Decorating & Design
These Kitchens Make A Case For Banquettes
Updated on January 8, 2024
If kitchens are the heart of the home, then banquettes are the heart of the kitchen. Perfect for gathering the whole family together for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and easy to transition into a home office or kids’ craft area when in need), these cozy dining nooks have made an appearance in many of H&H’s kitchens this past year. According to designer Olivia Botrie, who has been known to put breakfast nooks in many of her projects, a kitchen banquette is like having a sofa in your kitchen, and who wouldn’t want to dine in comfort?
Scroll down for H&H’s best kitchen banquettes lately!
Instead of using the nearby window as an anchor for this banquette, designer Candice Brown sited it on the back of the kitchen island, making the dining area a focal point of this modern farmhouse kitchen. A 13-foot-long table can accommodate 18 people and plays up the farmhouse look when paired with a bench salvaged from a church and Windsor-style chairs.
Designer Jamie Deck used a kitchen banquette to break up zones and create a sense of flow in her client’s open-concept Vancouver home. The custom dining nook matches the light and airy palette seen throughout, and includes extra storage in the seat for overflow items or linens.
In this condo dining area designed by Mazen El-Abdallah of Mazen Studio, a gallery wall and floating banquette make it feel like a restaurant booth, while a statement light fixture warms up the concrete ceiling and adds interest. “Mazen and I agree that lighting is like jewelry for your home,” says the homeowner.
To save space in this Toronto condo, designer Tara Finlay of Ancerl Studio chose banquette seating so she could fit the dining chairs as close to the wall as possible, creating flow between spaces. An antique mirror behind the banquette reflects the light and lake outside.
Designer Mariana Postlethwaite of Casa Duhagón delivered a Cali-style kitchen with boho touches to her clients. The sun-filled breakfast nook also nods to mid-century-style with hits of vintage art, lighting and dining chairs.
In this modern Mediterranean-style home, designer Jaime Zimmerman created a cosy breakfast nook just off the kitchen for the homeowners to congregate morning and night. Woven seating and nautical striped pillows give it a cool, coastal feel.
U-shaped banquettes were among our 2022 kitchen trends, and we can see why. They’re a great way to maximize seating in your kitchen and make your home feel like a bistro or diner. This one feels extra cozy with a built-in bookshelf that displays cookbooks and plants.
This backyard-facing breakfast nook invites you to sit with a cup of coffee and sunbathe in the morning light before the rush of the day. Designer Sappho Griffin used many vintage elements throughout her Nova Scotia home, including two office chairs recovered in a faux ostrich leather as additional seating at the breakfast table.
In this bungalow dining area, designer Jaclyn Peters maximized space by creating a luxurious leather-clad banquette and custom table. A single brass pendants adds a hit of glam.
Designer Olivia Botrie has never met a kitchen banquette she didn’t like. “We were looking for a fun pattern for the banquette and, rather than use vinyl, I found a durable indoor-outdoor fabric in an ocean blue shade. I designed the kitchen around that fabric,” says Olivia of this bold blue Toronto kitchen.
Designer Emilia Wisniewski of Studio 1NINE1 helped her clients transform their builder-basic condo into a cool urban retreat. In the main living area, a custom kitchen banquette with forest green upholstery is accentuated by a hand-painted mural above.
“Banquettes are an opportunity to introduce some fun fabrics,” says designer Jessie Kelly. “We took our inspiration from the water and layered in different patterns and textures.” Tour the nautical lakeside kitchen here.
A custom banquette and Jeanneret-style chairs add modern flair to this renovated Guelph kitchen designed by Collective Studio. A mix of earthy tones mirror the lush fall foliage outside.
“I love the bold, unique and eccentric, and I believe it can be done in an elegant manner,” says homeowner Jasmeet K. Wahid. Every aspect of her Vancouver loft sings with color, pattern and eclecticism, and the jewel-toned dining nook is no exception. The custom moss-colored vinyl and cherrywood-veneer banquette seats at least eight, and the vivid colors and saturated patterns surrounding it reflect her South Asian roots
In fashion designer Ty Ly historic Montreal rowhouse, almost every room has classic elements that pay homage to the circa-1880 property. In the kitchen, he preserved original checkerboard floors, while a new tall banquette and bistro chairs add timeless French flair. “Invest in something you love and it’s going to be forever,” says Ty.
By now we know you don’t always need a corner to have a breakfast nook. Paired with delicate wood wishbone-style chairs, this banquette’s graphic upholstery combined with bold art and lightings offers contrast and creates a distinct zone in this renovated Victorian home designed by Samantha Sacks.