Kitchen Guides
How to Squeeze in a Breakfast Bar Into Your Kitchen
A breakfast bar is a welcome addition to many kitchens, serving as a place to drink, dine, do homework, or sit and chat
Whether you’re dreaming of a bells-and-whistles kitchen island centrepiece or a more modest breakfast bar with no cupboards underneath, there are all sorts of ways to work one of these beauties into your kitchen. Check out these nine breakfast bar designs to see if any would fit into your scheme.
2. Carve out a corner of an island or peninsula unit
Forgoing a couple of units can work well on an island, too, and make for a neat seating area. This peninsula hasn’t lost much storage, but the little seating spot makes the small kitchen much more sociable.
Here’s how a kitchen island can be more than just an island
Forgoing a couple of units can work well on an island, too, and make for a neat seating area. This peninsula hasn’t lost much storage, but the little seating spot makes the small kitchen much more sociable.
Here’s how a kitchen island can be more than just an island
3. Tuck on an end
If you have a bit more space to play with, try extending the benchtop on a peninsula unit on two sides. This breakfast bar can seat two or three people around it – facing each other in a layout that’s conducive to conversation – without them getting under the cook’s feet.
If you have a bit more space to play with, try extending the benchtop on a peninsula unit on two sides. This breakfast bar can seat two or three people around it – facing each other in a layout that’s conducive to conversation – without them getting under the cook’s feet.
4. Switch materials
Zone a breakfast bar to define the seating area and give it a cafe-style feel. In this modern kitchen, a chunky slab of timber provides a pleasing, tactile contrast to the slick island benchtop, and the fact it’s raised slightly makes its separate function immediately clear.
Zone a breakfast bar to define the seating area and give it a cafe-style feel. In this modern kitchen, a chunky slab of timber provides a pleasing, tactile contrast to the slick island benchtop, and the fact it’s raised slightly makes its separate function immediately clear.
5. Blend it in
Alternatively, blend in your breakfast bar for a minimal look. Here, the white benchtop on white floor-mounted units make for a serene scheme. The trio of white painted stools barely registers against the bar and extended benchtop, creating a simple, relaxing space where timber, marble and brickwork coexist in gentle shades of white.
Learn how to clean marble countertops and tiles
Alternatively, blend in your breakfast bar for a minimal look. Here, the white benchtop on white floor-mounted units make for a serene scheme. The trio of white painted stools barely registers against the bar and extended benchtop, creating a simple, relaxing space where timber, marble and brickwork coexist in gentle shades of white.
Learn how to clean marble countertops and tiles
6. Raise the bar…
Mark out a breakfast bar by raising it up. This timber platform provides space for a coffee cup and laptop, and its height means it hides the business of the kitchen from the dining space behind.
Mark out a breakfast bar by raising it up. This timber platform provides space for a coffee cup and laptop, and its height means it hides the business of the kitchen from the dining space behind.
7. …or take it down a notch
If you don’t have room for both a table and a breakfast bar, why not try this clever idea? The lowered surface allows for standard-height seating while taking up little space. The change of colour and material define the breakfast bar, while choosing a dark wood that matches the window frames and shelf make it look less of an afterthought and more of a design detail.
If you don’t have room for both a table and a breakfast bar, why not try this clever idea? The lowered surface allows for standard-height seating while taking up little space. The change of colour and material define the breakfast bar, while choosing a dark wood that matches the window frames and shelf make it look less of an afterthought and more of a design detail.
8. Curve to create a tabletop
This benchtop rounds out at one end to form a breakfast bar that can either act as a table or extra bench space. Glossy white units were chosen to maximise the light in the small kitchen, but the oak table, along with the exposed stone pillar, gives a nod to the history of the building and complements the floorboards and oak used elsewhere in the apartment.
Locating the breakfast bar at the far end of the kitchen means diners have a view, and the large window makes the area feel less cramped. The curved ends of the units echo the table shape to link the zones.
Check out ways to create dining spots in any space
This benchtop rounds out at one end to form a breakfast bar that can either act as a table or extra bench space. Glossy white units were chosen to maximise the light in the small kitchen, but the oak table, along with the exposed stone pillar, gives a nod to the history of the building and complements the floorboards and oak used elsewhere in the apartment.
Locating the breakfast bar at the far end of the kitchen means diners have a view, and the large window makes the area feel less cramped. The curved ends of the units echo the table shape to link the zones.
Check out ways to create dining spots in any space
9. Don’t sacrifice storage
This set of drawers makes a great breakfast bar while offering a good spot to store items for the adjacent dining area, such as cutlery, candles and napkins. The fuss-free, handleless design means the drawers close to form a neat edge.
Read more:
9 of the Best Eat-In Kitchens, Big and Small
Tell us:
Have you incorporated a breakfast bar into your kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below.
This set of drawers makes a great breakfast bar while offering a good spot to store items for the adjacent dining area, such as cutlery, candles and napkins. The fuss-free, handleless design means the drawers close to form a neat edge.
Read more:
9 of the Best Eat-In Kitchens, Big and Small
Tell us:
Have you incorporated a breakfast bar into your kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below.
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Let a benchtop run further along a wall than the cupboards underneath it to create a spot to perch. Ensure it’s fixed securely with brackets or legs, then simply slide a couple of stools underneath.
Pick a seat design that will work with the rest of the room, and pay attention to how the wall underneath the worktop is decorated – do you want your seating to blend in or stand out? The industrial stools here are highlighted by the white wall and chime with the factory-style pendant lights and pipework shelves.