The Coffee Shop

Welcome to the Local Bean! Whether you are in need of caffeine, a pastry or fresh pressed juice, we’ve got you covered!😁 Hubs surprised me with the Coffee Shop set for Christmas 2021. I knew I wanted it to have its own space in the dollhouse but with the doll room reno in 2022 things were delayed. Now it’s complete and I can’t wait to start the photoshoots! I had the best time creating this tiny coffee shop, let’s check it out!❤️

The Coffee Shop is located directly under The Boys Rec Room and is 25” tall, 22.5” deep and 39” wide. It is the bottom “floor” in an IKEA Pax frame. I started with a lightly colored faux hardwood floor and used peel and stick faux subway tile for the walls. My choices were inspired by the Coffee Shop Set’s tile backsplash and wooden counter. In the very beginning I made a wood paneling for the lower half of the walls to mimic the set but it was too busy. I decided to go with all tile for a more industrial look. Hubs cut base for the trim and ripped it down to make it the same size as the black trim on the Coffee Shop set. We hoped this would keep a nice flow in the room.

Next came the placement of the pieces which created a challenge. This set is very neat with a lot of fun features and double sided play. For a child this is cool but in creating a doll room not so much… because you have to loose one side when adding it to a room. The shop couldn’t sit flush against the wall because the countertop made it stick out to far. I decided to take it apart to use both sides and it worked out perfectly!

For anyone interested in removing the counter from the set there is more involved than meets the eye. I unscrewed it from the set and expected it to come off but no such luck. The counter has two molded “tabs” for lack of a better word that go into the back of the set. It took the hub’s strength (I could not get it myself) and a flathead screwdriver to get it to finally come off but the “tabs” kept it from laying flush against the wall. Hubs used a skill saw to cut them off permanently.  If you choose to take yours apart, be aware that the counter is not flat on the back and that removing it may permanently damage your set.

To mount the counter to the wall, I pre-drilled holes and screwed it on. I also wanted to use the wall mural that is on the now hidden side. To accomplish that, I took a photo of it and sized it to an 8×10, printed it off and hung it above the counter! Now I can enjoy both sides of the set in one shot!

On the opposite side of the room I am using the World By Us Community Center Table & Chairs for extra seating. The wood colored table top is a perfect match to the coffee shop making it look like a seamless set! The menu sign that hangs above the sink is two-sided. I simply photocopied the opposite side, framed it and now we can see both sides.😊

American Girl came out with an add-on Juice Bar last fall and it became the perfect addition to finish off the coffee shop. It has its own little corner with a shelf made by hubs above it for growing wheatgrass or storing extra cups. The cardboard box that the set came in had a great “Juice Bar” graphic on it. I cut it out, copied it and framed it for the other side of the back wall. Underneath the sign I added a hook and hung an apron for when the coffee shop needs extra workers!😉

I also wanted to add a little touch that I appreciate at my local Starbucks! Grounds for Your Garden! I can go daily to my local Starbucks and pick up large bags of old coffee grounds for free. They sit nicely in a basket waiting for someone to take them home for compost. (They also help in keeping the deer away from my hostas.) I felt the dolls needed to have the same option!😉 I found this little bucket and mod podged an actual photo of the Starbucks chalkboard sign to the front. I made bags of grounds by wrapping packing peanuts (for puff) with aluminum foil and adding labels. Next to the bucket, I placed a small faux tree on a wooden block for some life and color.

The Local Bean just opened this morning and it’s already full of customers! Looks like it’ll be a popular place in the doll room!😆 I hope you have enjoyed the tour of the newest doll space.

To see more of my doll house rooms visit these posts: The Little Bitty Nursery, Felicity’s Bedroom, Courtney’s Totally Rad Bedroom, The Dollhouse Kitchen and The Dollhouse Bathroom and Laundry Room.