Using Your Breakfast Nook To Maximize Kitchen Space
We are revisiting a project that you’ve seen here in the Abode Anthology blog if you’ve visited before. While the kitchen was one of the spaces I had in my design scope, I wasn’t starting from scratch. This project was a new build, so the kitchen itself was complete when I came on board for the interior design work. I did, however, need to decorate it and make sure it worked with the rest of the space. We also tackled the breakfast nook - the eat-in area that bridged the kitchen to the great room seating.
The overall space isn’t that large, so my goal was to add in seated dining that didn’t feel squished, but also didn’t feel redundant with the kitchen island right there. Secondly, we had a big expanse of wall that my client wanted to add storage to. She had considered extending the kitchen cabinets there, but we agreed that wasn’t the best option.
Instead, what I opted to do was design a custom cabinet that would contrast the kitchen cabinets. I wanted it to have the appearance of a found, antique piece. This would be opposite the sliding door to the deck, which would anchor the table that would eventually fill the space. My client was planning on getting a small dog, so the plan was to integrate everything we’d need for the dog, as well as use the upper countertop as a morning coffee bar, as well as additional kitchen storage. For extra cleanability, I specified a stone top, and rather than wood fronts on the large upper doors, I specified mirrored which would reflect the view of the backyard from the sliding door and add light to the space.
Now that I had the space defined, I knew that a rectangular table would be the best fit. My client had requested a pub height - I opted to go with a table very similar in size and height to the island. The uniformity kept things from getting too busy in such a small area but also gave the illusion of a double island - which made her kitchen now feel twice as big. I wanted this table to feel like the main seating area here, so a smaller scale stool was selected at the kitchen island. The benefit to that is that it can push under, allowing the island to be a buffet or workstation without cumbersome chairs being in the way.
Finally, decor was added to the space - accessories and window treatments that would carry the existing colors and design scheme that we’d established in the other areas. The result? The space in the home that needed to be functional was - and it looks great, too.
