Mid-Century Coffee Bar on a Walnut Credenza with Art

Turning a credenza into a coffee bar frees up the kitchen and gives the dining area a purpose between meals. The art above it matters as much as the machine. Choose one large piece rather than several small ones, leaving a generous margin of wall at each end of the credenza, and hang it so the bottom of the frame sits six to ten inches above the tallest item on top. That keeps the kettle and the print reading as one composition. Pull the print’s greens into the mugs and let the walnut do the rest. Doors on the credenza hide filters and backup beans.