How To Work A Breakfast Bar Into Your Kitchen Design
Once considered a luxury, breakfast bars are now becoming a staple of modern kitchen design. And for good reason, too – as a place to sit, entertain, do homework (and, of course, eat breakfast), they’re a versatile inclusion for any space.
A great breakfast bar will bring your family together in the heart of the home while keeping them out from under your feet when cooking. Many families prefer to have an informal or satellite dining area that doesn’t involve the same set-up and cleaning as the main dining table, and it’s far easier to facilitate a quick meal or snack when you have a breakfast bar kitchen design.
There are a few ways to incorporate a breakfast bar in your kitchen – we take a look at a few below.
Incorporate Into your island
Creating a breakfast bar as part of your kitchen island is a logical choice and makes your island multi-functional.
It’s great for talking to the kids over breakfast or for entertaining, as you’re able to socialise while getting on with your preparation or cooking.
With many islands incorporating a sink, this also makes clean-up easy, which in turn helps to minimise clutter and mess in your space.
It’s easy to implement a breakfast bar-kitchen island hybrid with little additional design work. Usually, an overhang or cavity built into the external face of the bench is all you need to create room for chairs or stools while keeping them out of the walkway.
This creates a secondary dining space and maximises the room you have available in your breakfast bar kitchen design.
The drop-down
The drop-down breakfast bar is a perfect space-saver for smaller homes, where a separate dining space may not always be practical.
This involves the creation of a dedicated bench space at a lower height than an adjoining bench or island. Again, an overhang creates comfortable space for knees and ensures that chairs don’t block the path to and from the kitchen.
This creates a functional and friendly spot for kids’ homework or family meals. Just a few steps from the kitchen, serving becomes a breeze.
You could even incorporate banquette seating here to conserve space further.
Go for a similar material to your benchtop to tie it in with the kitchen. Alternatively, pick a contrasting material (like wood) to break up the look.
If you want inspiration on how your final breakfast bar kitchen design will look, our exclusive design guide covers all the key complementary elements to bring your dream kitchen to life. Claim your free copy now.
Raise it up
Taking the opposite approach, a raised breakfast bar is great for breaking up your kitchen and satellite dining space.
It’s a great choice for smaller benches, as you can create an elevated breakfast bar without sacrificing any valuable preparation space.
Simply create a raised surface stemming from an existing benchtop. Again, islands or benches facing an adjoining living area tend to work best for this style of the breakfast bar.
High stools are the best seating option for this breakfast bar kitchen design.
As an added bonus, by lifting up the surface, you can also conceal appliances and hide your preparation or dishes from those passing by.
Create a new space
If you have a galley-style kitchen or your floorplan simply doesn’t allow for a breakfast bar as is, continuing the kitchen by creating a new space can be a good alternative.
This keeps guests out of your way and creates a mini-division into cooking and entertaining spaces without losing the adjacency of a breakfast bar kitchen design.
This usually involves the extension of an existing benchtop, and can be easily achieved with a simple inverse L-shape design. This can be a more cost-effective option that allows plenty of room for legs to sit comfortably underneath the surface.
The separation also gives you an opportunity to mix up your materials. Consider defining your breakfast bar with a complementary surface; for example, if your cabinetry and main benchtops are both white, then a timber breakfast bar can introduce warmth and character into the space.
Feeling inspired to add a breakfast bar to your kitchen? Let us help you make it a reality! Our friendly team of designers can be booked for a consultation online. Alternatively, visit a showroom across our locations in Sydney and the Central Coast to see examples of breakfast bar kitchen design and learn how we can bring yours to life.
