Take a Seat
We share 10 breakfast nooks that will make you rethink breakfast in bed
Looking for ways to maximize space or add an element of warmth to your kitchen? Try incorporating a breakfast nook. “Homeowners should always consider the feeling they want their breakfast space to have,” says interior designer Jessica Geller, co-owner of Toledo Geller Interiors in Englewood. “A built-in corner nook inherently creates a very casual and cozy vibe versus a table surrounded by matching chairs.”
Whether the space is small or sizable, don’t forget to factor in lots of natural light, adds architect Rosario Mannino, principal of RS Mannino Architecture & Design Build in Rutherford. “Breakfast nooks are a great place to wake up and enjoy the morning sunrise,” he says. Consider the functionality of banquette seating; it’s perfect for a small group at breakfast or a casual dining spot for after-school snacks, he says. “[But] if it’s too large or deep, it just doesn’t have the convenience purpose, which is what an informal breakfast nook should be.”
Many people opt for storage underneath banquettes, Geller notes. “That’s great when you’re tight on space” or don’t need to access it daily, which could render it cumbersome and impractical. The best part of bench or banquette seating? “You can always squeeze in another body or two when needed.”
For inspiration, check out our roundup of breakfast zones in a variety of styles and sizes:
FAMILY HUB
Photos: Jacob Snavely | Interior Design: Jessica Geller (www.toledogeller.com); table: Bungalow 5 (www.bungalow5.com); chairs, Serena & Lily (www.serenaandlily.com); art, Barloga Studios (www.barlogastudios.com).
“Not only do we eat most meals here [around a cerused-oak pedestal table], but my three young kids treat this like home base,” designer Jessica Geller says of her own family kitchen nook in Essex Fells. Banquette seating — upholstered in worry-free charcoal gray vinyl with cream-colored vinyl piping — stands up to spills, stains and messy craft projects. Traditional relaxed Roman shades in a ticking stripe pair with a clean-lined tapered shade, striking a balance between traditional and modern. Vintage milk bottle camp art is photographed in a contemporary way, and everything is grounded by a backdrop of faux bois wallpaper. French bistro chairs are lightweight and clean easily. “I have two more that I can pull out from storage when I want to squeeze more people in at the table,” Geller says.
WINDOW SEAT, PLEASE
Photo: Peter Rymwid | Design NJ October-November 2019 | Design: Jennifer Pacca, Allied ASID | Architect: Jordan Rosenberg Architects & Associates | Builder: RTH Building Co. | Kitchen Design: Modiani Kitchens. (www.jenniferpaccainteriors.com); (www.jrarchitect.com); (www.rthbuildingco.com); (www.modianikitchens.com)
In Demarest, designer Jennifer Pacca accentuated a striking window “with a cool banquette that follows the shape of the glass.” The breakfast room is one of the homeowner’s favorite places in every season: a site for eating, playing board games, gathering and more.
CLEVER COMPOSITION
Architect: RS Mannino Architecture & Design Build | Kitchen Design: Kimberly Platt of Mannino Cabinetry | Interior Design: Amanda Giuliano of Nicolette’s For the Home. (www.rsmannino.com)
Architect: RS Mannino Architecture & Design Build | Kitchen Design: Kimberly Platt of Mannino Cabinetry | Interior Design: Amanda Giuliano of Nicolette’s For the Home. (www.rsmannino.com)
Working around an existing window in a Glen Ridge kitchen remodel, architect Rosario Mannino devised a small but efficient alcove where the couple’s children can do their homework and charge their devices using a charging station conveniently located in one of the base drawers. Another attribute? The table’s placement and middle support “was intentionally designed to allow for future wheelchair accessibility if required” for aging grandparents, he says.
SHIP SHAPE
Photo: Ryan Marchese | Design: Sage Design Studio LLC and Lori Levine Interiors LLC. (www.lorilevineinteriors.com)
A summer home in Harvey Cedars “is always bustling with family and friends,” designer Dean Zisa of Safe Design Studio LLC says. He built the table to complement a more formal, larger dining table elsewhere in the kitchen. The casual breakfast nook serves as an intimate setting for morning coffee or a place for houseguests to grab a quick snack, Zisa says. Bench seating is upholstered in resilient indoor/outdoor fabrics that stand up to summer sun and sandy swimsuits, co-designer Lori Levine of Lori Levine Interiors says. “The seats and backs are all attached with Velcro so they can be easily re-covered,” she says.
