Seating areas in kitchens
10 kitchen seating ideas – the essential design rules for seating layouts and trends |
(Image credit: Davide Lovatti / Future)
It goes without saying that kitchen is the central hub of the home – a place to eat, cook, socialise, work, rest and play for all the family. As physical barriers between these separate rooms merge into one, a functional and comfortable kitchen seating area (with or without a table) is a must-have feature.
If you have a huge kitchen there may be room for a stand-alone dining table and several chairs; at the other end of the scale, a small perch for coffee on an island unit or peninsula might just suffice. But if you want something more substantial, space-saving and permanent, today's renaissance in built-in seating, bar stools, window seats, banquettes and benches, are all great options, and can be seamlessly worked into almost any kitchen ideas blueprint.
Kitchen seating ideas
Whether for entertaining or family meals, a place to sit is essential in the modern-day kitchen.
1. Have a booth built into a small kitchen
(Image credit: Davide Lovatti / Future)
Built-in booths and seating offer many advantages: they can integrate different areas and functions of an open-plan kitchen or living room – while dead space can be utilised to brilliant effect around windows, in awkward corners or any odd shapes that need unifying.
Circular booths and banquettes are a popular choice and can be joined cleverly to an island unit for a striking, curvaceous contrast or fitted into a corner or bay window for a comfortable snug. The curves create a cozier, more intimate ambience for sitting and eating – far less formal than a traditional dining table – and the 1950s retro diner look can be brought bang up to date with neutral, matt leathers, earthy shades and natural materials.
2. Utilize a large kitchen island for seating
(Image credit: Brent Darby / Future)
Beautiful kitchen island seating is still enduringly popular, and it is easy to see why.
Long, linear islands and peninsulas with an overhang can be broken up with small cut-outs or seating 'nooks' so friends and family can sit right in the centre of the action (whether it's relaxing or catching up on work) while someone is busy preparing food.
3. Pull up a dining chair
(Image credit: Polly Eltes / Future)
There is even more choice of dining room chairs, and often it’s the chairs that deliver the most design impact. Don’t feel you have to be too matchy-matchy. There is a current trend for completely mismatched chairs, each one different, but you don’t have to go that far. Modern designs will sit quite happily with a rustic farmhouse table, metal or painted chairs with wood. The exception is upholstered which always looks better with a more formal table.
4. Make the most of an open-plan space
(Image credit: Rachael Smith / Future)
Even very small kitchens can often accommodate an open-plan dining area. In a compact kitchen, consider using banquette seating, fitted into a corner or even on one side of an island, to create a cozy dining spot, while in living areas, try using the space creatively: window seating can be combined with a table for impromptu dining, while extendable tables can provide multi-functional space.
5. Extend into the side return – to create banquette seating
(Image credit: James Merrell / Future)
One of the big surprises can be just how little space you need to add to gain enough useable room for a dining area in your existing kitchen – sometimes a mere matter of feet is all you need to fit a compact solution such as banquette or bench-style seating.
One of the most popular extensions is the side return which steals little-used alley space from the side of housing. These are rarely more than a few feet wide but the resulting kitchen will be bright and airy, and it’s a great way to gain space without encroaching on the garden, especially in cities where outdoor space is at a premium.
6. Increase the functionality of a kitchen island
(Image credit: Polly Eltes / Future)
Bar stools that allow people to sit at an island will increase the versatility of your kitchen layout. Getting the seating right isn’t just about finding the right stools to coordinate with your kitchen ideas either.
It’s also worth considering the size, shape and configuration of the island itself so everything works in harmony.
'Always remember when choosing kitchen bar stools to keep the size and scale proportionate with the island. If the chairs are too big, with arms, it throws that visual balance out,' says Jane Stewart, design director at Mowlem & Co .
7. Define your seating area
(Image credit: Paul Raeside / Future)
Key to creating a successful kitchen seating area is planning. 'The design should be carefully thought out so as to maximize convenience without blocking the flow of space,' explains Jane Stewart, design director at Mowlem & Co.
An efficient way to do this is to create zones for each area, with everything needed for prep and cooking in one, and a well-defined dining or entertaining area in the other. Alongside kitchen islands, kitchen peninsula ideas are ideal for dividing the room, and as well as providing extra workspace and storage can double as a breakfast bar or incorporate a dining table.
