A breakfast bar can instantly elevate your kitchen design and add value to the home. In this blog, we look at how this functional kitchen feature will meet your family’s needs.
What is a breakfast bar?
A breakfast bar is similar to an island, adding worktop space to the kitchen. It’s different because it comes with seating and is attached to either an existing cabinet run or wall, featuring only three usable sides.
The best worktop for a breakfast bar?
The best worktop for a breakfast bar depends on your preferences and needs, but granite or quartz offers durability and aesthetic appeal.
Benefits of a breakfast bar?
A breakfast bar is very practical in the kitchen, it gives you the perfect place to enjoy light meals, snacks and refreshments throughout the day and an additional entertainment space for those dinner parties. Families often opt for them as a place to gather sociably without the formality of a dining room.
They are perfect for guests as they serve as a bar area for food and drinks and look stylish fitting in with your design aesthetics.
It’s also a sought-after feature. Well-designed kitchens add value to the home and this can mean that the option of a breakfast bar could make your home more attractive to buyers when selling in the future.
Design elements to consider
A breakfast bar must be beautiful and functional flowing with the rest of your kitchen design.
Space is one of the most important elements to consider. A breakfast bar saves space and getting the layout is right so you can add seating to the raised bar area. You don’t need to have a large kitchen to opt for a breakfast bar. They are perfect for small kitchens and take up less room than a table and chair setup.
If you are fortunate to have a large floor space, a kitchen island breakfast bar can give you central casual seating for eating and drinking.
Positioning your breakfast bar and seating is key to keeping the right flow and movement throughout the design. The goal is to leave the right amount of room for walkways and not to disrupt the ‘kitchen triangle’ or appliances.
You will also need to think about what direction your bar area faces. How about positioning the seating to face the main work areas (such as the hob), so that you can socialise when hosting guests?
What worktop material to choose is another consideration you need to make. Will it be quartz, marble, granite, wood or laminate? Remember that different worktop materials have pros and cons with some being better for spills and stain resistance. Choose a worktop that is durable and easy to care for meeting your budget at the same time. You could even add a waterfall end to make it a beautiful feature.
Make the most of your space underneath the breakfast bar and maximise your storage with open shelving, drawers or cupboards. You could even add a functional corner cupboard or even a stylish integrated wine rack.
The different styles
How is your breakfast bar going to be used? Is it going to be a place for just snacks and conversations or a place to serve drinks and open that bottle of bubbly with your guest? If you opt for a breakfast bar attached to an island it can double up as a food prep zone, a place for the hob or even the sink area.
Raised
A raised bar keeps the kitchen and breakfast area separate. You can use a mix of materials so that you can turn this into a design feature and elevate your kitchen.
The design is more formal allowing families to use it as a space to serve meals regularly, but also to accommodate guests when hosting.
Lowered
A lowered bar works in the same way as a raised design, except it drops down, zoning the food prep area and dining. It’s more of a comfortable seating area and for those with children offers a more practical and safe solution.
Floating
A floating bar means an overhang, an extension of the work surface. It doubles up as a workspace, a dining area and a place for the children to sit and do their homework without disrupting traffic flow and the cook.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a great alternative to an island. This is built onto a wall and works great for everyday dining.
If you’re looking to add a breakfast bar to your kitchen design, there’s no better place to start than with Modern Worktops for all your worktop needs. Contact us today – we look forward to hearing from you.
