that make the space feel considered, like “How did they do it?!”
If you are ready to embark on styling your kitchen to look like your very own little boutique cafe, then take a look at this simple guide that will help you along the way!
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Start with the feeling you want
Photo by @devolpaul on Instagram. This cafe-like kitchen is a great example of how you can incorporate that warm feeling with lit candles by the window!
Before you think about colors or even furniture, decide what kind of café you like to spend your time in.
Do you like to hang out in cozy spots with brick walls and plants on every surface, or clean, modern ones that feature white tiles and fancy mugs?
Believe it or not, it is that vision which will lead you.
This is not about duplicating a restaurant, but setting a mood.
If you love the aroma of espresso, dim overhead lighting, and muted background chatter, this is the vibe.
It’s about the vibe first, not the rules of decor. Come up with an idea of what you would like to style and start from there.
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Light is everything
Photo by @visualcomfort via U.K. interior design studio @simshilditch Architect @fleming_architects on Instagram. This kitchen has those soaring ceilings that bring in the natural light, much like cafes do.
If you do nothing else, sort out your lighting.
You never see cold, bright light in a café because it kills the mood instantly.
Your kitchen light should feel like early morning sunshine or the cozy glow that comes at sunset if you would like it to emulate a cozy cafe.
Use warm-toned bulbs, rather than the bright white variety.
Suspend one or two pendant lights over your island or eating area.
Even a small lamp tucked in the corner of the counter can transform everything at night.
It makes your kitchen feel like a room you would really want to sit in with a book, not just somewhere you have to cook in every day.
And if you want to have a little fun, tuck a small salt lamp or even fairy lights beneath floating shelves or cabinets.
It provides a little bit of light to soften the feel.
Build a little ritual spot.
Photo by @dom_zwidokiemnalas on Instagram. This little coffee corner is a great example of what a cafe kitchen is all about, aka COFFEE!
This is one of our favorite things.
Scavenge an inch of your countertop to use as your morning station.
It could be coffee, tea, matcha, or whatever gives you joy.
Set the scene: Put everything you use daily in this one spot.
Think mugs, a kettle, a sugar jar, maybe even a small plant or your morning notepad.
Don’t forget to keep it organized but personal.
Include something that feels like you: a cute tray, a jar of cinnamon sticks, or a mug with something funny written on the side.
This corner is your morning ritual area, but in your little kitchen cafe, you styled it for yourself.
It’s what makes your kitchen seem like a boutique café rather than just another place to grab and go.
SEE ALSO: 10 Simple Hacks to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets
Don’t hide the pretty stuff
Photo by @lincroyable_officiel on Instagram. This is a great example of using wall space to create a cafe-like feel.
Cafés don’t hide their good stuff. They display it in a way that looks effortless. You can do that too.
If you’ve got open shelves, mix things up. Stack plates, place a little plant beside them, hang one mug from a hook, and let a cookbook lean against the wall.
You don’t want it to look perfect but just styled enough that it feels real.
And if you don’t have open shelves, grab a simple wooden board or tray and use it to show off a few things you love. A bottle of olive oil, a stack of cups, a pretty bowl of lemons.
It’s the little details that make people say, “This kitchen has personality.”
Mix textures so it feels lived in
Photo by @Interior Design & Styling melissa_hardwick_design Photography @pineconecamp and @karennicolay on Instagram. This kitchen is a great example of using textures in the lighting and brick backsplash.
You don’t have to install new cabinets or buy expensive hardware to make your kitchen feel warm.
What you really want are textures that complement one another.
If everything is shiny and smooth, it can seem cold.
Simply put a soft rug beneath your sink, or leave a linen towel nonchalantly draped over an open drawer.
Place a piece of wood next to metallic utensils.
Balance shiny surfaces with rough, natural ones, like brick, versus conventional backspash.
It is that combination which makes it feel real and used much like a real cafe.
You know how coffee shops have that layered feeling, like there’s history in them? That’s what you’re trying to recreate.
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Bring in scent and sound
Photo by @srain1016 on Instagram. We are sure those dogs are listening to some ambient music in their cafe-like kitchen!