8. Incorporate integrated seating into a kitchen
(Image credit: Polly Eltes / Future)
‘The purpose of integrated seating is that it should blend seamlessly with the rest of the kitchen,’ says Lucy Powles, director of Cocovara Interiors . ‘Therefore, the furniture should be unobtrusive in terms of design and color – try to keep the same lines and heights as the rest of the kitchen.’
Upholstered banquettes, benches and stools will add greater comfort to a snug seating area. Choose practical, user-friendly fabrics that are hardwearing and wipeable, such as faux leathers, washable suedes, heavy cottons and canvases, and treat with a tough stain and water-repellent protection. Your upholsterer or interior designer will advise on the amount of fabric required, taking into account pattern repeat and wastage.
9. Invest in space-saving bench seating
(Image credit: Alicia Taylor / Future)
‘Bench-style seating means you can accommodate more people and leave one side clear if needs be,’ explains Jane Stewart, design director at Mowlem & Co, ‘and it can be neatly tucked away when not in use.
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'Be aware of table heights,’ says Stephanie Dedes, design manager at bespoke kitchen company Charles Yorke . ‘Ensure the table height is complementary to the seating height or vice versa. It’s not very comfortable eating or working at a table that's too high or too low for your knees. On average, a height between 24-28 inches should be allowed for knee space.’
10. Opt for booth or banquette seating
(Image credit: Davide Lovatti / Future)
Integrated seating is, by its very nature, more relaxed than a formal dining table and chairs, and it can work for kitchens of all sizes, fitting into any design – no matter how small or awkwardly-shaped.
Where space allows, a booth or banquette is a more generous set up complete with dining table. Booths tend to be enclosed – either two seats facing or u-shaped or circular in design – while a banquette usually refers to a bench seat attached to a wall which may be linear or L-shaped.
How do you add seating to a small kitchen?
Whether you’re looking to create an intimate spot for two or for room to fit a table large enough for extended family there is always a solution to fit.
If your room is compact then opting for relaxed dining such as a breakfast bar is a good idea. It can easily be added to the end of a run of units or on a peninsula by creating a slight overhang on the worksurface so people can get their knees comfortably underneath. In bigger rooms a large dining area may be possible, but make sure you measure not just the space for the table but also the chairs.
'Where you are struggling for space to get an island and a table in, a dropped seating area coming off one or more sides of an island or peninsula can achieve both of these things – and by having split heights you can clearly define your kitchen and eating areas,' explains Ben Russell of Arlington Interiors.
Do use a design professional to realise the full potential of your space and to create an attractive seating area with good proportions.
When commissioned as part of a bespoke kitchen project, your kitchen company will usually handle the design of the seating, often choosing materials and finishes to match cabinetry and your exact requirements.
If your kitchen is off-the-peg kitchen or you are looking to add a seating area to your existing set up, you will need to find a reliable tradesman.
As with any commission, be sure to check a company’s credentials and ask to see references from satisfied customers. Find out if VAT has been included and ensure you get everything you have agreed, including start and finish dates and the pricing structure, in writing.
Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.
7 Kitchen Seating Ideas to Consider
Kitchen layout, finishes, and appliances are at the top of mind during a kitchen remodel, but what about kitchen seating? Once you’ve finished preparing your meal, you’ll need a place to sit down and enjoy it. Or maybe you just need a spot to read the news or enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. Kitchen seating is a simple way to add casual, versatile seating to your home.
These kitchen seating ideas will give you all the inspiration you need for your next kitchen remodel. From breakfast nooks to kitchen island seating, there’s more options than you might think.
1. Banquette Seating
Do you prefer sitting in a booth when at your local diner? Then you should think about incorporating banquette seating into your kitchen.
Banquette seating is essentially an upholstered bench that can either be built-in or a moveable furniture piece. It may extend across one wall or wrap around a corner. If banquette seating is built-in, there is a great opportunity to add storage cabinets beneath the seats.
Banquette seating is a great luxury option that can elevate your interior design and have a custom look.
