A Woodworker Sketched a Coffee Station on Paper, Then Built the Whole Thing From Maple
The first version of this coffee station fit on one page of a spiral notebook. Pencil lines mapped out a base cabinet, drawer, doors, countertop, and five shelves set at different heights above it.
Reddit user u/thesamgreen took the plan into the workshop, building the cabinet and staggered wall shelves from maple. He later shared construction photos after other woodworkers asked to see more of the project.
The finished station puts the coffee machine, grinder, kettle, and scale across the worktop, with mugs and pour-over equipment on the shelves above. The finished setup stays close to the arrangement first drawn in the notebook.
Pencil Sketch Set the Cabinet and Shelf Layout
The drawing places a single drawer above two cabinet doors, with a work surface at counter height. Five shelves climb the wall above it instead of forming matching horizontal rows.
Measurements written beside the shelves range from about 5.5 inches to 14 inches, while vertical supports connect shelves at different points. The final installation follows the same staggered arrangement shown on the page.
Plywood Formed the Cabinet Box
The cabinet took shape as a plywood carcass with an open lower compartment and a separate section for the drawer. Clamps hold the upper box during assembly, while the front remains open for the face components.
A horizontal rail divides the drawer from the cabinet below. The construction also leaves room for a full worktop across the finished piece rather than treating the cabinet as storage alone.
Black Pulls Contrast With Natural Maple
The drawer front and doors use frame-and-panel construction, with the maple grain left visible across the rails, stiles, and recessed centers. Slim black bar pulls provide the only dark finish on the cabinet.
The builder identified the wood as maple and said he used Sherwin-Williams pre-catalyzed lacquer as the clear finish. No stain covers the grain or changes the wood to a darker tone.
Drawer and Double Doors Divide the Front
The completed cabinet has one wide drawer across the top and two doors below it. Vertical pulls meet near the center of the doors, while a horizontal pull marks the drawer.
Maple boards frame lighter center panels, giving the front depth without adding another material or paint color. A recessed base raises the cabinet body above the floor.
Cabinet Depth Creates a Full Coffee Work Surface
Viewed from the side, the cabinet has enough depth to support more than a coffee maker. The top extends across the full case, creating space for several pieces of brewing equipment once the cabinet reaches its place against the wall.
The side remains plain maple plywood, leaving the detailed frame-and-panel work on the front. That difference keeps the construction visible rather than making every face identical.
Staggered Shelves Were Built as One Wall Arrangement
The shelf pieces were laid out in the shop in much the same arrangement drawn in the notebook. Long and short maple shelves cross three vertical supports, creating separate levels rather than one stack of equal shelves.
Rounded front edges soften each shelf, while the supports extend past some of the shelf intersections. The uneven lengths leave open wall space between levels for taller coffee equipment and mugs.
Finished Station Keeps Brewing Gear in One Place
Installed against a green wall, the cabinet becomes the base for the brewing setup. A coffee machine, grinder, kettle, and scale occupy the worktop, leaving cups, a Chemex, filters, carafes, and other pieces on the shelves above.
The final arrangement stays close to the notebook sketch, down to the long top shelf and shorter levels branching from the vertical supports. What began as measurements around a pencil drawing now fills the wall from the cabinet top to the highest row of coffee gear.
Add a Coffee Poster to the Wall
Open wall space around a coffee station can also hold art tied to what happens at the counter. A printable coffee guide can be framed above the cabinet or beside the shelves, adding espresso, cappuccino, latte, cold brew, and other drink references without taking up worktop space.
Homedit’s coffee poster collection started with hand-drawn drink sketches before becoming the finished illustrated guide shown here. Print it, add a frame that works with the cabinet hardware or wood, and use it as part of a home coffee setup.
Would you use the open wall for more shelves, a coffee poster, or leave it clear?
Image credits go to reddit user u/thesamgreen.