Kitchen Design | Bench Seating
Designing your dining area can be both exciting and intimidating. Making the most of your kitchen space and creating an aesthetic that you're proud of can leave you feeling overwhelmed with options.
One popular design element that homeowners are adding to their kitchens and dining space is a bench.
A bench isn’t just for picnics and parks anymore; in fact, they've gone up in popularity over the last couple of years.
While many might assume that benches and banquettes are only for rustic interiors, there are a lot of options and design placements out there that can be used in all kinds of kitchen spaces.
Your Guide to Banquette and Bench Seating
Here is your guide to built in benches, banquettes, and breakfast nooks and how you can use them to design your dining area.
Using a Built in Bench to Up Your Kitchen or Dining Room Functionality
If you're new or skeptical about banquette seating, you probably aren't totally sure how you can use bench seating in your dining room. If that's the case, here are some decor and design ideas that you can use in your house that involve banquette or bench seating options.
Cozy Spot With Extra Comfort
One way to design your banquette seating area or kitchen benches is by making it a bit more casual and comfortable. Using upholstered benches with extra pillows along the seating will invite guests to relax in the perfect place to rest. As well, for more laid back meals, you have a banquette seat that is comfortable and cozy, making gathering for family meal times even better.
This cozy vibe can work with all kinds of decor styles as the fabric used can be whatever colour or pattern you want.
As well, the placement of the table and bench can make a big difference to the space. A corner banquette at a small table will feel more intimate while a seating area that sits against bay windows creates a space full of natural light that can illuminate the whole kitchen. Whether placed by the wall or by the windows to bring in more light, a banquette seat and table is the perfect addition to your kitchen.
Modern and Sleek Banquette Seating
An all white kitchen with white walls, white chairs, and white cabinets can also feature banquette seating that fits the aesthetic. If you want to stick with the all white vibe, you can use white fabric on an upholstered bench.
Otherwise, you can use the built in banquette as a way to add a pop of colour or feature some black accents.
Other modern kitchen designs use a neutral colour palette. If this is the case, you can find corner bench seating options that match the chairs, table, and other pieces of furniture you already have in your family kitchen.
Storage Space
Not only is banquette seating a way to pique visual interest, it also can be a place to store things. While your kitchen and kitchen island may be full of drawers or kitchen cabinets, there usually isn't a ton of additional storage space available.
A bench seat can often provide storage space under the seat and can be accessed by lifting up the seat. This extra storage can be used to store pillows, place mats, extra cutlery or dining ware, other appliances, or miscellaneous things you may have lying around your house. An L shaped banquette can provide even more space and can keep the room clutter free.
Breakfast Nook
Are you looking for a cute and chic way to upgrade your eat-in kitchen? Why not create a breakfast nook with a bench seating corner. A breakfast nook made with banquette seating is the perfect way to use a small corner in your kitchen and avoid eating at the kitchen island or large table.
While a dining table is great for a formal meal, a breakfast nook is perfect for those small, slow mornings in your eat-in kitchen. As well, bar stools around the kitchen aren't as nice to sit in for your morning coffee. Instead, opt for a banquette seating option right by your windows and create a cute breakfast nook.
Save Room in a Small Space
Is your casual kitchen overflowing with tables, stools, and dining chairs? If you have way too many things going on in one room, you might consider using a bench in your eat-in kitchen to save space.
Sometimes a kitchen can be hard to work in if you have too many chairs that you need to push in and out when going around your island. Instead, bench or banquette seating is the perfect way to have the same amount of seats without the big clunky chairs taking up space around the table.
Want to fit more guests around your dining table? Banquette seats allow you to increase the number of people you can fit around your table without adding more chairs and stools to the mix.
Take your hosting skills to the next level with a banquette seating area that feels like home.
Smitty's Fine Furniture
Looking to add a bench to your kitchen table? Browse the catalogue of dining benches available at Smitty's Fine Furniture today!
Smitty's Fine Furniture is a family-owned furniture store specializing in Canadian made furniture and customized solutions. Visit our locations in Kitchener and Hanover: