There are actually a few different ways that a dining nook can offer storage, but the most common form of dining nook storage is under the seat storage. A dining nook with storage under the bench seats offers large chest like storage compartments that you can use for a wide variety of purposes. Some homeowner use the extra space to store small kitchen appliances that they want to have close by if they need them, but that they do not use frequently. Normally these appliances would be stored on the counter or in the cabinets where they take up a lot of room you do not have. An alternative is to store them on storage shelves in the garage but here they might get dirty and you will have to wash them before every use. Dining nook storage is the perfect solution.

Other homeowners use the dining nook with bench storage to store table and kitchen linens. Tablecloths, napkins, placemats, dish towels, etc. all take up a tremendous amount of room in kitchen drawers and hall closet storage is just not convenient. That is why the deep storage areas in your dining nook are great. They are very close to where you will use most of the linens and the storage area is large enough that you do not have to worry about stuffing things in and getting them wrinkled. You could also use the storage space to store things such as art supplies, school supplies, or board games so that there are plenty of things to entertain your children while you prepare meals. A fourth option might be to store large food containers like the things you buy at discount bulk stores in the dining nook with storage because the containers are often too large to fit into cabinets. Most likely, every homeowner will use their dining nook with storage for some combination of these choices.

A second way you might find storage in the dining nook is with cabinets that pull out of the bench backs. A thin cabinet can fit into the space between the wall and the back of your bench that pulls out to reveal a spice rack or magazine storage rack. These small storage spaces may not seem like much, but if the dining nook is convenient to your cooking area, then moving the spices to this area could save you one or more shelves of space in a regular kitchen cabinet. Having reading materials at hand could be nice for guests who are waiting for a meal to be prepared.

A third kind of dining nook storage is drawers in the dining nook table. A dining nook table with storage will have small drawers in the sides that are only large enough for some school supplies or magazines. However, if you use the table storage for those items that frees up more room in your bench storage for larger kitchen items like appliances or food stores.

First, you need to determine if the shape of the kitchen nook table roughly matches the shape of the kitchen nook itself. For example, if your kitchen nook is a room that sticks out from the rest of the house in the shape of a half octagon, then a round kitchen table would be most appropriate because the shapes match each other. Trying to put a rectangular table in that kind of room would be an extreme waste of space. Much of the floor space would go unoccupied and therefore you would not be able to have as large a kitchen nook table set as you could have otherwise.

Once you know the shapes match, you need to measure the dimensions of the kitchen nook table. If you are considering a rectangular table, that will be the length and width. If you are considering a round kitchen table then the dimension you are concerned with would be diameter. Once you have those dimensions, you need to add three feet to each one. With the rectangular table you will add three feet to both the length and the width. For example, if the table measures four feet by six feet you will get a new measurement of seven feet by nine feet. These new dimensions are the kitchen nook space requirements for that particular kitchen nook table set. You want your kitchen nook to be at least that large.

The extra three feet is to allow room for chairs to be pulled in and out on all sides. There are exceptions to this rule such as with corner kitchen nook sets. With a corner kitchen nook set, the bench in the corner and the table are both stationary so you do not need to leave as much room around two sides of the table for the pulling in and out of chairs. With a corner nook set, measure the dimensions of the table plus the corner bench and then only add eighteen inches to each dimension for the other two sides of the table.

One thing to consider when looking at your kitchen nook space requirements is that many kitchen nooks only have three walls or they only have the circular shape in half the room. The other half of the room or the fourth wall is actually an opening to the kitchen. You need to be able to imagine where the fourth wall or the rest of the round room would be if the kitchen was not there in order to estimate the kitchen nook dimensions. Sometimes you can cheat a little and go further into the kitchen than is expected if you need an especially large kitchen nook furniture set, but generally you want to stick to the imaginary boundaries.

First, benches can accommodate more people than chairs. Generally, you can fit one and a half people in the space taken up by one chair if you have a bench there instead. That means that a bench along the side of a rectangular table that usually has two chair will actually sit three people. If you put benches on both sides, then you get seating for six rather than four. If you have a large family, or you entertain a lot of your children’s friends, then bench seating is probably a good fit for your breakfast nook or eat in kitchen.

Another reason breakfast nook benches are so popular is that they often come with under the seat storage compartments. Every homeowner can use a little bit of extra storage space. It is fantastic when you can get that storage from a piece of furniture that is going to be there already. Kitchen nook benches with storage are great for hiding table linens, small kitchen appliances, art and school supplies, or board games.

