Four perspectives on the daily practice of coffee at home
As much as we enjoy the experience of our favourite cafés, there is a particular intimacy to the coffee we prepare and enjoy at home.
Within the home, coffee becomes part of the rhythm of the day. A dedicated corner, a favourite cup, a preferred method or a simple morning cadence can transform an everyday act into something more meaningful.
For this Spatial Record, we invited four guests to share their relationship with coffee at home: the spaces where it begins and the moments that surround it.
Across different homes, cultures and creative disciplines, each offers a personal interpretation of this familiar part of daily life and the quiet place it holds within it.
Meet our guests
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Christophe Kuemmecke
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Yunji Yi
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Wouter Kaan
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Rania Abboud
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01 / How would you describe your coffee corner? What does it consist of, where does it sit within your home and what does it mean to you?
Christophe
The coffee corner really emerged through a shared practice with my partner and, more broadly, as part of the renovation of our kitchen.
We renovated the kitchen selectively and designed a USM module specifically for a dedicated coffee corner. There, we created a setup tailored to our preferences, featuring our favourite espresso machine and grinder by Zuriga, a Swiss brand that designs and manufactures its machines in Switzerland.
The setup encompasses everything we need for preparing coffee and has become an integral part of our daily practice.
Yunji
Our coffee corner is naturally nestled at one side of the kitchen, looking directly out towards the backyard.
At the centre sits a soft blue La Marzocco Linea Micra paired with a Pico grinder, accompanied by our favourite ceramic cups, a vase that always holds fresh stems, and the coffee beans we are currently enjoying.
Because we spend a significant amount of our time at home, this dedicated space serves as the anchor for our daily rhythm. It is a grounding spot where our mornings begin, as well as a quiet pause for rest throughout the afternoon.
Wouter
Our coffee corner is an important space in our home. It sits right next to the kitchen and is the first place I go every morning.
It is a Tylko system that fits perfectly, with a TipToe shelf added for a little colour and a place to keep all our beans on display.
Rania
This is my summer coffee corner, although it is really a well-organised drawer.
It holds a Hario drip kettle, a few moka pots with a Bialetti induction plate, a French press, a handmade ceramic V60 dripper with matching plate and ceramic cups, filters, a grinder, and a small collection of beans for everyone, including Arabic coffee.
02 / What has influenced its design and arrangement? What is your favourite part and how has the setup evolved over time?
Christophe
The USM module, configured as a coffee station, creates a deliberate contrast to our oak kitchen through its minimalism and understated, almost architectural character.
At the same time, its robust construction, clean lines, proportions and carefully considered combination of drawers and compartments allow it to integrate seamlessly into this particular corner of the kitchen.
We also have a matching USM trolley, which provides additional space for ceramics and other kitchen accessories.
At the centre of the kitchen, by contrast, is an Alvar Aalto setup that serves as the main gathering point and, in many ways, the heart of the space. This is where we have breakfast, enjoy our coffee, read magazines and newspapers, but above all, where many of our conversations take place.
Yunji
Our kitchen was designed around soft ivory and warm yellow tones, with a blue light fixture serving as a subtle accent.
When I first came across the light blue La Marzocco machine, I knew instinctively that it would harmonise seamlessly with the space.
Surrounding the machine with objects and pieces I genuinely love is what made this my favourite corner in the house.
Even with time, it has always held the very same place, offering a quiet and familiar comfort every day.
Wouter
I have always had a dedicated coffee station in my apartments, so most of it has found its place over time.
I used to prefer very clean, minimal and monotone spaces, but over the years I have leaned towards a few bolder accents. The chrome Panthella lamp adds some warmth, especially in the darker months.
The kettle and pour-over gear live on the left, the espresso machine and grinder on the right.
My favourite part right now is the new machine, a Fellow Espresso Series 1. I cannot wait to level up my espresso again and dive into shot profiles and everything that comes with it.
Rania
Every summer I spend a month in Bois de Boulogne, a mountain village in Lebanon, with five close friends and our four dogs.
The closed drawer keeps everything clean, as the doors and windows are always open.
The variety of brewing methods reflects our personal tastes; the selection of beans is shaped by our recent travels.
In the drawer you will find Tanzanian beans, Armenian roasted beans, and a personal favourite: beans from Baarbara Estate in Chikmagalur, India, which I pick up from Blue Tokai when I visit.
