Today, many kitchens serve a double purpose. They are used primarily for preparing food, of course, but also serve as a gathering place for friends and family members who enjoy having beverages, snacks, or meals right in the kitchen. Some families make a habit of serving informal meals in the kitchen, or provide seating areas where children can do homework and other projects while a parent prepares snacks, lunch, or dinner. As a result, seating is often as much a part of a kitchen’s function and design as its counter space or cooking appliances.
There are numerous options for comfortable kitchen seating, ranging from the pragmatic to the elegant. Kitchens.com notes that as seating desires and requirements change, the concept of the kitchen table itself is evolving. In some kitchens, the table completely disappears in favor of a kitchen island, for example. Islands are versatile kitchen components that can provide an extra food preparation area, drinks or dining space, and even storage (see our earlier blog post: Adding an Island to Your Kitchen).
Kitchens.com offers the following tips for standard kitchen seating heights, whether you have a table or an island:
- A typical chair should have a seat height of about 17 inches, which works for tables or lowered countertops.
- Breakfast barstools work if your island is the right size—a countertop at 35 inches is a good rule of thumb to follow.
- High barstools with a 30-inch seat base work for raised, approximately 42-inch, worktops. Be careful, however: the site notes that children could fall from these stools.
If you opt for stool seating around a kitchen island, you have seemingly unlimited options. Premiere Barstools, for example, offers trendy backless bar stools, and more traditional bar stools with either upholstered or wooden seats. BarStool.com offers the elegant Boraam 29-inch Augusta Swivel Bar Stool alongside simple Winsome Wood 24-inch Charger Swivel Counter Stools, and the super stylish Portobello 24.5 inch Counter School in Dark Cherry. As with every aspect of your kitchen’s design, you’ll want to choose stools in a color and style that matches your kitchen’s overall ambiance and décor. Make sure to consider comfort as much as design.
Islands accompanied by bar stools are far from the only trendy kitchen seating option today. Breakfast nooks have become common in modern kitchens, and offer a variety of seating possibilities. Adding a breakfast nook can be as easy as freeing up a corner of the kitchen, and then purchasing a dining set with corner bench seating, like this inexpensive example from Walmart. Better Homes and Gardens offers numerous breakfast nook seating design ideas, including cushioned built-in window seats that double as storage spaces, and a cozy, elegant banquette. This photo at Crown-Point.com depicts a kitchen that has it all; it is equipped with an island accessorized with wood bar stools and a kitchen nook accompanied by bench seating.
If you opt for a more traditional kitchen table, one glance at the kitchen chairs available at IKEA reveals that your options are as unlimited as kitchen designs. Chairs are available with or without armrests, cushioned or wooden, and in traditional or contemporary styles. The dining chairs available at Home Decorators range from the plush Tufted-Back Dining Chair to the Parsons Rolled-Back Leather Chair, or a Rolled-Back Parsons Chair complete with a floor-length skirt.
If you’re considering kitchen seating as a part of a renovation project or a new kitchen design, remember that Atherton Appliance & Kitchens offers free, professional design services. Our designers will provide an informative, enjoyable, and educational experience. They will offer three-dimensional drawings and graphic illustrations as they take a step-by-step approach to your kitchen design. Our designers have more than 30 years of experience in the kitchen design field, and are standing by to work with you.
Choosing seating for your kitchen can be a fun, creative experience. The right choices will provide comfortable seating areas for dining and socializing, while complementing your kitchen’s décor – adding a new dimension to one of the favorite rooms in your home.
Click Here To Submit A News Tip Or Story