If you change your placemats, napkins, and table cloth often then you probably have a large supply of linens and keeping under your breakfast nook bench is the perfect place for them because they are close at hand, but not taking up valuable kitchen storage space.

There are several kitchen gadgets and small appliances that I love having, but that I do not like taking up counter space. Until I got breakfast nook storage benches, the only option was to store these items on a shelf in the garage. When I did that, I needed to clean the appliance before I used it every time. It is much more convenient to just open up the breakfast nook bench and take out the appliance I need. I know they will stay clean and protected in there. Things like my bread maker, rice cooker, pasta maker, ice cream maker, etc. have found their way into this storage place.

If your kids gather around the kitchen table to do homework or play while you are getting dinner ready then it might be a good idea to keep some art supplies and school supplies in the breakfast nook storage area so that the supplies they need are close at hand. Some families also gather in the kitchen for family nights and some board games or cards in the breakfast nook bench are handy to have around. You are much more likely to coax everyone into staying for a game if the supplies are at your finger tips.

Even though there are advantages to breakfast nook benches, there are also some drawbacks. For example, bench seating is typically a little more shallow than what you get with individual chairs. That means that sitting on a bench could be uncomfortable for some people if they need a more substantial seat. In addition, bench seating encourages closeness because there are not clear boundaries for personal space. If you entertain often, then you might want to consider having some chairs so that your guests will be more comfortable.

First, there is a material made out of recycled paper that is commonly used for countertops. A company called Richlite makes a very durable material out of recycled paper that is treated with an environmentally friendly resin and baked. The resulting product is heat resistant, scratch resistant, and stain resistant. It is just as easy as stone or Formica countertops to clean. Just because this material is generally used for countertops does not mean that you could not get a piece cut for your tabletop. It comes in many different colors and would be a great green addition to your breakfast nook furniture.

There are also tabletop pieces out there made from recycled sugar cane. The waste that is left after they make all the sugar products can be used to make a durable material called bagasse. The bagasse is used as the base for particleboard, which can be used to make furniture. You might also find bagasse tableware, food containers, and paper products.

If you buy wooden breakfast nook furniture, this to can be considered a sustainable material. However, you need to make sure that only the wood from managed forests if possible. You also want to avoid any wood that comes from old growth or rare trees. As long as a forest is carefully managed, we can continue to make furniture out of wood without endangering the ecosystem.

Another way to make sure that you are purchasing green breakfast nook furniture is to look for companies that use green manufacturing techniques. If you visit the web pages for different furniture manufacturers, you will be able to do research into how much effort and emphasis they put on green manufacturing and sustainability in their business. There is even a Green Business Certification available to businesses who are environmentally aware and use practices like water conservation, using recycled materials, reducing waste, and preventing pollution just to name a few.

Breakfast table stools come in many different styles and types. You have to think about the height of the stool, whether or not it is adjustable, whether or not it has a back, whether it swivels or is stationary, and what it is made of. All of these attributes are part of your decision making process when picking out counter seating or seating for a high top breakfast table.

Breakfast table stools can be anywhere from eighteen inches to thirty six inches tall. Some are meant for tables while other are meant for counter height. Make sure to measure the height of the breakfast table you are planning to use and leave enough room for someone to sit comfortably under the table. Once you know the right height, you should think about whether you want to be able to adjust that height. If you have children then adjustable breakfast table stools are great because you can make them slightly higher for little people.

The ability to swivel, the height or existence of a back, and the upholstery all factor into the comfort of the stools. If you entertain a lot and people gather at your island or kitchen table then you might want to give them the ability to turn around in a stool so that they can talk to people not sitting at the breakfast table or island. I personally think that backs are almost essential in terms of comfort. Especially if they are sitting up higher than normal, people feel more comfortable if they have something to lean on.

The upholstery will depend on the décor of the rest of your breakfast nook and kitchen. You want to carry on the decorating themes and use similar fabric and colors that are used elsewhere. Leather is probably the most common fabric used on breakfast table stools, but they can be upholstered in almost anything regular chairs can be, or they can be free of fabric all together. Without the aid of fabric, you will find that the seats of the breakfast table stools are contoured to add comfort.

My first recommendation would be to choose the table first. The shape and size of the table will dictate what type of seating you can and should have. So in order to choose the table, you need to consider the size and shape of the room. The shape is the most important. If your breakfast nook is rectangular, then the most common shaped table will be appropriate, but you will find that many breakfast nooks are oddly shaped. Some stick out from the house in a half octagon sort of shape and others are square. If you have an octagonal shaped breakfast nook, then a round table might be best, if it is square then a square table will work well. Pick a table that will fill the most space in the room. It is a waste of space to put a circular table in a rectangular space. You can fit so many more people around the table if you maximize your use of the space.

The size of the table is the next thing to consider. If you go to a furniture store, the sales people that work there will use a simple formula to determine how large of a table you can fit into a particular space. Your first step should be to take measurements of the room. Once you know the dimensions, you can subtract approximately three feet from each side so that there will be room around the table for people to comfortably pull out chairs and sit down. As an example, if you rectangular breakfast nook measure ten feet by twelve feet then you can fit a table that is four by six into the space. Alternatively, if you have an octagonal shaped breakfast nook that measures ten feet across, then you can fit a circular table with a diameter of four feet. I say approximately three feet should be taken from each side, because you can make slight adjustments as needed. If you use benches, then you do not need as much space to pull them out or if you choose a corner breakfast nook, you do not have to pull out seats at all on two sides. In addition, if everyone in your household is thin, then you do not need so much space to pull out the chairs or get by them when people are sitting.

Once you have chosen your table, you need to start thinking about seating arrangements. You have two choices. You can have traditional chairs or space saving benches. Both choices have attributes, and your choice ultimately depends on what your priorities are. If you have a large family and your main concerns are having enough seating for everyone and enough room to store everything you need in the kitchen, then bench seating is probably a good idea for you. You can fit more bodies on a bench than you can fit in chairs in the same space. Generally, a rectangular table will have two chairs on its longer side and one on its shorter side. If you replace those three chairs with a wrap around corner bench, you fit as many as five people in the same space. In addition, benches often come with under the seat storage so for the family who never seems to have enough room for all their stuff, they could be the perfect solution.

There are also reasons you might prefer chairs to benches. If you do a lot of entertaining and frequently have guests at your breakfast nook table, then chairs are probably a better choice. Benches require that you sit fairly close to the people next to you and for guests who might not know each other very well, that could be uncomfortable. Chairs offer people his or her own space and no one will feel crowded. In addition, benches do not offer as much support as chairs and they can be uncomfortable for some people to sit in. A chair is often the more comfortable choice. Because there are advantages to both, most breakfast nooks contain a combination of the two.

First, leather might not be the most appropriate choice if you have pets or children. Both animals and kids are hard on furniture. The claws of cats and dogs will make marks on your furniture and can tear leather. Children climb on everything. Shoe marks and scuffs are a way of life with kids so they will be just as rough on the rather delicate leather material in you breakfast nook. In addition, kids are messy eaters. You will most certainly have food and drink spilled on your seats and it is hard to clean leather.

You need special cleaners and special tools like cloths and brushes to properly clean your leather. In addition, you need to treat it with coatings and protectors often. If your kids are constantly spilling things on the leather or scuffing it up with shoes or fingernails, then it might start to get hard to keep ahead of things. Your beautiful leather furniture will fall into disrepair and it will not have been worth it to buy the expensive furniture in the first place.

Leather should not be in direct sunlight if at all possible. So if your breakfast nook has many windows and you enjoy the sunlight then leather furniture might not be a good choice for you. If leather is exposed to direct sunlight for too long it will start to crack and dry out.

But there are households where leather breakfast nook furniture is completely appropriate. Adults with no children whose homes are not in the direct view of the rising or setting sun are good candidates. Leather is soft and probably one of the most comfortable fabrics to sit in. It gets even softer over time if properly taken care of. In addition, people do think more of furniture that is made out of leather. Your success will be evident to everyone.

If you like the look of leather but do not want to spend the money for the real thing, or if you have kids and do not want to waste good leather furniture while they are still young, then you might try one of the many leather alternatives. You can buy imitation leather products under several brand names. Essentially, they are a combination of leather and a polymer, most likely vinyl. The added polymer gives the fabric strength and durability but it takes away some of the softness. You can also get vinyl furniture. Vinyl is definitely harder than leather and instead of getting softer with age like leather, it tends to get harder and look more and more like plastic. The imitation leather breakfast nook furniture will not last as long, but it will give you that leather look at a fraction of the cost.

