Ideas for a Kitchen Nook

A breakfast nook is the perfect place to indulge in an old-fashioned morning repast.

The breakfast nook is a luxury in a world of galley kitchens and a casualty of the central-kitchen-island-with-barstools design. But a cozy little spot for wolfing down the morning waffles or recounting a banner day for the cook during dinner prep might be just the right flavor for a family kitchen.

Eye Appeal

Paint or glue a mural to the wall to transform a dull breakfast area into a welcoming eye-popper. A cartoonlike modern scene of seasonal birds, butterflies and blooms in a sunny wood or garden gives you something to look at while you try to focus your bleary eyes. A café scene with outdoor bistro table, streetlamp, bunch of wildflowers and a menu in another language makes your pedestrian nook the portal to another culture. A painted bakery storefront with muffins, breads, cakes and doughnuts displayed, or an old-fashioned green grocer with counters and baskets of fruits will perk up a sleepy appetite.

Toast and Tradition

A classic breakfast nook is an alcove with built-in benches and a table to fit. Max the space by using beadboard to chair-rail height on the walls and lining the interiors of set-in shelving over the benches. Paint all woodwork white and paint the ceiling and upper walls robin's egg blue, garden rose or maize. Display colorful Fiestaware bowls on the open shelves and hide extra storage under the benches and behind the seats in enclosed wall cupboards. Hang a simple clear glass or white pendant lamp to keep the alcove bright without blocking a window view or creating a cluttered appearance.

Recycled Corner

Create a breakfast nook in the corner of a sun room or kitchen by building an L-shaped bench under a bank of windows. The bench can have lift-up seats for storing occasional items like holiday cooking pans and pots or serving platters. A simple foam cushion and mattress-ticking striped pillows makes it comfortable. The top of a wooden cable reel becomes a solid round table when mounted on a turned wood base and painted distressed white. A couple of reclaimed chairs, also painted white, and empty glass jars holding wildflowers from the garden provide charm for free, or almost free. A bit of paint and fabric, a few nails and a hammer and an unused corner produce the perfect space for orange juice and oatmeal, afternoon milk and cookies, or wine and biscotti after the kids are in bed.

Center Stage Breakfast Nook

An eat-in alcove can get lost in a big, old-fashioned kitchen with an oversized hearth and high ceilings, so forget the little niche in the corner. Move the breakfast nook front and center with a painted wood table set square before the hearth. Keep it low-maintenance with glossy white paint and rugless floors. And lighten things up with wire patio chairs that almost disappear and don't create a visually bulky dining area in mid-kitchen. The table does double duty as a work island, and it's substantial enough to handle all the lunch bags along with the cereal boxes in the morning -- very efficient.

References

• Apartment Therapy; Inspiration: 10 Dining Areas; slide 10
• Apartment Therapy; Two Green Breakfast Nooks; photo 2
• Rejuvenation; Breakfast Nook; photo 19
• "County Living"; Small Space Decorating Ideas; slide 5