2. Breakfast Nook
What might also be considered eat-in kitchen seating, a breakfast nook is a small alcove or corner connected to your kitchen that usually fits just a small table and a few chairs. This space is typically used for eating breakfast or other quick meals, instead of dirtying the formal dining room.
Being a smaller space, breakfast nooks are a great place to inject bold design elements. Consider incorporating a bright wall color or a fun patterned wallpaper at your breakfast nook. Built-in breakfast nooks, like banquette seating, can also add storage space.
3. Open Dining Area
With open-concept living on the rise formal dining rooms are becoming less common, but it’s all dependent on your personality and entertaining needs. An open dining area directly off your kitchen can be ideal for casual hosting. It allows the cook to stay connected with guests and promotes an overall feeling of togetherness.
Incorporating an open dining area into your kitchen remodel may require reconfiguring the cabinet layout or knocking down a wall. Both are common changes to make during a remodel that can make a big impact.
4. Built-In Bench Seating
If you have an underutilized area in your kitchen or want a more custom feel for your breakfast nook, built-in bench seating is a fun option. Bench seating in a kitchen is extremely versatile–you can pull up a table for eating, you can sit down with a good book, or you can enjoy your morning cup of coffee.
Built-in bench seating differs from banquette seating in that it doesn’t necessarily have an upholstered backrest, however, it does offer the same opportunity to build in storage underneath.
5. Island Seating
The most popular of all kitchen seating ideas, island seating is usually high on the priority list for homeowners during a kitchen remodel. Having stools at your kitchen island is ideal for entertaining and for maximizing the number of seats in your overall home.
Island seating can either be at counter-height or bar-height and, depending on the size of your kitchen, the number of seats can range from two to eight or more. The extended island pictured here gives room for three seats, without interfering with prep space.
6. Bistro Seating
In small kitchens, designers have to be creative with layout and kitchen seating ideas in order to maximize the function of the space. Bistro seating, or a table for just two or three people, works well in a small kitchen.
You can choose to push a small square table up against a wall or use a small round table in a corner of the room. Bistro sets are available at table-height, counter-height, and even bar-height depending on the style of your space and personal preference.
7. Café Window Seating
Bring the feel of your local café to your kitchen remodel with café window seating. This type of kitchen seating is great for kitchens on the smaller side, where extra seating might not seem possible.
Simply extend a narrower section of countertop along the wall beneath a window to add this café-inspired seating option.
For a uniform look, you can use the same type of countertops you have in the rest of your kitchen, but feel free to switch it up. This is a great place to incorporate a detailed piece of wood with a live edge, a butcherblock countertop or simply a different color of quartz.
Get Started on Your Seattle Kitchen Remodel
We’re happy to help you determine the best kitchen seating options for your home. Contact us today to learn about how our design-build process can guide you through all your kitchen design selections.
How to organize a recreation area in the kitchen: 10 examples
How to arrange
If the dining group in the kitchen is an alternative to the dining room, then a sofa, couch, modest bench or just an armchair can sometimes even replace the living room. We consider 10 such examples in which the kitchen has a place not only for cooking and eating, but also for relaxing.
Ekaterina Goncharenko
Kitchen. Kitchen set, IKEA; facades, Cover; table, &Tradition; chairs, La Forma; lamp, Gubi; sconce, Aromas. Photo: Sergey Ananiev
This can be seen as a paradox, but the usual “recreation areas” in the kitchen are most often formed not in spacious country houses, but in compact apartments, where you need to fit everything on an area of 5–7 m². And here it is important to see the difference between the “kitchen-living room” - an open space with two independent zones - and a kitchen that simultaneously performs the functions of both spaces.
A striking example, where both the kitchen and the living room are located on a small area, is the apartment designed by Anna Rokachevskaya and Mikhail Balko. Since the entire apartment is 42 m², the designers wanted to “give the room maximum functionality”.
“So that it looks not only like a kitchen, but also like a living room,” Anna and Mikhail explain. The storage system helped solve the problem: it starts with a kitchen set, and continues with a chest of drawers. The TV is mounted on a bracket, so it is convenient to watch it from the sofa, which complements the dining table with a couple of chairs. nine0003
Bright apartment in Presnya City Residential Complex, 42 m². Living room with kitchen. Cabinet furniture is made to order; glass apron with a colored pattern on the back; table and chairs, La Redoute; sofa, Mexo; pendant lamp, Market Set; curtains, textile studio A-Decor.