03 / Take us through your process. How do you usually prepare coffee at home?
Christophe
We usually have a coffee together in the morning before turning to our respective professional lives.
We both work from home, so this moment has naturally become part of our daily rhythm. In the afternoon, we often have another coffee, and the weekends tend to follow a similar practice.
The afternoon coffee, in particular, gives us the opportunity to consciously indulge in our shared passion for print media.
When it comes to espresso beans, we generally source them from our local coffee dealer in Berlin. My partner is originally from Warsaw and travels to the Polish capital regularly, so from time to time he brings back different varieties of espresso beans for us to try.
We enjoy exploring them together and allowing ourselves to be inspired by new nuances and flavours.
I generally take my time when preparing coffee. I put on some of my favourite music and enjoy the entire process: the sound of the grinder, the subtle workings of the espresso machine, and above all, the wonderful aroma of freshly ground coffee.
The slowform Arita coffee cups are also an integral part of this practice. They are the perfect size for a cappuccino and fit beautifully into our collection of coffee cups, which we have gradually assembled from different places around the world.
Yunji
The process of preparing coffee is where we truly discover and refine our personal taste.
We love exploring whole beans from various roasters, taking in the aroma first with quiet anticipation and experiencing how subtle shifts in the brew bring out different notes.
On slow mornings, we take our time preparing a clean filter coffee to pair with fresh bread.
In the afternoons, when we crave a sweet pause, we use our espresso setup to craft anything from a concentrated shot to a textured latte, tailored to whatever dessert we are enjoying.
Wouter
In the morning I start by weighing the beans, usually something Colombian, as I have never had a bad one.
I like to keep a few bags open at once so we never run out, and it keeps things a bit more fun.
Usually it is from a local coffee roaster, as we have some really proper ones here in the Netherlands: A Matter Of Concrete, Ripsnorter and Friedhats are our favourites.
18 grams in, 300 grams out, in about three minutes.
The Hoffmann recipe works just as well on the FLO as it does on the V60, and with the FLO you can shift the flow dynamics, grind coarser and still get a proper extraction.
That is the part I really enjoy experimenting with.
Rania
I am usually on coffee duty.
Five of us drink coffee, so when we all wake up together, I turn into a part-time barista, luckily not every day.
Our second morning cup is usually served with a traditional Lebanese breakfast and freshly laid eggs; later in the day, it is Arabic sweets.
04 / Where does the joy of making and drinking coffee lie for you, and how does it shape the hours around it?
Christophe
Making coffee has become a way of briefly pausing and knowing that I have this moment entirely to myself, or to share with my partner.
These moments are often shaped by conversation, but they can also be about simply turning our attention to other things: reading, looking out the window, or just being present for a while.
There is a certain sense of idleness to it, in the best possible way.
It is a small practice of doing nothing in particular, of simply pausing before letting the caffeine kick in and getting on with the day, whether in the morning or in the afternoon.
At the same time, it gives me a sense of routine and rhythm.
There is something comforting about tending to this small, everyday practice slowly and deliberately, and making a little space for it in the course of an ordinary day.
Yunji
For us, coffee is far more than a routine drink.
It is a culture and a continuous source of everyday inspiration.
Exploring different coffees feels like encountering diverse cultures, and it naturally becomes a medium for connecting with others.
We love welcoming guests into our home and sharing a carefully brewed cup, introducing our taste through that simple gesture.
It also connects us to roasters, where buying beans often turns into inspiring conversations about coffee and craft.
At the same time, coffee is remarkably sensitive. On days when we are rushed or tired, that subtle shift is directly reflected in the cup.
In that sense, making coffee is both an energising practice and a quiet mirror of our physical rhythm, grounding us and setting the right tone for the hours ahead.
Wouter
It is quite essential to me.
It is the time my girlfriend and I get to spend together before we head off into our own days.
When I work from home, I use it to experiment a little with different methods or beans, and at the weekend we usually walk to our local bakery for something sweet to go with it.
There are not many days we skip our morning coffee.
Rania
Making drip coffee is a form of mindful movement and meditation, especially when preparing several cups.
It is a way of slowing down: stop, resume. A good coffee takes time to make.
I take the time needed, and my friends have grown used to waiting for their first cup. Drinking our coffee together, surrounded by our dogs, is one of my favourite summer practices.