Kitchens are many things to many different people. But one thing it should always be is a warm, cozy hub for all the activity in your house. You and your family will spend a lot of time there. For this reason, you’ll want to ensure you have a spot to enjoy a quiet morning with a steaming cup of coffee and hearty home-cooked breakfast. While we try to make our kitchen’s as inviting as possible, we sometimes miss out on that one spot where we can really relax and unwind. A breakfast nook may be the perfect addition for your room.
Lighting, appliance styles, colors, and even the size of your kitchen can detract from its warmth. Even modern kitchen design themes may have sharp-edged geometric shapes and cool, sterile colors. These attributes can sometimes have the opposite effect of what you’re trying to achieve and make a kitchen seem unfriendly.
Most homeowners and renters would agree that a table in a kitchen adds to its hominess. Whether it’s used for food prep, a quick meal or to socialize, it invites you, and your visitors, to feel comfortable and relaxed.
Yet, many kitchen renovators won’t add tables to their designs. They often believe they don’t have enough space, or that tables stand out too much. Not to mention the popularity of the island. And we agree, islands add a lot of convenience and functionality to your room. But there’s something comfortable and more close-knit about a nook.
Simply put, a kitchen breakfast nook is a secluded spot—part of the kitchen yet separate where you can enjoy food, friends and family in peace. Nooks come in all shapes and sizes, but they are all designed with comfort and connected-ness in mind.
Usually, it contains a built-in or portable table and seating for one or more people. It provides a one-stop solution for all of your extra work, dining, rest and social needs without taking up a lot of space. You can dress it up with banquette-style seating or keep it simple with free-standing chairs around a table. It’s usually a small spot, not the same size as a regular kitchen table. You’ll want to keep seating to about four or five if you’ve got separate chairs and up to six or eight if there’s a bench.
The location of a nook is open to wherever you’d like to put it. You can add a custom breakfast nook almost anywhere in a kitchen. The most common spots for one include in corners or alcoves, near standard or bay windows, or in small storage rooms connected to the kitchen.
Spaces with bright natural lighting are preferred, as lighting enhances the feeling of warmth both literally and figuratively. But if you need to create an artificial lighting situation that can work too. Try to keep the lighting choices as soft as possible. Harsh light will ruin the effect of a cozy nook. It’s meant to help you relax and unwind not put a spotlight on people and make them feel uncomfortable.
During your kitchen renovation, an experienced cabinetmaker can evaluate your space and help you design the right size and style. They’ll also be able to help match it to the rest of the kitchen theme and cabinetry. You want the nook to stand on its own but also blend with the rest of your design. If using cabinetry to create the space, then be sure the color palette blends with what you already have. Remember, you can dress it up with accent pieces like throw pillows or cushioned seating.
Breakfast nook designs often include small or large tables with chairs, or benches customized in a straight line, or shaped like an L, U, or semicircle. If you want it to be enclosed on three sides, a cabinetmaker can also make one or more partition walls or use cabinetry to separate the nook from the rest of the kitchen to give you a little more privacy.
Sometimes a cabinetmaker will recommend incorporating storage space as part of the breakfast nook design. For example, you might want to include box-style benches with under-seating storage you can access via drawers or a lift-style seat lid. Maybe the addition of inset or wall-mounted open or closed cabinets or shelves in or near the nook will benefit you.
Just because you’re adding a little comfort to the kitchen doesn’t mean you want to skimp on the efficiency. Like kitchen banquette seating, you’ve got some room to play with your design. Make it as functional and useful to you and your family.
Does your kitchen lack that feeling of down-home coziness? Thinking about ways you can warm up your room? With all of the custom design options available to you, why not explore a breakfast nook? Contact Kitchen Magic today. Our design consultants will work with you to transform your kitchen into the alluring, homey retreat you’ve always wanted.