How to Decorate a Breakfast Nook

A breakfast nook can be a small eating area but sometimes it feels like too small of an eating area. You can really integrate it into your kitchen. It’s going to feel like one large area instead of two smaller broken up spaces.

One thing that you can really integrate is breakfast nook furniture. This will usually include benches. This doesn’t have to be a country style. You could go for a fabric banquette for more of a retro or traditional style look although you will need to make sure that this doesn’t look too much like a restaurant.

If you have a large breakfast nook then really highlight this. You could do it with a simple archway across the opening for a Spanish or traditional home. This also appeared in a lot of vintage homes as well when breakfast nooks are very common. For more of a casual or rustic style trying putting up a beam around it. You will probably want to keep the same wall color throughout the space for continuity. Bringing in architectural details really highlights the area.

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Consider doing the reverse color palette. In your kitchen you might have a lot of stainless steel accents. Make this more prevalent in your kitchen nook. You could go for chrome chairs or just paint the walls a soft gray. This will make the eating area feel cozier. Depending on the light and size of your space you might be able to experiment with a more dramatic color palette to draw attention to this area. You might not be able to afford an entire kitchen renovation. Just using paint and adding in new furniture can give you a new look for less.

You can also get a breakfast nook set that appears more like a built in. This can just be a series of benches. Instead of an upholstered version get a wood bench. You can always add cushions to it later on when you want a different look. This can match your cabinetry or just bring a warm wood tone into the space. Benches give you the most seating area possible because it can wrap around the corner.

You’ll also want to venture out from the typical breakfast nook table and really integrate the entire design into the space. Add in architectural details such as paneling on the walls. This doesn’t have to be the cheesy 1970’s variety that you might be used to. It can be elegant and simple. It can mimic French molding with simple rectangles on the wall. Paint it a bright white so it matches your cabinetry and doesn’t make the room seem too dark.

Breakfast Nook Tables

When choosing a kitchen table set it’s really important to measure first. This is true of all furniture purchases but especially when you’re shopping for a small space. You might just have an unrealistic expectation of what you can fit in the room. A bistro table will allow seating for two. You can go for a countertop version for a more dramatic and contemporary style. You’ll want to make sure that this matches the general color palette of your kitchen island because they will both be the same height.

You can also try to decorate solely through the use of materials that are easy to clean. Leather furniture will be very retro or modern inspired for this purpose usually. You might be able to find some versions at IKEA if you just want a cheap solution. It gives you the look of a soda shoppe. Thomasville will be more sophisticated and more expensive. However, upholstered sets can be country when paired with oak. The other option would be to go with a floral fabric. You can even paint it black for a truly trendy piece of seating. This is one of the few applications where cushions are still in style. If you have a custom built piece look for a storage bench; just make sure that it’s going to be ok to use around kids.

If you want the look of a built in, then try an unfinished piece. Then you can stain or paint it close to your wall color for the look of a custom banquette.

Another option for kitchen nooks design is to add in a desk or an office area. This can even look like an antique pie safe so that there isn’t a disconnect between the two areas. You can also add in a bar if you don’t have room for an island. This is a new take on a corner nook.

Creative Commons Photo from Bradley Olin