6 Clever Ways to Add a Breakfast Bar to Your Kitchen
With the rise of open plan living we’ve seen more and more homeowners abandon isolated dining rooms, and instead opt for more flexible spaces that blur the lines between kitchen, living and dining.
The breakfast bar is one design feature that makes this possible – more versatile than its name might suggest, the breakfast bar ticks multiple boxes. Creating a seating area near the kitchen for guests, a spot for kids to do their homework and a dining table for an informal meal, it’s not hard to see why a kitchen breakfast bar is on most homeowners’ wishlists.
While at first glance there may not be room for a traditional breakfast bar within every kitchen layout, here are 6 innovative solutions to incorporate a breakfast bar into your kitchen design.
1. Indent into your bench
The easiest way to create a breakfast bar out of a standard bench, this simply involves making an indentation into the side of the bench or island to make room for some chairs.
This solution is a popular one, not just for its easy installation but for the way it orients those sitting at the breakfast bar to face the person in the kitchen. This way, your guests are naturally facing you while you’re cooking, meaning you can socialise (or help with homework) without constantly yelling over your shoulder.
2. Create an overhang
If cutting into the bench to create room for chairs isn’t an option, then the opposite is also possible – extending the bench to create an overhang underneath.
You can easily do this either by extending the material you used for your benches, or adding in a contrasting texture like timber to break up the look.
3. Elevate your kitchen breakfast bar
Elevating the ‘bar’ is a win-win situation. Not only do you still get to create your secondary seating area, but this solution also creates an additional surface against your benchtop – perfect for installing additional power points, or to store things like glass or ceramic jars without worrying about them falling to the floor.
And as a bonus – if you happen to choose the opposite side of your sink for the breakfast bar, you’ll also block any views of your dirty dishes.
4. Add a peninsula
If your current layout or space doesn’t really allow for a breakfast bar, why not create a new one? Not only will you get the benefits of a seating area, but you can also add some extra preparation space and maybe even some storage.
Creating a peninsula or secondary break-off bench space also gives you the flexibility to create as much (or as little) room for your breakfast bar as you want, without being dependent on the existing bench area.
This allows you to fully customise the number of seats and the depth of your breakfast bar to suit your family.
5. Opt for a wrap-around
One of our favourite ways to incorporate a breakfast bar, this wrap-around style follows the shape of your benchtop to create a secondary level of space in your kitchen.
This option is great if you are looking to add a more casual dining area into your home, as it provides plenty of space without taking away from your preparation area.
6. Extend your island
As opposed to indenting into your counter or adding an overhang, extending your island completely doesn’t cut into your preparation space and gives your guests plenty of room.
As an added bonus – when it’s not in use, think of the extra preparation space you’ll have at your disposal!
If a kitchen breakfast bar isn’t the right fit for your space, why not consider a breakfast nook instead?
A great way to make use of narrow spaces, corners or space beneath a window, breakfast nooks usually incorporate banquette seating created with custom joinery to replace a traditional table and chairs (or to maximise seating around a table).
Our 2021 Design Trends eBook covers everything you need to know for your upcoming kitchen renovation. Download it now to learn more.