Photo: Sergey Melnikov
But the area of the apartment in the house of the 1970s is almost twice as large - 80 m². It is divided into three parts by two load-bearing walls, so the unification of the kitchen and living room was impossible. The authors of the project, Vera Totskaya and Maria Zemlyanykh, gave the function of the dining room to the kitchen: to emphasize this role, they placed a sofa here, which echoes the upholstery with the base of the table, and the legs with the table top and backs of the chairs.
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Apartment in a house from the 1970s, 80 m². Kitchen. Kitchen set, IKEA; facades, Cover; table, &Tradition; chairs, La Forma; lamp, Gubi; sconce, Aromas.
Photo: Sergey Ananiev
In the apartment designed by Elena Kornilova, the color design was thought out no less carefully than the layout. The designer built the palette of the entire space around a painting by Pavel Shevtsov from the gallery of Marina Gisich. “I call this palette “Dutch lands” — there are rich and rather dark shades of furniture and accessories and neutral walls that, like a chameleon, adjust to and reflect all other colors,” says Elena. So in the kitchen, the walls became black and emerald, and they perfectly emphasize the main character of this room - green Brazilian granite. The banquet in scarlet velvet upholstery contrasts with it, and in combination with dark color and traditional Viennese chairs, the atmosphere in the kitchen resembles French brasseries.
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Apartment in Dutch earth tones, 180 m². Kitchen. Headset, Eggersmann; table, Philippe Hurel; on it is a bronze vase, Artvivo; chairs, Thonet; bench, Liaigre; alabaster chandelier from the Carole Decombe gallery.
Photo: Mikhail Loskutov; stylist: Natalia Onufreychuk
This apartment in the center of St. Petersburg also has a French feel, but it looks completely different. The interiors here, on the contrary, are bright, and there is no dining area in the kitchen at all. The customer and an old acquaintance of the designer Evgenia Evinzon bought the apartment for investment purposes and decided to make the interior for the soul - to sometimes live here himself, and rent it out in between. Therefore, instead of a dining area, there is a small sofa under the window, a variation on the theme of the breakfast corner. nine0003
And if before we considered projects in which the sofa became part of the dining group, in this interior designer Anna Zinkovskaya placed it a little further in her own kitchen, separating the seating area from the dining area.
“I took into account the context, but I did not have the task of reproducing the historical interior. These are all reflections on how it could be,” Anna explains. However, she deliberately refused an open common area. Firstly, there were no open spaces before, and secondly, this is how we managed to make the front living room according to the classical canons. nine0003
Another option for designing a seating area in the kitchen is to use the space by the windowsill. This is what Milena Yanichkina did: in a Moscow apartment of 65 m², the designer combined the kitchen, the dining room, and a compact corner by the window, where the hostess can both have breakfast in the morning and read in the evening.
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Bright apartment in Moscow, 65 m². Kitchen. The furniture is made to order; table, Ustinov Studio; chairs are made to order, "Aliander Group"; chandelier, Handle Studio; vases, Flowolver and Designboom; painting by Albert Soldatov from the Pic Related series, pop/off/art gallery; spice set, Jonathan Adler.
Bright apartment in Moscow, 65 m². Fragment of the kitchen. Textile, Tatiana Kushnir's Textile Decoration Workshop; joinery, Studia-MS; sconce, Handle Studio.
But Elena Gorenstein united two apartments at once. So it turned out three main common areas: a kitchen-dining room, a living room and a winter garden, behind which a private part was hidden. The designer “dissolved” the kitchen in space; only an apron made of etched brass gives it away. The wall is painted in the color of the headset, and this is another trick to hide the work surface. “If I hung kitchen cabinets here, the whole space would turn into one big kitchen,” Elena says. Another nice bonus is a wide bench under the windowsill, where the designer likes to have breakfast. nine0003
A wooden bench became part of the kitchen in the apartment of the architect Alexei Dunaev. Such a minimalist seating area near the kitchen is fully consistent with the ascetic interior of the entire apartment. Moreover, the owner claims that they never put pillows on the bench, while no one likes to sit in comfortable chairs, everyone wants to sit on it.