This is the invisible line between people and coffee shops that makes them fall in love without ever knowing why. It’s the smell and the music.
Brew coffee or tea, even if you’re not going to consume it immediately.
Burn a candle that smells of vanilla, baked cookies, or cinnamon.
Or try out the old tricks: simmer a pot of water with orange peels and a dash of clove or cinnamon.
Your kitchen will smell great, and it won’t cost you anything.
And don’t forget sound. Build a short list of songs that suit your vibe.
Think quiet jazz, acoustic coffeehouse music, or soft indie cuts.
You’ll be surprised at how much it changes your kitchen vibe.
Add one thing that surprises you
Photo by @tongorachaa on Instagram. These cute display toys are such a unique way to start a conversation!
Every boutique café has something unique in there that’ll make you look twice.
Maybe it’s a neon sign, maybe it’s a mismatched chair that somehow fits perfectly, or maybe it’s art that makes no sense but totally works!
Bring that idea into your kitchen.
Hang one piece of unexpected art above the sink.
Use a vintage mirror as a backsplash.
Add a pop of color that doesn’t belong but somehow does (even to the inside of the cabinets).
It makes your kitchen feel intentional and creative and totally CAFE.
SEE ALSO: The Top Kitchen Plants for Your Health & Wellness
Let it feel imperfect
Photo by @mitten.studio on Instagram. This little add-on to the kitchen actually extends the space and is a great example of thinking outside the box!
A café kitchen should never feel stiff or showroom-perfect.
You want it to look like someone actually lives there.
Let a few mugs sit out. Keep your bread in a linen bag on the counter.
Have a vase of flowers that’s not perfectly arranged.
Add on to your kitchen with a sideboard or a little kitchen hut.
These tiny imperfections make the room feel warm and human.
The goal isn’t to be spotless. It’s to be welcoming and extremely inviting, and have out-of-the-box thinking!
Add soft touches in smart places
Photo by @neptunehomeofficial on Instagram. These barstools add just the right amount of that cafe vibe!
If your kitchen feels too “hard,” soften it.
Your kitchen always looks homier with a little rug in front of the stove.
Barstools with cushions soften the space, making it more inviting.
Even switching out paper napkins for fabric ones can serve to make it feel a little fancier, like a café that truly gives a darn about comfort.
You can also utilize curtains, dish towels, and table runners to interrupt the sharp lines in your kitchen.
That way it’ll feel less like a workspace and more like a hangout spo,t BUT in your own home!
SEE ALSO: 19 Modern Kitchen Appliances for People Who Love Nice Things
Keep what makes you happy
Photo by @nikl0w on Instagram. If you love espresso, display your machine as an added art piece like this kitchen inspired to do.
At the end of the day, what makes your kitchen feel like a boutique café is the energy you bring to it.
Keep only what you love seeing every day.
That might be your favorite mug, a pretty fruit bowl, or a framed print of a croissant you saw in Paris.
Whatever it is, let it tell your story.
When you walk into your kitchen and instantly feel calm, that’s when you know you nailed it.
SEE ALSO: 12 Easy Kitchen Organizing Ideas That’ll Save Space
Quick recap
Turning your kitchen into a boutique café is not about spending extra money or following trends that you’ll eventually have to change out.
It’s ALL about atmosphere.
Warm light, soft textures, actual smells, good music, and personal details that make the place feel like you.
Begin with the tiniest sliver and scale your way upward.
Even if you only carve out a small coffee corner, or invest in a new kitchen lamp, or play gentle music as you cook dinner, then very well!
You’re already halfway there!
Design is supposed to make you happy, not stressed.
Forget perfect. Forget what other people’s kitchens look like on Instagram.
Focus on creating a space that feels good when you walk in.
If it smells nice, feels cozy, and makes you want to sit down for a few minutes, then congratulations — you just made your own boutique café at home.
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Author: Everything Abode
Welcome to Everything Abode, your daily inspiration for every activity at home!
Our goal is to inspire you to live an elegant and chic lifestyle from the comfort of your home.
We’ll help you express yourself through authentic style, aesthetic beauty, and stylish home decor.
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