In relation to designing a kitchen, breakfast bar concepts present an answer for way over their title suggests. Whether or not you are in search of a fast espresso spot, a convivial cocktail nook and even someplace for the entire household to eat, breakfast bars is usually a useful addition to your kitchen and life-style.
As the best way we reside and use our properties continues to evolve, lengthy gone are the times of formal eating rooms and prolonged repasts which required a bigger, and often separate area.
“Breakfast bars carry an a variety of benefits to a kitchen design from the addition of additional seating to permitting social interplay whereas meals is being ready,” says Molly Chandler, designer at Willis & Stone, however do they swimsuit each type of kitchen and is there an optimum top it is advisable to plan for?
Breakfast bar concepts might be tailor-made to your particular person wants
“While the very best top for a breakfast bar comes down to non-public desire to a point,” says Molly, “the usual top is often round 36 inches or 91cm excessive.
“This enables for snug seating for many adults when utilizing normal bar stools, that are sometimes round 24 to 30 inches or 61 to 76 cm in top.”
From island concepts to standalone options we have rounded up a collection of the very best breakfast bar concepts, so pull up a seat and discover one that may work in your subsequent new kitchen or renovation undertaking.
Molly Chandler is a designer with a wealth of expertise in creating high quality kitchens to swimsuit all kinds of buyer wants. From preliminary thought by to accomplished design, Molly understands simply tips on how to make a kitchen work nicely and look good.
1. Select a contrasting breakfast bar form
Whereas breakfast bars have been as soon as seen as an add-on to a kitchen – and certainly, generally the addition of a low-level small shelf on a wall or an additional lengthy piece of worktop with a stool popped beneath nonetheless suffices in smaller areas – they’re additionally now thought of an integral factor in lots of kitchen ideas.
For additional affect and prominence, select a contrasting breakfast bar form when it types a part of your kitchen island ideas. As an alternative of extending the island or incorporating seating both facet, add a round raised part at one finish and bar stools colored to match your kitchen cupboards.
In addition to offering a placing design characteristic, it clearly marks the area out from the remainder of the island and meals preparation areas.
If florals and materials are your most popular decisions in terms of your decor, do not assume there is no place for these in your kitchen.
When your breakfast bar stools are your most important seating every day, they should be visually interesting in addition to sensible and comfy. On this mushy inexperienced, shaker type kitchen, the added pop of purple on the bar stools is a good kitchen decor idea and ties in neatly with the art work and kitchen blind.
3. Create a floating type breakfast bar to supply entry to cupboards beneath
When you want a bigger breakfast bar however do not need to sacrifice any storage alternatives in terms of your kitchen cabinet design, this scheme from Benchmarx Kitchens demonstrates the way it’s potential to have your cake, and eat it.
By creating the breakfast bar in a distinct materials, elevating the peak in order that it sits on one fringe of the worktop, and including a slab leg on the different finish for assist offers unhampered entry to the kitchen cabinets beneath.
For added ease of entry to your cupboards, select stools that may slot neatly beneath the breakfast bar and to at least one facet when not in use.
4. Lengthen your kitchen worktop to create a small breakfast bar nook
“For kitchens with restricted area, wall-mounted breakfast bars present a smooth and environment friendly answer, maximising room move whereas nonetheless providing a chosen eating space, says Julie Gokce, senior designer at More Kitchens.
Her high tip for getting the design proper?
“When it comes to top, guaranteeing your breakfast bar aligns with normal countertop top is essential to making a seamless transition between the bar and surrounding surfaces. “
To proceed the phantasm of area, cease your kitchen wall items in need of the complete size of the room and add kitchen shelving above so that you simply nonetheless have storage choices however do not feel penned in when pausing for espresso.
Julie Gokce brings over 40 years of experience within the kitchen design world. Although holding a various array of roles throughout that point, her ardour for design has been her guiding gentle, all the time main her again to her real love: crafting bespoke and progressive kitchen designs.
5. Go massive to create a full measurement breakfast bar island
If breakfast time includes a number of members of the family needing to eat collectively, or weekends see your property stuffed with additional friends requiring meals, max out in your kitchen diner ideas and create a breakfast bar concept that’s massive sufficient to seat loads of individuals.
“Island breakfast bars provide a central hub for meals preparation, further worktop area, and trendy seating choices, making them a flexible selection for contemporary kitchens,” says Julie Gokce.
However how massive ought to an island breakfast bar be?
“We might suggest permitting a minimal of 4ft by 2ft of area to make sure snug motion and ample seating preparations.”
6. Add art work in case your breakfast bar thought is wall-facing
If modern kitchen ideas are extra to your style than farmhouse kitchen ideas, massive islands, or a lot of shapes and totally different supplies might not work in terms of your dream kitchen.
“If a minimalist design is favoured, a wall-mounted floating breakfast bar works nicely giving a smooth look with clear traces,” suggests Molly.
But when the considered dealing with a wall would not encourage you, create your individual view with some fashionable art work similar to this set of Three Wave Prints from Beach House Art.