Apartment of architect Alexey Dunaev in Moscow, 60 m². Kitchen area. All built-in appliances, Asko; faucet designed by Arne Jacobsen for Vola; kitchen cabinets, IKEA; countertop and apron made to order; coffee maker, Alessi; doors and partition, Union; porcelain tile, Ceramica Fioranese. nine0003
The apartment designed by Oksana Alekseeva and Masha Kunyakina has a separate dining area, but the designers did not refuse a comfortable place in the kitchen, despite the change in layout: for seven years, the owner of the apartment got used to admiring the panorama of Moscow from an armchair that stood opposite the balcony . After the redevelopment, the kitchen and living room changed places, but the view point remained. To save space for a chair, the kitchen island was made asymmetrical: one of its ends is rounded, the other is straight. nine0003
Apartment in Moscow, 135 m². Kitchen area. Kitchen, Leicht; the island is made according to the sketches of designers by Vasily Arshansky Furniture Laboratory; bar stools, Checcotti; chair, Baxter; lamps, Viabizzuno.
The founders of the FullHouseDesing bureau combined in their kitchen not only a dining area with a seating area, but also furniture of different moods. “The dining room and the kitchen are our place of power, we love to receive guests, so we needed a spacious kitchen with a large table,” says Maria Ivanova. It is surrounded by wooden chairs, transparent Ghost armchairs and a boucle upholstered sofa - the main one responsible for relaxing in the kitchen. nine0003
Look for more photos of apartments in the old fund with planning, practical advice from designers and the AD editors in our special digital collection “ABC of renovation. Small apartments” .
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On a real example: 6 ways to arrange a seating area in the kitchen
1 Bright sofa in a small kitchen
If you want to add color to a neutral kitchen interior, use a bright sofa as a color accent. Support it with other details: for example, kitchen towels or curtains, as the owners of this apartment did. Choose the size of the sofa based on the parameters of the kitchen. If the area is small, it is better to take a compact model so that the furniture does not look bulky.
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In this interior, the dining set was complemented by a miniature bright blue sofa. It can be used not only as an addition to the chairs in the dining area, but also separately - for example, if you move it to the side and move the table to a window or wall.
Instagram @dom.takoi.dom
Instagram @dom.takoi.dom
Instagram @dom.takoi.dom
2 A cozy sofa on the windowsill
A spacious kitchen makes it possible to arrange a complete recreation area with different scenarios. For example, here a mattress was placed on a wide, low window sill, resulting in a small sofa that does not take up much space. It can be used in many ways: instead of dining chairs, as a reading nook, etc. And take the remaining space with another sofa, if the kitchen area allows. nine0003
Instagram @rudakovairina_design
Instagram @rudakovairina_design
3 Bench as a continuation of the set
In this interior, the seating area is located right behind the set, next to the window and dining table.
The sofa is made of the same material as the facades, so it seems to be part of their continuation. The upholstered backrest and sidewalls framing the seat make the seating area very comfortable. Mustard upholstery acts as an accent. The color looks moderately bright and fits well into the pastel range of the interior. A more delicate blue tint contrasts with it - decorative pillows and a set are made in this color. nine0003
Instagram @enjoylifem
Instagram @enjoylifem
4 Extra bed
In this interior, a compact narrow sofa can be folded out into a bed. Despite the modest footage of the kitchen, the owners did not abandon the color and additional furniture. A bright accent in the dining area is turquoise cabinets in the entire height of the wall. Opposite them is a gray sofa with a soft high back, between them is a classic dining group.
The rectangular narrow kitchen was visually divided into two squares: a cooking and relaxation area. If necessary, the table and chairs can be removed and an overnight stay for guests can be arranged. nine0003
Instagram @kostishko_design
Instagram @kostishko_design
5 Recreation area with two armchairs
Rest area in the kitchen is not only a sofa or bench. If you want variety, replace them with a pair of armchairs and a coffee table. So you add an additional zone to the interior of the kitchen, which at the same time will not visually overload the space. And if necessary, it can be easily transformed or moved to another room. nine0003
Design: Diana Maltseva. Photo: Yuri Grishko
Design: Diana Maltseva.