Photo: Ryan Marchese | Design: Sage Design Studio LLC and Lori Levine Interiors LLC. (www.lorilevineinteriors.com)
Check out the porthole-style window and double-swing stainless steel doors, which lead into a spacious pantry. Wood panels — with vintage ice-box-inspired hardware — conceal a refrigerator and freezer.
CULINARY DELIGHT
Photo: Peter Rymwid | Kitchen Design: Peter Salerno, CMKBD | Architect: Andrew Passacantando, AIA | Interior Designer: Theresa Scelfo. (www.petersalernoinc.com)
A North Jersey family enjoys breakfast at this custom booth and uses it for additional seating when entertaining. Leaded glass windows (salvaged from another part of the home’s original architecture) filter natural light into the space.
Photo: Peter Rymwid | Kitchen Design: Peter Salerno, CMKBD | Architect: Andrew Passacantando, AIA | Interior Designer: Theresa Scelfo. (www.petersalernoinc.com)
A coffered ceiling and other millwork soften the edginess of the stainless steel island without overshadowing its status. Task lighting can be seen under the hood, recessed in the ceiling, under cabinets and in the stylish fixtures over the bar and breakfast area.
PLAYING THE BLUES
Photo: Christopher Delaney | Design NJ December 2020-January 2021 | Interior Design: Alma Russo, Allied ASID | Custom banquette: AR Interiors LLC.
The custom banquette in a Middletown Township home was assembled on site with bracket feet on the bench so it appears to float in the room, says designer Alma Russo, principal of AR Interiors LLC in Holmdel. It’s upholstered in stain-resistant performance fabric. “Our upholsterer worked around windows and outlets and gave the clients a really beautiful, comfortable spot to enjoy family meals,” Russo says. Weathered, distressed ivory finishes soften the navy palette.
GO WITH THE FLOW
Photo: Jay Rosenblatt | Cabinetry design & custom banquette: Sage Design Studio LLC | Interior Design: Lori Levine Interiors LLC. (www.lorilevineinteriors.com)
The custom paneled booth, which abuts a large kitchen island, creates a smooth transition from the kitchen to the rest of the open-concept plan in a North Beach summer home designed by Lori Levine of Lori Levine Interiors and Dean Zisa of Sage Design Studio LLC. “The house was built for a family with three children all under the age of 5,” Levine notes. “I chose to use vinyl on the seats of the banquette as that is where most sticky fingers tend to go.”
Photo: Jay Rosenblatt | Cabinetry design & custom banquette: Sage Design Studio LLC | Interior Design: Lori Levine Interiors LLC. (www.lorilevineinteriors.com)
With unobstructed views of the bay, the décor is a mix of sand colors with some pops of deep marine blue. “I like to marry the colors of the water and sky with the colors of the interior of the house,” Levine says.
INNOVATIVE ARRANGEMENT
Photo: Peter Rymwid | Design, custom cabinetry, custom oval table, drum lights and crystal chandeliers, Saint Clair Kitchen & Home. (www.saintclairhome.com)
Photo: Peter Rymwid | Design, custom cabinetry, custom oval table, drum lights and crystal chandeliers, Saint Clair Kitchen & Home. (www.saintclairhome.com)
When remodeling their historic Maplewood home, the clients wanted seating for eight in the kitchen, but “they really did not want a traditional separate seating area,” says Antoinette Fraser of Saint Clair Kitchen & Home in Montclair. To supplement two leather-strapped stools at the island, Fraser bowed the end of the island to accommodate a curved banquette facing an oval dark wood table and chairs, which together seat six. “The banquette integrates the entire seating arrangements, Fraser explains. “With a table and chairs in a separate seating area, you don’t get the full impact of everyone gathered.”
COTTAGE CHARM
Photo: Peter Murdock | Design: Jeffrey French, Allied ASID | Architecture: Michael Callori (www.jeffreymarkinteriors.com)
Just off the kitchen, the breakfast room in a renovated early 20th century home in Ramsey has original leaded-glass windows and a curved window seat — that sits atop a radiator cover. Ladder-back chairs with cane seats flank a simple pedestal table, both from ABC Carpet & Home.
PAST PRESENT
Photo: Phillip Ennis | Designer: Barbara Goldfarb, Allied ASID (www.designlogiclimited.com)
Unadorned windows highlight the view outside a classic Rumson home, where new finds mix with antiques and reproductions. The table, inspired by an antique chair table, has a base covered in blue milk paint and a top made of original granary boards. Reclaimed barn wood was used to make the 18th century-style American benches, which are linked with removable pins to create a custom banquette. Contemporary rattan chairs add texture and flair. A cast-iron boot-shaped trade sign (circa 1850-1900) takes its place in a corner.