How To Make The Perfect Dorm Room Coffee Station

Coffee, the fuel that keeps nearly every college student sane. Making a dorm room coffee station will let you get your caffeine fix whenever you want, and save you a trip to Starbucks. While I love Starbucks, their drinks can be a little overpriced, and if you drink as much coffee as me it starts to add up. Save yourself a few bucks and make your own coffee shop. Here is everything you need to help make the perfect dorm room coffee station.

1. Coffee Machine

To have the perfect dorm room coffee station, you need a coffee machine. I recommend getting a coffee pod machine over a regular coffee pot because it’s easier to clean up and makes your coffee faster. A coffee pod machine will allow you to use both pods and ground coffee. You can get a reusable coffee pod that way you can enjoy your favorite coffee brands even if they aren’t available in pods. You can also use the coffee pod machine for hot water, so you can make other beverages as well, like tea or hot chocolate.

While a coffee pod machine is good for when you’re in a hurry, making it the ideal coffee machine for college students, sometimes you need more than just 8oz. A coffee pot is great for when you’re pulling an all-nighter, hosting a study group, or if just want a really big cup of coffee. You can have the best of both worlds with a dual coffee maker. Use the coffee pods for small cups and brew the pot when you need a little more.

2. Coffee Storage

The perfect dorm room coffee station needs the perfect place to store the coffee. Instead of leaving your coffee grounds in its original container, you could store it in a clear jar. I use clear jars with wooden lids to store both my ground coffee and coffee pods. A carousel is another great way to display your coffee pods. You’ll be able to clearly see all the flavors you have, and it’s much more appealing than a box. As opposed to a box, with a carousel you’ll be able to see when you need a refill. You can also store your coffee pods in a wicker basket. Use command strips to stick the basket on the wall to give you more space for your other coffee station items. It’ll help keep your coffee station from looking cluttered. 

3. Mugs

Mugs, mugs, mugs! You can’t have a good dorm room coffee station without mugs. I recommend getting mismatched ceramic mugs. This will help give your coffee station a real coffee shop feel, like Central Perk from Friends. This way you can buy mugs you think look cool instead of sticking with a set. These ceramic mugs are great for when you’re drinking a nice hot cup of coffee, but when you’re drinking iced coffee, glass cups look the best. I like to use glass can cups but and glass cup would work, even mason jars. I prefer to use glass cups when I drink iced coffee because it looks really pretty when you pour the creamer in. The swirls of the coffee and creamer mixing together are aesthetically pleasing. I get my glass cups from Dollar Tree, but the supply may vary depending on the store location. 

4. Condiments

To help make the perfect dorm room coffee station you’ll need some coffee condiments, like sugar, creamer, and marshmallows. If you don’t have a refrigerator in your dorm, then I recommend getting mini creamer cups since they don’t have to be refrigerated. You can store these delicious coffee condiments in clear jars. I use the International Delight creamer cups and they fit perfectly in my jars. The jars can also hold the straws and stirrers. I recommend buying chalkboard stickers to label your jars. 

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Coffee syrups are good to have too. You can order pumps on Amazon for a coffee shop look. I use gold pumps to match the color scheme of my coffee station, but you can use any color you want. I do however recommend that whatever color you decide to use, you use for all of the syrups so it stays consistent. If you decide to use the glass jars with wooden lids, then I recommend getting gold, black, or brown pumps to match the jars. Those colors would look best with the lids, and since they are neutral colors they will be easier to match with whatever color scheme you choose to decorate with. Torani and Jordan’s Skinny Syrups are my favorite brands to use because they are delicious and aren’t expensive. They both have a wide variety of syrup flavors, so you can recreate your favorite Starbucks drinks. 

5. Decor

To make your dorm room coffee station stand out, you need to decorate it. Find a theme you think looks nice and keep it consistent with all of your coffee station items. Some things you may want incorporate into your theme are wood, lights, and signs. Wood is great for a coffee shop theme. Try getting storage containers with wooden lids, or get wooden jars. Using wooden signs are a good choice too. Lights can also help make your coffee station stand out. If your coffee station is under your lofted bed, then put up some fairy lights along bottom of your bed. You could also put some fairy lights in a jar so they look like fireflies, and place it next to your coffee station. Signs are also great decorations, especially neon signs. Hanging up a neon sign will both illuminate your dorm room and bring attention to your coffee station. You can get affordable neon signs from Amazon or any craft store, like Home Goods or Hobby Lobby. This is a great way to incorporate both lights and signage to your coffee station. It’ll also make your dorm room coffee station Instagram worthy. 

Which dorm room coffee station tip was your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

Featured photo: @sherri3247 via Pinterest