The advantage of a corner breakfast nook set is that you will be able to use a larger table than if you placed on in the center of the room. When a table is in the middle of the room, you need to leave about three feet of space on every side so that there is room to pull chairs out. However, if you purchase a corner table with benches, there will only be about eighteen inches between the wall and the table on two sides. That gives you an additional eighteen inches of table space in both directions.

One factor to consider if you want to get a corner breakfast nook furniture set is the fact that at least some of the seating will be benches. If you have a large family and need lots of seating, that could be an advantage. Kids do not mind sliding in and out of booths and it is easy for them. You can fit more people on a booth that you could in chairs in the same amount on space. On the other hand, if you are going to be asking guests to sit at your kitchen table, then benches might not be the best choice for you. Some people are uncomfortable sitting as close to other people as you have to when sitting on a bench. In addition, some people have a hard time sliding in and out of a bench.

Another factor to consider is the two outside walls and whether or not there are windows there. If your breakfast nook literally is in the corner of your home, then there will probably be windows on those two outside walls. If the kitchen furniture that you choose has high backs on the corner benches, they could block the windows. IF you have windows on the two walls where you will be utilizing the corner for furniture, make sure that the seating arrangements do not come up high enough to block the windows. In addition, you will need to make sure that the window treatments do not interfere with the seating arrangements. You do not want long drapes that fall onto the bench seats. If there are no windows, then you have a lot more flexibility when choosing your corner breakfast nook furniture for sale.

Kitchen Corner Table Unit Set Walnut Chelsea Walnut Break Nook Set creates a cozy spot for meals and conversation in any corner of the kitchen. The rich walnut finish on this corner nook provides a traditional look to this highly functional piece. The nook corner bench and nook free-standing bench seats five people comfortably. You can determine the direction of the corner unit during nook assembly. Some assembly required.

When picking out breakfast nook furniture, I like to think about the table first. It is the largest piece of furniture and it will be the biggest presence in the room. In order to utilize your breakfast nook space to the best of its ability, you want to get a table as large as possible. A good rule of thumb is to measure the dimensions of the breakfast nook and then subtract three feet from all sides. That is how big your table can be. The three feet is so that you can leave room for people to pull out chairs and sit down. Another aspect of the table to consider is the style and materials of construction. Whatever the decorating theme of your kitchen is will most likely dictate this point. If you have a modern kitchen with black countertops and glass door cabinets, a wooden table just would not look right. Something with glass or metal might work better. Remember to keep the theme going and you should be fine. The last characteristic of the table to consider is the table height. Table height can range from normal to what we call a high top. High top table require stools rather than chairs or benches. The type of breakfast nook that would be well suited to a high top table is one where you only have room for a table for two. Then, the high table is reminiscent of a café or bar.

Once you have decided on the table, the next step is to pick what you are going to sit on. As I said above, most breakfast nook sets are either chairs, benches, or a combination of the two. However, some will use stools if the situation is right. You want to balance the number of people you can sit at your table with the comfort of those individuals. Benches will allow for more seating, but they are not as comfortable as chairs. Another thing to consider is the style of the table you have chosen. You want to make sure that the style of the table lends itself well to benches or chairs. Modern looking tables do not go well with benches and high top tables do not go well with benches or chairs. One thing to keep in mind about benches is that they often come with extra under the seat storage space. Extra storage is a very good selling point, but you have to make sure it looks good too.

Really, a breakfast nook’s purpose is not merely a place to eat your first morning meal, it’s about a focal point where a family and friends can gather. We eat ninety nine percent of our meals here. At night, this is where we play board games or discuss the goings on of the world over a cup of coffee. Our children fill in their coloring books, or do their homework, or take a break from playing to eat a snack at the table. In the end, this site’s purpose will be about kitchen furniture, decorating ideas, and activities that will enhance your breakfast nook and by extension maybe make your family life a bit better, if only just a bit.

Breakfast Nook Furniture

The most important part of all breakfast nooks is the furniture. Since this is usually a small room there is not a lot of space for a lot of pieces so the few that you choose are very important. In addition, this room is extremely utilitarian and you must consider how it will be used when picking out the furniture. Aesthetics are not the only thing that is important. The two most critical pieces of furniture for the breakfast nook are the table and chairs. My ideal breakfast nook is most importantly comfortable. It is, after all, meant as a place in your house to serve a causal meal or snack. I have a hard time picturing people snacking in a formal dining room. That means nice, but not necessarily expensive, furniture.

