Trend Alert: The Rise of the Home Café – More Than Just a Cuppa
6 May 2025
By
demi
Trend Alert: The Rise of the Home Café – More Than Just a Cuppa
The internet has seen its fair share of home-based entertainment trends, but the latest one is easily one of our favourites. The Home Café trend is all about transforming your kitchen or dining area into a cozy café setting — even if only for a morning or afternoon.
There’s something incredibly satisfying about crafting the perfect cuppa at home — not just for the taste, but for the ritual, the aesthetic, and the vibe. This is the heart of the Home Café trend: a global movement that fuses coffee culture with creativity, comfort, and personal style.
It’s about more than just convenience — it’s about curating your own café experience. Think: signature mugs, milk frothers, dainty pastries, delicate latte art, and soothing playlists. The atmosphere is just as important as the espresso.
This trend really took off during the pandemic, when lockdowns turned many coffee lovers into amateur baristas. Platforms like TikTok helped it go viral, with creators like South Korea’s @b_.recipe sharing soft-toned, minimalist videos that made coffee prep feel like a form of self-care. In Chicago, @natebakedthis bakes pastries from scratch and crafts custom drinks for weekend guests at his café at home.
Think of the Home Café as a fun alternative to hosting a sit-down dinner or a braai — a lovely way to entertain friends mid-morning or in the late afternoon, especially when it’s chilly outside. Generation Z has embraced this trend to a tee — or should we say, to a coffee?
Is Home Café the same as Café Core?
Not quite. Café Core is a more permanent fashion and interior design aesthetic inspired by coffee shops with cozy spaces, relaxing lo-fi music, and the comforting smell of coffee.
Home Café is more occasional, hands-on and experience-driven — it’s about recreating the look, feel, and flavour of a café right in your own kitchen. You can absolutely add Café Core-inspired touches to your coffee shop at home — like tables with newspapers and magazines, comfy seating with throw pillows, and ambient lighting — anything that invites your guests to linger longer.
How to Create Your Own Home Café in 6 Steps:
- Choose Your Spot: A cozy kitchen nook or a styled coffee trolley will do the trick. For more guests you might want to use an entire area like the dining room.
- Gear Up: Whether you prefer an espresso machine, French press, pour-over kit, or bean-to-cup machine —serving good coffee is non-negotiable. Don’t forget milk frothers, pretty cups, enough mugs, spoons, and plates. Our Café Life Range is ideal for this.
- Make It Yours: Create a hand-written or printed menu, a custom logo, and some latté art to elevate the experience.
- Stock It Like a Pro: Syrups, spices, teas, matcha, and pastries will complete your barista setup.
- Set the Mood: Lighting, music, hosts in stylish aprons and coffee aromas go a long way in making your space feel café-like.
- Prepare for Business: Hosting, brewing, and baking can be a full-on— especially if you’re inviting all your friends and neighbours! Be prepared for a busy get-together.
Do guests pay to attend a Home Café?
Usually not. Most Home Café setups are personal, informal gatherings hosted at home. However, if you’re running it as a themed event or pop-up — like a coffee tasting — some hosts do charge a small fee to cover costs. If you are charging, then advise guests upfront that this is a paid for experience.
Is it a once-off event or recurring?
It’s totally up to you! For some, it’s a daily ritual. For others, it’s a monthly or seasonal occasion to share curated café moments with friends.
Create a Home Café with our Products:
