10 Kitchen Setups for an Eating Area You’ll Love
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.
Tell us: If you could wave a magic wand to instantly transform your breakfast area, how would you change it?