AD100 interior designer Jamie Bush and architect William Hefner worked together on this LA property that indulges in its fair share of blue tones. The breakfast nook is no exception, featuring a custom banquette in a teal Keleen Leather and chairs to match, plus a baby blue lazy Susan.
Get crafty with storage solutions
Photo: Scott Frances, AD, December 2004
Even in the grandest of penthouses, it’s no surprise to find a Manhattan kitchen lacking in space. To hold onto all possible storage room, but still offer a nook, James Huniford and AD100 Hall of Famer Stephen Sills created a breakfast nook within a framework of cupboards in this Park Avenue apartment.
Is a breakfast nook a good idea?
As with any home design decision, whether a breakfast nook is a good choice depends on how you use your living space. If you’d like to have a space within your kitchen where guests can congregate more comfortably than perched around an island, a breakfast nook could be a great decision. Breakfast nooks are generally cozier and more relaxed than a traditional dining room, allowing for a broader range of uses. It’s perfect for breakfast, as the name implies, but it can also be a space where kids work on homework, a place for board game nights, or a space for prepping meals as a family.
Does a breakfast nook add value to a home?
A breakfast nook can certainly add value to a home! Since they generally involve some kind of custom component—generally banquette seating, and sometimes a built-in table as well—they’re essentially a turnkey amenity in a home that potential buyers can look forward to enjoying and perhaps customizing with their own decorative tweaks.
How much room do you need for a breakfast nook?
Breakfast nooks come in all shapes and sizes. There are massive 15 foot long breakfast nooks, but most are squeezed into much more compact spaces. A charming breakfast nook can be as small as a two-seater. As with any custom build out project, be sure to consider how you want to use the space before you begin the project. Doing so can help with aesthetic decisions too: If you realize you want to use it as a mini living room, then you can build a banquette that’s much more sofa-like than if you want to use it solely as a space for dining.