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The most common place for cute breakfast nooks is the kitchen, assuming that you want to skip traditional breakfasts or snack meals in the dining room of the house. Some families even use their breakfast nook furniture set for regular meals, skipping the trouble of moving dishes and food around the house.
Breakfast nook design ideas are awesome, even if you didn’t consider the purpose of one before. It can become your favorite coffee spot in the mornings, or a place where you’ll gather with friends for wine and evening chitchat.
It is both a stylish and functional kitchen solution, feasible even in the smallest and most complicated spaces.
These are the essential preparations that you need to make before jumping on breakfast nook plans:
Planning the budget
Image source: Sutton Suzuki Architects
How much money are you willing to spend on a breakfast nook? Once you have this information, you can move towards the style, function, or size of the perfect nook for your kitchen.
Pick the appropriate corner
Image source: 360 design studio
You are not supposed to appoint a special place for the nook, but to use the one that you already have. A corner breakfast nook is usually perfect because the 90° angle, which makes it possible to introduce comfortable seats without occupying too much space (an attractive bench, for instance).
Breakfast nooks look amazing under a window, so we would recommend you to place them there if possible. Windows are responsible for spreading natural light inside, especially if their purpose is enriched with an amazing outdoor view that makes breakfast even tastier.
Lights
Image source: The Sky is the Limit Design
Why not being more creative than fixing a simple ceiling-mounted light fixture? Take a hanging chandelier or a pending light instead, ideally 30-35 inches away from the tabletop. If there is no possibility to readjust hand-wiring, go for smaller table lamps, or replace the huge chandelier with a smaller-scale one.
If you’re after a traditional theme, do so with wooden or metal options, or even painted chandeliers with chintz-covered shades and painted flowers. If you need light to follow a contemporary path, hand pendant lights made of painted glass, or ones with barrel shades.
Go for seating that can be removed
Image source:
Tiffany Eastman Interiors, LLC
Just because breakfast nooks are small and corner-based, many homeowners make the mistake of building seating in the walls, or attaching them to their kitchen islands.
In both cases, seating is also permanently attached to the floor, making the damage even bigger than it actually is. Instead, we recommend you to choose temporary options that suit the needs of the place, but they are also flexible for multiple social functions.
In case you have no idea how to achieve this, we recommend you to contact an interior designer, or to consult the vendor and explain him what you need.
Look for quality pieces
Image source: amanda nisbet
There are few criteria that every breakfast nook has to be chosen upon. For instance, it must be comfortable and soft, made of highly durable and stain-resistant materials.
As careful as you are, you will eventually spoil coffee on the seating, and you don’t want that to turn into a non-reparable damage.
Detailing
Image source: Siemasko + Verbridge
The color scheme of your breakfast nook needs to be consistent with the rest of your décor, but that doesn’t stop you from being specific with the details.
In fact, you can accessorize to show a dose of personality, and to attract interest towards the nook. It can be a round table in a square place, or a rectangular bench in a narrow one-there is always a way to connect beauty and functionality!
Then, there are many details that can make the nook impressive: you can use interesting vases, cloths, or placemats that will make you dream about the coziness of this place when you’re away from home.
Using benches for storage
Image source: Normandy Remodeling
If you have two small benches on each side of the nook, we recommend you to use them for storage. You can either buy hinged ones whose tops can be opened, or turn the front side of each into a low cabinet.
The storage area doesn’t have to be too big-it will either way be a precious addition for keeping plates or cookbooks.
Small kitchens are not an excuse for skipping breakfast nooks
Image source: Jackson Cabinetry LLC
Who said that a small kitchen cannot accommodate a breakfast nook? Unless we’re really discussing a square meter where there is only place for a cook top and a sink, you should stick to your idea of having a cozy breakfast spot.
It doesn’t have to be the best one ever: sometimes, even a corner pedestal table with a small banquette can turn into your favorite kitchen detail.
Marking the floor area
For the sake of maintenance, kitchens usually have smooth, hard-surface floors. The best way to point out the kitchen area is to ‘soften’ the corner with a warm, interestingly shaped rug.
The rug will look homey and amazing, but the additional benefit you’ll get from it is warmth for those family members who like to have morning meals barefoot.
Choose a material that is easy to clean, or something colorful and patterned that won’t make damage that obvious. We recommend kilim, Dhurrie, or rag as the best options.
Style
Image source: Jan Gleysteen Architects, Inc
You may want your breakfast nook to be unique, but you shouldn’t make it strikingly different than the rest of your kitchen.
The best strategy is to keep it close to the room’s décor, as for instance buying a rustic one for country style kitchens. As for modern kitchens, we recommend leather and glass pieces, while for classic ones there should also be an inviting vase of fresh flowers or other floral motifs.
Finally, if your kitchen supports Scandinavian design, consider introducing wooden tables and benches.
Give the nook its personal moment of fame
Image source: Southern Living
If possible, point out that the breakfast nook is a separate design element, and give it the attention it deserves. Even if your kitchen doesn’t allow for special layout divisions, introduce visual hints to give nooks the attention they deserve. As we mentioned, it can be a colorful rug, a similar material, or even a specially placed fixture to accent the division.
Windowing
Image source: AMDG Architects
Even if you think there is nothing to see from the window in the nook area, keep the window there. It is a minimal element that brings light and positive mood inside, and if dressed up appropriately, it can make the nook look even more comfortable and homey than it already is.
For instance, we recommend colorful and textured solutions, or even patterns that don’t go too far from the rest of the kitchen’s décor.
A nice solution is woven shades because they look nice and have an amazing texture, but they still leave the window uncovered and they let light inside.
Colors can be added with unique fabric choices, cornice boards, faux shades, or valances, while heavy drapes and shutters are welcomed only for windows facing a street.
Image source: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop
Another good tip is to get adjustable sun protection in case your window is orientated towards east, ideally something like louvered shutters that look cozy, yet better than plain blinds.
They are an excellent solution for every window because they look equally good when opened, semi-opened, and closed.
Personalization
Image source: Heydt Designs
It’s good to browse for ideas and to get inspired, but don’t just copy the first solution you like. The breakfast nook from your favorite design magazine may be very nice, but that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll make it work for your kitchen too.
There are many original solutions to implement, and sometimes it will only take you a pendant light or wall-art to obtain the effect you want.
