Need Help designing Kitchen bench seating

7 years ago

We are planning a new build kitchen and having trouble designing the bench seating that we would like to include. Below is a screen show of the kitchen plan

We are a family of four and plan to use the area for weekends breakfast/lunch and dinners. Breakfast and lunch during the week would most likely be at the island. Anytime additional family is over and holidays will be in the dining room.

We were initially thinking a corner bench on the upper right hand of the drawing, on the same walls as the fridge and the slider.

The questions are the following;

- How big should the bench be? Should it be the whole 7 1/2 feet to the fridge and the 5' to the slider?

- This feels like it is too much for that space, so if we should cut it, what should the measurements be?

- Do you think it should be a round or rectangular table?

- Should we just do the bench on one wall to avoid any dead space?

Thank you in advance for any help that you can give. We are really stuck on this.

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Comments (3)

mama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years ago
I'd make the bench on the fridge wall the full length, and make the
other one 2' plus the depth of the benches. If benches are 20" deep, the
shorter bench would be 44", corner to edge. I'd use a rectangular
table, but you need to allow space for the fridge door to open fully,
and even if the fridge is counter depth, the doors must extend beyond
the counter to open. You also need to allow space for the fridge
enclosure panels (if fridge will be enclosed), so the 7'10" space will
be reduced by 2-3". I'd use a table 32" x 54" m/l.

I
have 16" deep window seats which were made for reading nooks for the
grandkids, but they are kind of shallow for adults, although we use
them, too. I found this on the 'net:

I like your kitchen layout. If you are planning on living in the house when the kids are old enough to help out, you might want to add an 18" prep sink to the island, to provide space for a helper. It would also be pleasant for you to face out while prepping, instead of facing the corner.

If you don't want the island counter interrupted, you can have a cutting board made to fit over the prep sink, returning it to counter space. Good luck!
Swedepie
7 years ago
I have an 80" straight bench which was my choice. I didn't want anyone having to scoot in and around a corner for seating purposes and decided on a chair for each end of the table. In looking for a table, I wanted a 42" round converting to oval or rectangle no shorter than 60" or wider than 42" with a butterfly leaf that could be extended for extended family style dinners. For me, 32" wide would be too narrow to hold plates, serving dishes and glassware. I know it will stick out a bit farther than ideal, but it will serve our purpose very well. I also wanted trestle style legs or a center post to make getting into and out from the bench easier. It took me three months, but I finally found one yesterday, and I'm very pleased.
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mama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years ago
sdemichele, I don't think you can go longer than 54", because of the fridge door, and also you'll need at least 18" to allow someone (one of your children, I assume) to slide onto the back bench.

When my kids were small and we always ate at the DR table, we plated at the range, so that we didn't need to carry serving dishes to the DR. After doing that for so many years we usually still plate at the range, and if anyone wants seconds, he gets up and serves himself, or an adult fetches for a small child (grandkids now :).

We have 30" wide folding tables we set up for large gatherings, served buffet-style, so no serving dishes on the table (except for S&P, and butter dishes), and that depth works well for plates, glasses, and silverware. I also sometimes use candles and small decorations for holidays, and it's not too crowded.

If the slider opens left-to-right, you could go up to a 54" square or round table: