PinJared Kuzia
Think of a breakfast nook as a bonus room for your kitchen. A well-defined space carved out of an awkward corner, built into a former pantry, or set up under an inviting window gives you and yours a place to gather, break bread (make that croissants), do paperwork, and more. Friendlier than a formal dining room, these small but mighty spaces are natural hubs for your family—as well as an opportunity to showcase your home’s style.
A breakfast nook doesn’t have to be just for breakfast, and it doesn’t have to be in a nook. Don’t let the name fool you—breakfast nooks can double as workspaces, a buffet or sundae-bar setup, reading corners, anything that makes you feel comfy and cozy. They’re a place to maximize seating and minimize stress. They act as everyday lifesavers where you can all grab a bite before rushing out the door and special occasion stars when the whole crew wants to join you in the kitchen at Thanksgiving even though you spent hours setting up the living room for cocktail hour. (At least now they have a place to sit and are getting between you and the oven!)
There’s a breakfast nook to suit every style, budget, and home size. Whether you opt for a built-in banquette or simply pull up a bistro table and chairs to a set-off corner of your apartment, your breakfast nook will quickly become a high-traffic, well-loved area of your home. And you don’t need to have a vast, open-plan kitchen to make a breakfast nook work; we’ve gathered examples carved out of galley kitchens in apartments, or tucked into corners in the living room. Consider these a wake-up call. Any one of the 30 examples below would be a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Additional text by Hadley Mendelsohn and Eleni N. Gage.
1
Pick a Statement Color
A yellow banquette cushion sets the mood in the cheerful breakfast nook in photographer Donna Dotan’s New Jersey home, designed by Rob Stuart. Rattan accents give it a refined, coastal style, and built-in drawers add hidden storage.
PinKelly Marshall
2
Highlight an Artwork
A banquette-lined corner is the perfect spot to showcase a colorful piece of art. In this 1888 New York City townhouse, a breakfast nook by designers Ward + Gray spotlights Mike Perry’s painting Sleep and Comets.
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PinJared Kuzia
3
Throw It a Curve
An awkward corner becomes a soft place to land thanks to a curved banquette and a round table. Designer Cecilia Casagrande of Casagrande Studio added this built-in to this 1919 family home in Brookline, Massachusetts. The banquette is painted a sunny yellow (Benjamin Moore’s Hannah Banana), tying it into the rest of the kitchen.
PinThomas Kuoh
4
Make It a Bulletin Board
Add a corkboard above a breakfast nook and it becomes the ideal place to display the work of hyperlocal artists—the ones who live in the home. While designing this family home in San Francisco, “I had a vision for this breakfast nook with the cork wall,” says Emilie Munroe of Studio Munroe. “I absolutely love a cork wall. Like wood, it brings a natural element into the vertical space.”
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PinSam Frost
5
Create a Hangout
The corner banquette in this sprawling California home designed by Lindye Galloway sits between double islands in the kitchen and a dining area outside. No matter where you sit, you can be part of the action.
PinSean Litchfield
6
Mix Prints
With purple plaid cushions, fruit-covered drapes, and a denim-like accent chair, this sunny kitchen looks like the set of your favorite feel-good movie. Dane Austin designed this corner nook in a 19th-century home for the owners to enjoy meals with a view—and the peaceful vibe of a more elegant era. “An antique brass faux bois chandelier and a live-edge craftsman-style breakfast table further the naturalist touches of an English countryside estate,” says Austin.
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PinChris Mottalini
7
Install Black Tile
Yes, an apartment kitchen can have a breakfast nook! Consider the glossy black-tiled kitchen nook designer Nannette Brown created for this moody galley kitchen in a New York apartment. Tempted to follow her lead? Note that tiles are super easy to clean, an added bonus points for messy eaters or families with kids.
PinFrancesca Grace
8
Invite Plants Over
Use your green thumb to bring leafy greens into your kitchen. To play up this home’s period features, designer Francesca Grace gave the interiors a cosmetic refresh with wallpaper, vintage items, light fixtures, and accessories. She added florals in the wallpaper, in a bouquet on the table, and in a hanging planter—a great solution if you love the look (and health benefits) of house plants, but don’t have tons of room). We love how the fun hanging fruit basket also serves a practical purpose: keeping the countertops clear.
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PinDustin Askland
9
Make It a Working Breakfast
Schedule a breakfast meeting with yourself. Here’s proof that you can make your own breakfast/office nook into a productivity-boosting (and stylish) command station. Get inspired by this desk area designed by Elizabeth Roberts and use your extra space to enjoy a cup of coffee while you answer emails.
PinTamsin Johnson
10
Star Some Stripes
If you never met a stripe you didn’t like, add them into your breakfast nook with upholstered cushions and backrests. You can change out the color depending on the season. This space designed by Tamsin Johnson is such a refreshing mix of styles too, from the moody and provocative framed photographs to the casual rattan table, modern walls, and playful yet classic upholstery.
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PinTrevor Tondro
11
Use Otherwise Wasted Space
Cameron Schwabenton’s update of a 1770s guesthouse in Charleston makes clever use of the under–the-stairs gap with a breakfast nook that’s a testament to the power of preservation. Walls were stripped down to the original brick and plaster, the table is reclaimed pine, and the custom banquette is in Prince of Wales plaid fabric by de Le Cuona.
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PinRead McKendree
12
Bring the Outdoors In
In this New York kitchen by Lilse McKenna, the designer wanted to nod to the garden outside the window—but also the city skyline. The solution? Covering the walls in Pierre Frey’s iconic Espalier pattern (with a few windowsill topiaries to match!).
