6 Breakfast Nook Design Ideas That Will Help You Rise And Shine in Style Every Morning — From Banquette Seating to Small Space Solutions
From cornflakes and toast to tea and biscuits, a breakfast nook is a handy everyday hero that deserves some design love — these ideas will get you inspired
If a kitchen island is the glamorous centerpiece around which you gather with friends, then a breakfast nook is the unassuming staple that quietly lifts your everyday experience.
Seeing you through the first meal of the day, your afternoon coffee perk-up, and perhaps a work meeting or two, this everyday hero deserves a little design love — and these schemes demonstrate how it can quickly become a clever modern kitchen idea with a well-chosen palette and a few unexpected twists.
From banquette seating to small space solutions, these breakfast nook ideas show how designers turn this functional element into a design moment.
1. Table Manners
Seating by Robert Mallet-Stevens and a restored vintage Sergio Mazza pendant add pizzazz to this breakfast nook.
Without a point of focus, a breakfast nook can fade into the background of a kitchen scheme — but not in this space by Studio MUKA. Centering it around an eye-catching Dirk van der Kooij table, partners Zabie Mustafa and Neda Kakhsaz made sure that this corner packed a punch.
The simplicity of the black dining chairs in this space work perfectly against the bold dining table and wall color, and these Arikara chairs are a great way to recreate the look.
2. In Suspense
The Covid in Dutch artwork by Erika Dufour, plus a cream Taiwan-Lantern pendant, lend this scheme elegance.
As far as kitchen lighting ideas go, including a pendant "creates interest, warmth and human scale to bring the focus down to the table height," says Jennie Bishop, founder of Bishop Studio.
"This pendant felt appropriate for the 1960s-era home and is simple enough to not overwhelm the space. The kitchen's stone countertops are of a quartzite that reminds us of a Japanese watercolor, so the textured pendant complemented that perfectly."
This quietly elegant pendant lamp is an easy way to elevate your breakfast nook.
3. Perch and Partake
Sculptural bar stools tucked up to a breakfast bar are space savvy and stylish.
Make it easy to edge right up to the action with a chic breakfast bar — brilliant for everything from an intimate dîner à deux to sociable soirées that allow the cook to chat to guests, the space-savvy example seen here by Sucher Studios make a brilliant case for including one in your kitchen design.
Highlight your breakfast nook with a conical shade, like this design from DCW Editions — it's also available in a range of colors.
4. Space Station
Banquette seating in Bennison Fabrics' Tooth Check fabric curved around a corner makes this modern-country scheme — especially paired with Studio Atkinson's Craftmaker's chair.
"Banquette-style breakfast nooks allow for a space-saving mix of chairs and built-in seating," says Susie Atkinson, founder of Studio Atkinson, who included her own Craftmaker's chair alongside fixed seating here. "Banquette seating hugging the wall is often a better use of space than rows of chairs on either side of a dining table."
This sculptural centerpiece is sure to be a talking point of any table display — plus, it's food-safe, making it suitable as a functional serving bowl as well as a decorative statement piece.
5. Bijou Bistro
Showing that small touches can have a huge impact, the Anna Castelli Ferrieri stools for Kartell here add an electric jolt of red — a great way to introduce the unexpected red theory into a space.
Small kitchens can still have space to sit — it just takes clever design planning. "A breakfast table should take up little room while still being comfortable and easily accessible," explains Rudy Faissal, one half of Milanese-based design firm Lit Studio. "In this case, we made use of the niche between the units and inserted a bench, pairing it with a simple round table and striking red and black stools."
When space is at a premium, a small breakfast bar table like this works wonders, particularly with the handy foot ledge.
6. Add an Icon
A custom banquette by Ritz Upholstery in Houlès Vinyl forms the base of this scheme, with chairs by Laura Gonzalez in Le Manach fabric and a table by Pluhowski Furniture.
If you like your breakfast sprinkled with pizzazz, add an iconic photographic print as a backdrop. Interior designer Jessica Schuster chose an image of Jackie Onassis in a ski mask and sunglasses, captured by Harry Benson on the slopes in 1968. As with anything that involves Jackie Onassis, we're taking notes.
If you're considering a built-in seating arrangement for your breakfast nook, then it's worth knowing the banquette seating design mistakes that people often make, so that you can avoid them when planning, as well as understanding what designers suggest you do instead.
Our newsletter is packed with ideas for every room — sign up here to get it delivered straight to your inbox.