Breakfast Nook Tables

Since it is the largest object in the room the breakfast nook table is automatically the focal point. There are a few things to consider when picking out the right table for your eat-in kitchen. First of all, you want to pick a table that is as large as will comfortably fit in the space. Even if you have a small family now, you never know how it may grow in the future and you always want to make sure there is room for guests. That being said, make sure that there will be adequate room for the seating. You also want to pick a table that is shaped similarly to the room. For example, a breakfast nook that is a half circle would be the perfect place for a round kitchen table. Secondly, make sure the table matches your kitchen in decorating style. If you have a country kitchen with wooden cabinets and checkered curtains than a wooden table would be appropriate. In contrast, a modern kitchen with black marble counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and very straight lines might be complimented nicely by a glass table with metal legs. The material and look for the table should fit in. Yet another reason to consider the material your table is constructed out of is how easy or not easy it will be to clean and its durability. Especially if you have children, you will have to clean up messes often and you know that kids can be hard on furniture. Make sure the table is made of something durable and is easy to wipe off. Tables that need special cleaners are inconvenient when you are in a hurry so you should consider that when purchasing a breakfast nook table.

Breakfast Nook Chairs

Once you have chosen the piece of furniture you will sit around, the next step is to choose what you will sit on. There are two main categories of breakfast nook seating. The first is chairs and the second is a breakfast nook bench. It is quite common for there to be a combination of the two around a table as well.

The benefits of using chairs are that they are sometimes more comfortable. If you are a person of large size then it is more comfortable for you to sit on a seat that supports your entire bottom rather than a bench that might only support part. Another advantage to chairs is that they give the occupants personal space. If you are going to be entertaining at all, then you might want to allow your guests the option of sitting in their own personal seat. Benches require a certain amount of intimacy and closeness that not everyone would be comfortable with. Thirdly, it is easier to pull out a single chair to sit on than an entire bench. If only one person wants to sit down, it is awkward to pull out the whole bench by yourself. If you try to only move one end then you end up sitting at a strange angle. Chairs make it easier for individuals to find their place at the table. Finally, choosing to use chairs means that you can be more flexible when choosing your breakfast nook set. If you decide on a modern style then you are much more likely to find a set of furniture that includes chairs than benches. Benches are typically used in very specific styles. Chairs give you a wider range of possibilities. If you end up going with chairs consider picking up a set of breakfast nook cushions.

However, there are pluses to using benches as well. Benches can accommodate more people in the same amount of space taken up by chairs. If you have a large family then benches could be the key to making more of the limited amount of space that you have. In addition to seating more people, they can help maximize your space in the entire breakfast nook. Corner breakfast nooks are great space savers. If you put a bench in the corner of the room and then put a rectangular table right up to the benches you can have a larger table in your room than you could if you had to pull chairs in and out on all four sides of the table. One final advantage is that benches are often equipped with storage underneath the seating area. You can use this space to store anything from kitchen linens or small kitchen appliances that take up space in cabinets or on countertops to art supplies or games that are used often in the room. Everyone can agree that extra storage is always good and that you can always find something to put in it.

Other Furniture

There are many different breakfast nook designs and depending on which one you choose, you might be able to fit in additional pieces of furniture. My mother has a small table sitting under one window that is only about one foot wide and about four feet long. She uses it to hold small plants and knick-knacks. If your kitchen does not have a lot of windows and natural light, you might have to compensate by adding a floor lamp, ceiling light fixture, or maybe even a simple chandelier. Since most people want to accommodate as many people at the table as possible there usually is not much room for other furniture. But, if you have the room make sure that the theme of the room is continued in any piece you add.

Decorating Your Breakfast Nook

As I have said before, the breakfast nook is not a large room. But, that does not mean that you can not decorate it tastefully and add character to the space. There are many ways to add color and personality to the room. One way is with the breakfast nook cushions. The chairs and/or benches should have some cushioning to them.  It might be nice to able to sit up at the table so don’t go overboard with the cushioning. Whatever padding you choose, make sure that the color compliments some color in the kitchen like in the counters or cabinet hardware. Another way to add color and continue your decorating theme is with the window coverings. There are an incredibly large number of styles and colors to choose from when picking out blinds or curtains. This is a great opportunity to use a utilitarian element to make an influential decorating statement. Whatever you breakfast nook plans are, you have plenty of other opportunities to add decorating elements like the lighting fixtures, place mats, center pieces, wall art, and even accents in the table or chairs such as tile borders or painted stenciling.