7. Add sockets beneath for a versatile work spot
“With many people now working from house, in more moderen instances breakfast bars have additionally proved a flexible area for a makeshift house workplace, or someplace for homework to be accomplished,” explains Molly Chandler.
However in flip, this has modified the best way we’d like to consider electrical factors in terms of kitchen layout ideas.
In addition to ensuring there are sufficient plug sockets behind cupboards for home equipment and above worktops for small gadgets similar to kettles, espresso machines and toasters, having someplace to cost your laptop computer and telephone is now often on the record of most house owner’s necessities.
When you’re within the early levels of kitchen design, remember to embrace some beneath or at worktop stage in case your breakfast bar doubles up as a piece station.
As a substitute for mounting a socket to a cupboard, pop up options similar to this Retractable Pop-Up Socket from B&Q even have a wi-fi charging pad for while you solely have to pop your telephone on cost.
All the time remember to verify along with your electrician and the producer that merchandise like this are appropriate to be used in a kitchen surroundings.
8. Place a skylight above your breakfast bar thought
Though putting in pendant lights above a kitchen island comes excessive on the record of kitchen island lighting ideas, one other method to make sure most brightness – with out growing your electrical energy payments – is to put in a skylight in your ceiling.
And, as this intelligent lighting answer from Extra Kitchens exhibits, it doesn’t suggest it’s a must to sacrifice ceiling lighting within the course of. As an alternative, by recessing the skylight you’ll be able to nonetheless run your electrical wiring to the world.
Select a pendant gentle design with an extended cable and a skylight with framed panels so that you’ve got a safe floor to hold your cable and shade from, however remember to verify along with your skylight producer that the body you select is appropriate.
As a substitute, angled, dimmable spotlights may be fitted to the recess and supply appropriate lighting at night time.
If you require nothing extra out of your breakfast bar thought than someplace to seize a fast espresso, a easy worktop prolonged worktop overhang breakfast bar thought will seemingly meet your wants.
To make sure your design would not compromise the general move of motion or affect on the remainder of your kitchen design,”when it comes to top,” says Julie Gokce, “guaranteeing your breakfast bar aligns with normal countertop top is essential to making a seamless transition between the bar and surrounding surfaces.”
The advantage of a easy worktop thought? You may select a classy bar stool to take centre stage as a substitute.
We love the velvet coated Tall Paul Bar Stool from Fox & Furb proven within the picture. Alternatively, this Spindle bar chair set from John Lewis is available in a reasonably shade of blue, gentle gray or black and is a up to date slant on a conventional design.
I’ve a couple of of the chairs on this vary round my eating desk they usually have proved to be each fashionable and sturdy.
10. Purchase a standalone breakfast bar answer
When you like the thought of a breakfast bar however maybe do not have area for one in your kitchen design, and even want to dine away from the primary exercise, a freestanding breakfast bar might the answer.
Offering the peak and look you favor, it additionally gives a sensible answer. Merely pull it away from the wall and switch a comfy spot for 2 into an off-the-cuff area for 4. Or take away the stools and the desk turns into a useful additional floor for meals and drinks at events or occasions.
11. Add some enjoyable with low stage neon lighting
Though many of the focus in kitchen lighting ideas centres on partitions, ceilings or below wall cupboards, there is no purpose to exclude your breakfast bar from the limelight.
As an alternative, have some enjoyable by including neon lights beneath your kitchen island breakfast bar combo. Whereas this design from Extra Kitchens opts for vivid pink, selecting a lightweight becoming which lets you change between colors can be an effective way of adjusting the temper to swimsuit the time of day.
Or, when you’ve already fitted your kitchen and do not have a spare plug so as to add a mains powered model, battery powered or rechargeable choices can be found similar to this Hikenri Battery Powered LED Light Strip from Amazon.
In case your kitchen is on the coronary heart of your social gatherings, embrace the continuing pattern for metallics and select shiny gold bar stools. Offering the right perching spot for pre-dinner drinks and someplace for mates to sit down and chat whilst you put together meals, metallic finishes are assured so as to add additional glamour to your area.
To duplicate the look, purchase these Siena Bar Stools in gold from Dunelm and pair them with a metallic wallpaper similar to this Galerie Concrete Gold wallpaper from Wallpaper Direct.
Uncertain which type of breakfast bar to decide on?
“Whether or not it is higher to have a wall-mounted breakfast bar or one on an island unit relies on varied components together with the structure of your kitchen, obtainable area, your design preferences, and the way you propose to make use of the area,” says Molly Chandler.
“While a wall-mounted possibility saves on area, they could provide much less seating in comparison with an island unit design,” she explains, “and whereas island breakfast bars usually include the additional benefit of further storage, they are going to clearly require extra flooring area.”
As with most rooms in your home, getting the fitting stability between operate and type is important to a profitable design. For extra recommendation on turning your dream into realilty, learn our complete guide to kitchen renovation.