Everyone knows that you need to buy a breakfast table and chairs for their breakfast nook or kitchen, but what they might not know is that you can often buy all of this furniture in what is called a breakfast table set. The furniture set will come with a table and the seating arrangements for the table. There are advantages and disadvantages to buying you breakfast table and chairs this way.

One of the advantages is that you do not have to worry about matching the table and the chairs because they will already be matched. If you buy these pieces separately, it is unlikely that the stain or paint color will match appropriately. Breakfast nook sets are also a good idea if you do not have much of an eye for decorating. You may know that you want a certain style of chair or you may concentrate on matching colors, but there are many subtleties to matching pieces of furniture. The details like carvings, lines, relative sizes, and much more are important ones.

Another advantage to buying your breakfast nook table as part of a set is that you will be able to compare overall dimensions rather than trying to calculate how much room different pieces that you put together will take up. It makes shopping much simpler. Finally, the breakfast table is a piece of furniture that needs to be durable since it gets used a lot and is abused from time to time. If your table and chairs are part of a set, it will be easier to order replacements than if each piece is a one of a kind or bought at a thrift or second hand store.

Some of the disadvantages of buying your table and chairs as part of a breakfast nook set is that you are locked into the types of seating available. You may have decided that you only want chairs around your breakfast table, but many breakfast table sets come with benches or a combination of benches and chairs. Conversely, if you decide you like the bench seating because now your children are young and do not mind sliding into a booth; but later, when they grow up and move out, you want chairs for you and your guests, then you will be in trouble. Most breakfast nook sets do not come with interchangeable parts if you change your mind later.

While the breakfast room table is usually small, the table can be one of many shapes. Some of the most common breakfast table shapes are round, rectangular, or square. The shape of your small breakfast table depends largely on the shape of the breakfast nook area. If your kitchen has an end that sticks out in a half octagon shape, then breakfast table furniture of the circular nature would fit best. You can use the maximum amount of the space with a round table. If your kitchen just has an end that does not have any cabinets or counters and stays the same rectangular shape, then a rectangular breakfast table set will work best.

After you decide on the shape that fits best in your kitchen, you will want to consider the materials of construction. The materials that will work best for your breakfast table are ones that continue the decorating style of the rest of the kitchen. Since the breakfast nook and the breakfast nook furniture within it are just an extension of the kitchen, the décor should be consistent. For example, if you have a country theme kitchen with oak cabinets and a copper sink then you breakfast nook table should probably be oak or stained to look like the oak of your cabinets as best as possible. You will tie things together even better if you find a way to tie in more subtle connections like some inlaid copper tiles on the table top.

Some of the most common breakfast table materials are wood, glass, granite, stainless steel, aluminum, Formica, or other hardened plastics. The tabletop and the table base do not have to be made of the same material. In fact, it is usually nice to have a difference. You do not even have to be consistent within the tabletop. It is quite common to find a combination of metal and glass or wood and tile in a table top. Materials like glass, metal, or plastic have one advantage over wood in that they are not porous. Wooden breakfast tables can absorb spills and odors and it is harder to clean than the smooth surfaces provided by glass, plastic, or metal. That is why many wooden tables explore the many breakfast table color options by painting the tabletop. The paint provides a layer of protection and the wood is less likely to absorb stains.

There are several different styles for the table base to choose from. You can have a traditional dining table style with four legs in each corner, but this is usually reserved for square or rectangular breakfast tables. Those legs can be tapered or straight, thin or thick, or freestanding or permanently installed. Some stereotypes that seem consistent are that wooden legs are usually thicker and straight, while metal or plastic legs often taper and are thinner. Sometimes bars or supports connect the breakfast table legs. Their function is most often decorative rather than structural. An alternative to the four-leg breakfast table is a pedestal table. These work best for square or round tables because the weight can be evenly distributed around the one center leg. A pedestal breakfast table will have a large center leg, typically with an X or tripod design at the bottom for support and stability.

While most breakfast nook table sets are meant for sitting at the normal dinner table height, there is one breakfast nook table idea that is quite popular that stray s from that standard. Breakfast bar tables are chest high tables meant to be used in conjunction with bar stools. Sometimes, the breakfast bar is just an extension of the kitchen island and you can pull right up to the island to eat your meals. A breakfast table with stools is reminiscent of an outdoor café or bar and works well in a newer house with a more modern feel. They are usually meant for smaller kitchens because they typically only seat two to three people. Breakfast table stools are usually higher than normal chairs and you have to step up into them.

Many people think that you can use any dining room table in the breakfast nook and that there is no difference between the two. However, some dining room table attributes are not appropriate for the breakfast nook. For example, a drop leaf breakfast table is uncommon. Usually you choose the largest table that you can for your breakfast nook. Having extra leaves that can be added to the tabletop is pointless if the room cannot accommodate anything larger. In addition, breakfast nook tables are usually considered less formal so ornate wooden carved legs and dark woods like cherry or teak are not common for breakfast tables.

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.

There are breakfast nook tables made of almost every material you can think of. You can find kitchen tables made of solid wood, a combination of metal and glass, wood with ceramic tile on top, and even plastic. You can find a breakfast nook set to match any kitchen décor. For example, I saw a television show once where the designers redid a kitchen in a Spanish theme. The table was mostly made of wood, but they added a punched metal apron to the sides to tie in with the punched metal in the cabinet doors. In addition to the materials available, you can find breakfast tables in almost any shape or size. It used to be that all kitchen tables were small and round but that is definitely not the case anymore. You can find tables that are round, square, rectangular, octagonal, hexagonal, or an unusual shape to fit specifically in an odd sized breakfast nook. There are some breakfast nook tables that only seat two and there are ones that are designed for large families and seat up to fourteen. Whatever you needs, there is a breakfast nook table for you.

As varied as the table choices are, the chairs for breakfast nook seating are even more varied. Of course, most people want to chairs to match the table and buy them as a set. However, it does not have to be that way. Many people find an older distressed table and then mix and match funky chairs that they find in yard sales and second hand stores to create an eclectic and fun room. In addition to the material and design of the chair, there are other choices that you have to make. For example, will the chairs be upholstered, use breakfast nook cushions, or have no padding? The material of the upholstery or cushions is also important. If you do not have any children to worry about then you might consider leather or suede upholstery to give your breakfast nook a more formal feel so you will feel comfortable inviting guests in there to share a meal. Another decision to be made is whether you will have chairs, bench seating, or a combination of both. Benches are good if you are trying to fit a large number of people at the table because you can fit more people on benches. In addition, benches usually come with under the seat storage compartments that are handy for any homeowner. However, benches can be uncomfortable for your guests who do not want to sit too close to others or for larger individuals who do not like sliding in and out of booths. That is why a combination usually works best.