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PinEMILY MINTON REDFIELD
13
Coordinate Upholstery
Designed by Tiffany Brooks for the House Beautiful 2020 Whole Home, this nook carves out a place for houseguests to eat in their very own little apartment within the larger home. Pink upholstery on the banquette ties in nicely with the window treatments and accents throughout, such as the chair cushions.
PinStephen Kent Johnson
14
Add Back Cushions
Custom back cushions that match the seats create both cohesion and comfort. The wooden wall paneling warms up the darker elements and also reflects the more casual chairs across the table in this breakfast nook designed by Studio Shamshiri.
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PinJESSIE PREZA
15
Slide in a Sofa
How could you possibly not have a good morning in this sun-drenched breakfast nook? Designer and occupant Fitz Pullins removed the French doors connecting the kitchen to this bonus space, enhancing flow and sunlight the bright yet neutral and calming colors along with the laid-back materials that reflect the warmth of the Florida landscape. And the best part? No building necessary—the banquette seating here is just the right-sized sofa.
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PinTessa Neustadt
16
Perch by a Window
It’s always well-advised to set up your dining nook by a large window so you can enjoy that bright morning light. This Emily Henderson–designed breakfast nook is perfect for families, thanks to the ample seating and comfortable and durable materials.
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PinChango & Co.
17
Make It Kid-Friendly
If you want a space that’s fun for your kids but cool enough for you, this one designed by Chango & Co. is the ultimate inspiration. From the oversize drum pendant to the cheerful wall art, it’s chic but approachable.
PinErin Shakoor
18
Double Down on Seating
Interior designer Erin Shakoor doubled the seating in this dining nook with a banquette. “A banquette allows you to sit longer, more comfortably—and with more people,” she tells us.
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PinNICOLEHOLLIS Studio
19
Bring on the Drama
This color combo in a breakfast nook designed by Nicole Hollis Studio feels glam without being gaudy in the slightest. The cushy channeled sofa is a nice contrast to the angular wooden chairs and hardwood chairs. The lone pendant light and dramatic artwork top things off.
PinCameron Ruppert Design
20
Use Cheerful Colors
Rattan furniture and upholstery in navy and white with splashes of pink make for an energizing breakfast nook—just what we all need first thing in the morning. Designed by Cameron Ruppert Interiors, the built-in seating also features smart storage.
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PinHeidi Caillier Design
21
Create a Gallery Wall
Animate a dining nook with an eclectic gallery wall. In this contemporary-meets-countryside space, interior designer Heidi Caillier chose a mix of metallic and wooden frames for the artwork, to complement both the dining chairs and floor tiles as well as the bronze hardware.
PinMIKHAIL LOSKUTOV
22
Frame the Nook
Crosby Studios used glass interiors to frame a tiny breakfast nook off a galley kitchen. It makes the eat-in kitchen feel a little larger and more well-defined since it separates the cooking and dining areas—but the transparent arch ensures that the two spaces can still share the light.
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PinStudio DB
23
Make It a Symphony in Blue and White
The classic color combo never fails. Choose pillows in varying shades of blue to keep a nook from becoming too monochromatic. We also love how Studio DB painted the cabinets a subtle pale gray tone to soften the bright white furniture.
PinEmil Devrish
24
Shrink It
“Nook” already implies “small.” But in a compact apartment, you can whittle a breakfast nook down to two side chairs and a slim bistro table. Here, interior designer Emil Devrish spruced up the space with a modern pendant. This set up would also work nicely on a spacious stair landing with architectural quirks that make it feel nook-ish.
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PinKatie Hodges
25
Try an Unexpected Composition
Designed by Katie Hodges, this petite breakfast nook keeps things classic in design and palette, but the composition is a fun surprise. Instead of facing chairs out, have them angled inward. It looks cool and also sets the mood for more intimate conversation (or focused homework sessions).
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PinReid Rolls
26
Create It on the Spot
You don’t need a massive kitchen. Take note from this country chic and sweet breakfast nook designed by Leanne Ford. Just slide a slim bistro table and stool up to a window seat and you’ve got the best table in the house.
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PinArent & Pyke
27
Shift Into Neutrals
Mix dark green and brown to make a white kitchen feel both cool and earthy. If your nook is by a window or gets a lot of sunlight, you won’t have to worry about the dark tones dulling your space. In this modern and sophisticated breakfast nook designed by Arent & Pyke, the abstract art brings depth to the white walls.
PinAnnie Schlechter
28
Don’t Be Afraid of a Low Ceiling
Who needs high ceilings when low ones are so much cozier? Not us, especially when said low ceilings are blessed with exposed beams like these. This breakfast nook by Alabama architect James Carter and designer Jane Hawkins Hoke is bursting with character.
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PinNICOLEHOLLIS Studio
29
Go for Grayscale
Not everyone starts out their morning feeling sunny and bright. If you like your breakfast setting a little more neutral, take inspiration from this nook by Nicole Hollis. The designer opted for a classic monochromatic color scheme and contemporary pieces that strike the perfect balance between edgy and understated.
PinHeidi Caillier Design
30
Assert a Sense of Place
Take location into consideration when designing your breakfast book. In this stylish cabin in the Pacific Northwest, interior designer Heidi Caillier makes the place feel local, unique, and elevated through locale-appropriate artwork, color schemes, materials, and pattern.