Caroline Feiffer is a renowned brand consultant, creative director, and freelance travel and design editor. With an eye for detail and a deep appreciation for fine hospitality, Caroline shares her passion for travel, design, and lifestyle with her dedicated followers on Instagram (@carolinefeiffer). Caroline’s love for coffee, design, and Italian craftsmanship is evident in her home, where she enjoys using La Pavoni, a brand synonymous with quality and tradition. In this interview, Caroline offers insight into her approach to creating a warm home environment, how her passion for design and coffee come together in her daily life, and why La Pavoni is an essential part of her coffee rituals.
Your love for travel and your connection to Italy are evident in many of your projects and stories. Can you tell us more about what sparked this passion for exploring new places and embracing Italian culture and traditions?
I’ve traveled much already as a young child with my family, we often went on trips and both my parents made it look so easy, we would sail, drive or fly. The trips were simple not fancy, and by that they were authentic. They let me experience countries and local cultures with an open heart, I didn’t know back then but it opened up a curiosity for the world and a passion for realness, authenticity and for meeting people where they are and to appreciate that even the simplest of settings, makes the greatest and best of memories. Growing up, Italy quickly became a favorite of mine, to me the Italian culture holds so much of what I truly appreciate, ancient history, historic architecture and buildings, a beauty in the different regions, the kindest people, extraordinary design, originality and traditions and not least a pride of their country.
In your coffee corner, you chose to include two La Pavoni pieces: the Kube Mill grinder and the Mini Cellini machine. What drew you to La Pavoni, and how do these products reflect your passion for design and quality in your coffee-making routine?
Our kitchen is the smallest room in our home in square meters, but it’s the heart of our home. It’s where we spent most time as we love to cook and have conversations in the kitchen. I designed the space together with my husband who’s a cabinet maker, he build the kitchen and made the dedicated-to-coffee corner. We’d never had a sacred place for our coffee equipment as we’d always sworn by our stove mokka pot. When looking into espresso machines for our coffee corner, we knew we wanted authenticity, a lot of modern kitchen appliances brands have espresso machines in their range of various appliances, but I am a researching consumer nerd and knew I wanted an authentic espresso machine naturally from an Italian brand, so I began researching, and found La Pavoni where the history of the invention, the family founded company and not least the minimal and sleek design was everything I had been looking for.
Your home is a testament to design and functionality, with an attention to detail that stands out. How important is it for you to choose objects that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical and functional in your daily life? How does this philosophy extend to your coffee-making rituals?
I am an aesthete first and foremost, but I am also a mother and busy with every day life and living this most optimal. So functionality is of course important to me, things are in our home for a reason, they are here to be used and this especially applies to my kitchen appliances and even more so in a machine I use every day from early mornings — where time is already tight, that said I rarely compromise on design.
Speaking of your coffee ritual, could you tell us more about your daily tradition and how coffee has become a special moment for you and your family?
I began drinking coffee back when I started my studies, back then caffe latte was very fashionable, I remember this was what everyone had, but the huge bowl of tinted brown lukewarm milk was not something for me, I actually liked coffee, the bitterness and didn’t want to hide that up in a big cup of milk, so I started drinking espressos. I have always enjoyed things in their purest form and to me there’s something refined and very elegant of the size of an espresso serving, I like the two-three sips and then you’re off to the next thing — really there’s nothing I love more than being at a lively espresso bar in Italy, with the soundtrack of spoons and porcelain clinging, ordering an espresso by the counter sip it and be on the move, it’s simply a punch of energy from the sip and the bustling scene. The first thing I do in the morning is turning on our Mini Cellini, then I softly wake up my daughter and make breakfast, when everything is ready, the last thing I do before sitting down with my family is brewing an espresso for my husband and I, it’s the perfect start of the day to us and in some way that perfect crema sends us off with a little bit of the Italy which we so endear.
La Pavoni has a rich history and a strong reputation in the coffee world. What does the brand represent to you, both as a personal choice and as a symbol of quality and tradition?
To me La Pavoni represents, tradition, craftsmanship, heritage and family, originality and authenticity while embracing modernity and elegance to fit the pressent.
What is your perspective on the connection between preparing coffee and the concept of 'fine hospitality'? How does espresso and the moments associated with it contribute to creating a welcoming and special atmosphere in your home?
I am very analytic when it comes to fine hospitality, its a habit of work. I find that the reception and the first greeting of a place, says a lot if not all about a hotel, just as the quality of the bread at a restaurant and the dessert, as this is often the first and last thing you’ll be served, it’s the “welcome” and the “see you” greeting, why these should never be neglected. This applies to the quality of the coffee as well. This is often a conversation starter “can I offer you a coffee”? So that would be a “hello” greeting the first meeting (where we all want to make our best impression right?) In our home when people stop by, the first thing we ask is, if they would like to have a coffee — it’s usually also how an evening or dinner party ends for us with an espresso, a fine ending and an introduction that shows effort to excelling.
What advice would you give to those looking to create a coffee corner that blends elegance, functionality, and a unique personality, as you have done?
We’re all different and have different routines and likings, I would start with what kind of coffee you prefer, and go from there. Design wise what fits in your kitchen? One can never go wrong with stainless steel — it’s just timeless. You can always personalize with your favorite cups on top of the machine and perhaps a shelving to hold more personal miscellaneous creating a zen space. To me simple does it so don’t over think it — choosing too complex a product/machine might result in never using it and on the contrary; too simple a product, like a capsule machine, will naturally reveal in the quality of the brewed coffee — really it’s a balance one I found La Pavoni has figured to perfection with beautiful professional small scale espresso machines.
Caroline’s approach to design, coffee, and hospitality is a beautiful reminder that the simplest moments can be the most meaningful. By blending elegance, functionality, and a touch of Italian tradition, she has created a space that invites comfort and warmth. Whether it's savoring an espresso or sharing a babyccino with her daughter, Caroline shows that the art of making coffee is not just about the drink itself but about the experience and the connections it nurtures.