Kitchen Design
10 Kitchen Setups for an Eating Area You’ll Love
Bring color and creativity to the table with cool chairs, statement lighting and artful touches
You enjoy your first cup of coffee or tea there, eat breakfast around it and probably also work, read and sit with a glass of wine there while dinner is on the stove — why not make your kitchen table the center of a space that inspires you? If you have an eat-in kitchen that you would like to spice up, whether it fits a table for 10 or for two, these design combos are bound to get your creative juices flowing. See if one of them inspires you.
Tile mosaic + hammered pendant light. Craft a worldly look with a mosaic of mismatched tiles like the Cuban tile shown here, printed cushions and a hammered silver or copper pendant light. Benches are extra cozy, but a tiled accent wall alone could add oomph to any breakfast nook.
Corner window seat + decals. Storage-filled bench seats tucked into a corner are cozy and practical, fitting plenty of people at the breakfast table. Pep up the corner with a few fun and easy-to-apply window decals that pick up a hue in your bench cushions.
Bump-out table + globe light. A waterfall-edge table attached to the wall takes up little floor space, yet has a big presence. Hanging a simple pendant light directly over the table focuses attention on the area and provides a warmer glow than the regular kitchen lighting.
Statement chandelier + flowering branches. A gorgeous statement-making chandelier, like the hot-pink one shown here, plus tall vases of flowering branches, creates a subtle separation between spaces — perfect for an open-plan home.
Restaurant-style doors + globe chandelier. Why not make the door a design feature? Restaurant-style swinging doors with circular glass insets bring energy to the kitchen here, while a chandelier made up of globe lights in different hues echoes the shape of the round panes in the door.
Diner table + cool wallpaper. To get this quirky, charming look, tuck a classic diner-style table up to a corner banquette backed with a wall covered in fresh, modern wallpaper. The combination of a corner banquette (to maximize seating) and printed wallpaper (to add depth) is great for small spaces.
Café table + invisible chairs. This itty-bitty seating area proves that even truly tiny spaces don’t need to sacrifice style. Seek out the smallest, sleekest café table you can find and place a pair of clear chairs (made from acrylic or Lucite) around it. Style it up between meals with a cute fruit bowl.
Mod seating + fairy-tale pendant light. Sleek, smooth mod plastic chairs create a dynamic counterpoint to an intricate, whimsical pendant light here. Sticking with white for the chairs and light fixture keeps this kitchen (with its pink cabinets) from veering into too-sweet territory.
Rice paper lantern + kids’ art wall. Easy, affordable rice paper pendant lights come in a wide range of sizes and create a lovely glow when lit. A wall with casually taped-up children’s artwork and simple white walls and chairs add up to a welcoming space where creativity can shine.
Corner bench + slipcovered armchair + chandelier. Carve out a breakfast nook that exudes easy elegance with a comfy bench seat plumped up with plenty of pillows, a real armchair and a classic chandelier. Choose a chair with an upright profile for more comfortable seating at the table, and be sure to pick a washable slipcover to make your life easier.
Tell us: If you could wave a magic wand to instantly transform your breakfast area, how would you change it?
More: Kitchen Banquettes: Explaining the Buffet of Options
Tell us: If you could wave a magic wand to instantly transform your breakfast area, how would you change it?
More: Kitchen Banquettes: Explaining the Buffet of Options