Cozy and Pretty Eat in Kitchens

There’s something I love about an eat-in kitchen. To me it’s a great place for intimate family dinners. Dining rooms are mostly for formal occasions, and let’s face it, rarely used.  Eat in kitchens provide a spot where you get to gather with just the immediate family and create a fun and cozy setting. So skip the fancy china and just have everyone pick his or her favorite dish or tumbler, and get ready to tuck in!

via thehousediaries

Keep it informal

There are some spaces that are better left being informal! They allow for slow, lazy Sunday mornings doing the crossword or a puzzle with the kiddos.  If you’re feeling indulgent (or especially lazy), order out for the best breakfast delivery.  A breakfast nook with banquette seating would be the best option if this sounds appealing to you.

Once our pedestal table is finished, my hubby plans on building a banquette to match our cabinetry. On the other side of the table I plan to add some black Windsor style chairs. While you see a lot of circular tables around banquette, I am going with rectangular. Circular tables make it easier to climb in and out of the banquette, but they can’t seat as many people as a rectangular one. Rectangular ones also make the best use of space if the area for dining in your kitchen is on the small side.

via houseofharper

I also love the idea of everyone in the middle of kitchen. In our kitchen, guests tend to congregate around our large island while we’re cooking or preparing food, so we have an overhang on two sides of the island to accommodate extra stools.

It’s possible they are also congregating there to be close to our coffee bar and the bezzera coffee machine! When we aren’t entertaining, I put extra stools in the basement and enjoy a little extra prep space.

via centsationalgirl

Separate but Together

If you like the separation you can make the eat-in part around the edge of the kitchen instead of the middle. This will allow for a little quieter meal times if someone is busy at the sink or around the stove with the pots and pans.

A Cozy Nook

Or get really cozy with a little nook area at the end or in the corner of the kitchen. This is perfect for small spaces! We have a sliding glass door on the end of our kitchen where our dining table is, so having a banquette removes the need for chairs on one side of the table that would otherwise block the door.

Do you have an eat-in kitchen and if you do, what is your favorite thing about it? Do you use it more than your dining room? Thanks to Anthony Espresso, Luxe Hydration, and Freedom Jars for consulting.