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10 Bright & Airy Breakfast Nook Ideas For Small Spaces

Bright breakfast nooks for small spaces.
10 Bright & Airy Breakfast Nook Ideas For Small Spaces
Tom Greenspan
Updated 
December 21, 2022

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A breakfast nook is a small place perfect for individual or family meals. It's nice to have a more intimate place to enjoy a casual meal or a cup of coffee while reading a book. It's also a great place to hang out. These breakfast nook ideas will bring comfort to your space and allow for an intimacy you just can't find in the dining room.

Let's get into it.

1. When space is tight

Just because space is tight in the kitchen does not mean you can't enjoy the intimate experience of a small kitchen breakfast nook where you can sit and contemplate the day ahead while you drink your morning coffee.

However, the kitchen breakfast nook is much more than a place to relax before your day starts. It is a dining space in your home that does not impose the etiquette of a dining room and allows for a more gentle approach to dining and relaxing. It can be quiet or rambunctious with the kids having their evening meal.

Whatever the purpose of the breakfast nook, it's a wonderful addition to your kitchen and can be made to fit in with your decor as part of a seamless kitchen design.

Your kitchen breakfast nook can be as functional as you wish, from bright colors to more subdued neutral tones with a distinct aura of calmness.

2. Bring life to the kitchen

If you want to add character and personality to a kitchen that could be thought of as subdued and limited in its design cues, the breakfast nook is a way to bring some vibrancy and a change of ambiance to the kitchen.

Add some vivid colors and a beautiful plum-colored banquet with complimenting cushions together with a cactus, and you could be at the hacienda enjoying brunch with your friends on a breezy summer afternoon.

The styling of a kitchen nook is dictated by the space you have available in the kitchen. It can be small or big. The fundamentals are that it's a comfortable, informal area to sit and enjoy your avocado toast and latte before starting your day.

If there are kids in the home, it's the perfect area for breakfast and lunch, keeping the dining area somewhat of a special meal zone.

3. Elegant classic lines

If you take the view that your breakfast nook is just for breakfast, you are missing a trick. The breakfast nook can be used at any time of the day, and if your kitchen is snug, it's the ideal place to entertain a few friends while having afternoon lunch.

You may not associate the breakfast nook with clean classic lines and a touch of elegance, but by selecting the right decor, you can make a gorgeous breakfast nook the primary place to eat in your home.

A beautiful white banquet with a white wood backrest topped with cushions of mid-gray and traditional navy blue striped cushions creates a masterpiece of classic design.

Not to mention the beautiful wood table and bench that holds the breakfast nook firmly in a grounded tradition of breakfast in the kitchen.

4. Sophisticated galley kitchen

For most of you, the galley kitchen does not present an opportunity for the converted breakfast nook, but if you have more than five feet across between working surfaces or appliances, you could be in luck.

The average countertop has a depth of 25 ½ inches which is more than adequate seat depth for an adult.

Pedestal tables remove the hassle of sliding under a table with legs that can be cumbersome.

With a banquet at ninety degrees and a simple pedestal table, your dreams of a breakfast nook in the galley kitchen could be realized easily, and what space you will create for casual dining. It is cozy and comfortable, and with a switch pendant light central over the table, you can create a nook with more than one use.

It's a great place to relax, read a magazine, or catch up with your social media feeds and friends.

The breakfast nook is a superbly versatile space in any kitchen of any size but in a tight space. It's a master class in simple design ideas.

5. How easy could it be?

Some of you will have discarded the notion of a breakfast nook; it's too much work; what about all the upheaval and dust in the kitchen? It's impossible, you say.

You will be happy to see that there is more than one way to achieve your dream of a breakfast nook and a way that does not create a lot of work; there may be a little dust on the packaging as you unravel this gloriously comfortable millennial pink couch.

While banquets bring a different vibe like tradition, you can forgo that dive into some opulent breakfast nook experiences on a sumptuous couch. The wishbone chairs set the room into a cohesive eclectic collection of genuinely fantastic furniture.

The interesting concept is you don't even have to opt for designer-style furniture to create a wonderful breakfast nook. A corner couch that slides into the corners would work exceptionally well in this kitchen.

Furthermore, the cost to create this easy, bright, and airy breakfast nook is budget-friendly.

If you have a little space available in the corner of a kitchen, you could achieve the same look without breaking a sweat or fingernail.

What's your excuse now?

6. Bright and airy

A corner with a view is rare, and if you have this, it's a priceless feature, so use it to its full extent. If the corner of your kitchen overlooks the view from a large bay window overlooking the sea or a garden, it's a good idea to focus the room on that view rather than surround it with a heavy interior design.

