For family meals or casual breakfasts, or even for dinner parties, entertaining guests and socializing, seating in the kitchen can make a big difference. And no matter what the shape, layout, or size of your kitchen, some form of seating can generally always be included. But what are the effective kitchen seating options? And which seating style would suit your space, and your lifestyle? Well, here at Priory Kitchen Studio, we are Preston’s leading kitchen design professionals. And this is our guide to everything you should consider about kitchen seating.
What are the most effective kitchen seating options?
There are several different options for kitchen seating including:
- Breakfast bars
- Corner seating/booths
- Kitchen islands
- Kitchen tables
Your kitchen seating options will be limited or determined by the size and style of your kitchen. So which type of seating could be a good fit for your kitchen?
Breakfast bars
No matter how large or small your kitchen is, it can benefit from a breakfast bar. This is generally a more casual seating style, which uses bar stools for seating. These can easily be tucked under the bar, or moved away when not in use, saving space in small kitchens. However, a breakfast bar can also provide permanent seating for six or more people, depending on the size and layout of your kitchen.
A breakfast bar can be installed separately and independently from the rest of your worktops to create a dedicated seating area in a large or medium sized kitchen. However, for the most part, the breakfast bar will be an extension of your existing worktop space. This allows the kitchen to flow, and the seating to fit naturally with the rest of your kitchen style. It also means that even a small two seater breakfast bar can be installed in a small kitchen, adding some much needed seating.
Corner seating/booths
In any size kitchen, including narrow galley kitchens, a corner seating or booth area can be created. This may involve removing or leaving out some storage space, in favour of creating seating against the wall in one corner, with a small table in the middle. In a lager kitchen, you can incorporate this into your kitchen layout more easily and effectively.
Kitchen islands
If your kitchen is large enough for a kitchen island, this could be the perfect way to add seating to your kitchen space. A kitchen island can add storage and usable worktop space, but it could also be used in a number of different ways to create effective kitchen seating. This includes:
- extending one side of the kitchen island, and dropping this a level, to create an extended seating area, either in the style of a full kitchen table, or a more casual breakfast bar
- choosing a kitchen island with inbuilt seating space. Generally, this will be a smaller space for two people, to keep the rest of the kitchen island as functional as possible.
Kitchen table
For entertaining, socalising and eating together as a family, you cant beat a kitchen table. In open plan kitchens this is something that is often thought about, with part of the space being a “zonal area” for eating and dining. However, in smaller kitchens, it is often difficult to fit a full kitchen table into the available space. That’s why a breakfast bar, or even corner seating, can be more practical.
For more information or advice, or to find the perfect kitchen seating option for your home, take a look at what we have to offer, here at Priory Kitchen Studio.