Keep the breakfast nook bright and airy; it's a wonderful ambiance at any time of the year; keep pictures of the walls and keep the furnishings plush but simple to reflect the beauty of the view and not the kitchen breakfast nook.

Most of the time, we are decor centric, but if you are one of the few with amazing views, they must become part of your breakfast nook dining experience. Even on the worst day, when it's pouring rain, the view might be obscured, but you can see the dominance and beauty of nature to its fullest, which in itself is an awe-inspiring experience.

Top your banquet with beautiful deep green cushions for added comfort and a sense of serenity that the color green brings. Contracts subtly and take advantage of the amazing outdoors while you sip on your coffee or tea.

7. Customized seating

The banquet is perfect for the kitchen nook; it can be adapted and customized to fit the space available and adds a traditional feeling to the home. It's wonderful to have a nod to your heritage in your home, and it's missing in so many houses to the detriment of the decor.

The great thing about the banquet for a bright and airy breakfast nook is it is functional. It looks fantastic and can be contrasted with so many other design ideas and color schemes. It's easy to swap out and change seating cushions to give you a change of ambiance.

If you have kids, this is a rugged seating system that will stand the test of time, and all that kids can throw at it as they grow over the years.

Not to mention a banquette of this size would be budget-friendly. It is lumber and a circular saw, and a nail gun. The painting will take the most time, but it's an incredible look for a family breakfast nook.

Just add a farmhouse-style table for the quintessential breakfast nook dining experience.

8. Distressing times

Adding style to your home can be challenging, particularly when your kitchen has a style all of its own and has a bright and airy feel. But by experimenting and looking around flea markets for inspiring ideas, you can create some surprising looks that work well with your bright, airy breakfast nook.

These old farmhouse-style chairs have once seemed better days, but with some tender love and care, they can be brought back to life to be functional kitchen chairs with a story of their own to tell.

Add a table with the same vibe, distressed paint peeling off; oh my goddess, what could have happened for this table to be in such a condition?

The juxtaposition of the distressed table and chairs in a pristine breakfast nook in a traditional kitchen may seem like an awkward proposition. Still, the truth is it works well and brings intrigue to the breakfast nook.

Pieces of furniture that have seen better days are valuable sources of design inspiration and work stupendously well in a breakfast nook. Did the owner of this furniture come to an unfortunate ending? The questions are endless. The design is timeless!

9. Sitting on the edge of a bay

Otis just missed out! If you have a bay window in your kitchen, then it could be the ideal place for your breakfast nook; it's a dead space most of the time with a table and vase do nothing, so why not make full use of the space and create a beautiful breakfast nook that will be bright and airy.

Banquette seating with some storage utilizes space perfectly and gives an opportunity to use some super drawer pulls that add to the contrasts of the breakfast nook.

Of course, modern striped cushions provide the comfort needed while dining. Keep the space minimal, it's a great look and provides a clean vibe for the kitchen, but it's still conducive to sitting and relaxing over breakfast or brunch.

The minimalist vibe is accentuated by the Scandinavian-inspired dining table with its sleek lines and natural tones.

Minimalistic life may appear austere, but it's a design and lifestyle that is comfortable in many ways that allow for the clutter to be managed and discarded or placed and stored in an orderly fashion.

The best part of using a bay window for a breakfast nook is it is unobtrusive. When you have finished eating, it slides out of the way of the main thoroughfare freeing the kitchen for normal daily use.

10. Intimate breakfast nook

If it is just the two of you, then you can enjoy the intimacy of a small breakfast nook centered around a small bay window in the kitchen. There is no need for elaborate furnishings, and it is what it is: a breakfast nook where you will both sit and chat, read the daily newspaper, and stare out of the window planning your gardening. 

The breakfast nook is a fantastic way to start the day with your partner, regardless of age. If you have a window like the one in the image above, the light will be pouring in, illuminating the kitchen magnificently while you chat about the news and what's going to happen in the primaries. It's a valuable space to catch up with each other's thoughts and concerns.

The best thing is a breakfast nook of this statue is no more than a small banquette, a table, and two stools. It's a simple but effective way to create an informal dining area in the kitchen.

Final thoughts

Creating a bright, airy breakfast nook is not as daunting as you may have thought. If you take the self-made banquette route, the whole project can be budget-friendly, delivering an informal eating space in your kitchen for the family.

If DIY is not your thing, you have options such as using a kitchen table and benches in a box window reveal. It will work equally as well.

You may opt for a luscious couch and go the avant-garde route, and it's a beautiful look that takes minimal effort to achieve.

Whatever route you take, the breakfast nook will add a perfect casual dining area to your home.