The Best Breakfast Bar

Prepare my favorite recipe only to realize there’s no table to enjoy my dish on?! Such a mood spoiler, isn’t it?  I better build myself a comfortable breakfast bar beforehand and avoid such a wrath provoking experience. Come on, I don’t want any of you to see my ugly side. 

Jokes aside, let’s see why having a breakfast bar is important in a kitchen and what advantages it brings along. 

What’s a breakfast bar tho?

A breakfast bar is a laid-back, casual dining area with a wide range of applications that have become the hallmark of any modern house. Originally it was intended for breakfast, but with time, it has morphed into areas for working, socializing, and simply relaxing, and in some households has overtaken the traditional dining table. It can help to solve one of the most prevalent challenges in a home: space. Besides that, it can create a more friendly atmosphere. Units with smart design often bring advantages along with them like concealed storage and the addition of supplementary space on the worktop.

Can I create it with my kitchen worktops?

A breakfast bar can enter a kitchen either with a companion or as a free bird. For the former, there are two possible options to create it with; a peninsula unit and a kitchen island unit. In these cases, the existing work-top in a kitchen is transformed or cleverly utilized for dining by including chairs or stools that usually fit under the height of the worktops, so that they do not make the space look congested.  When preferred as an individual unit, it is kept separate from either of these design features and rather created in a different space. It can be tucked into corners, in front of the worktops, in the center, or placed beneath tall frame windows. This freestanding unit situated aside from the island's working zone allows guests and family to interact with the host without getting in the way of the culinary process. 

Check out our Summer Granite if you are planning to remodel your kitchen or incorporate a kitchen island for breakfast bar creation.

Understand the companions

A kitchen island is a freestanding element typically at the center that serves as both an additional kitchen worktop counter and a storage area. In recent years, they have been made to be more versatile with their functionality and are being utilized to accommodate sinks, appliances, and stovetops, as per the need of the situation. One such modification is it being used as a breakfast table. It can be created by the addition of stools around it. Some modern islands are large enough to accommodate the entire family or your visitors.

A kitchen peninsula unit is similar to an island in functionality but differs in its build. It is built in such a way that one of its ends is attached to the wall making only the three sides usable.

Does having breakfast bars really make any difference?

Besides their primary purpose, they work as a welcoming area for a leisurely meal, quick snack, or evening cocktail. While doing so, they can also serve as a fashionable room divider, especially in large kitchens and open plan kitchens.

It's obvious to see why they are a tempting addition for many homeowners.

Things to keep in mind while planning a breakfast bar

Location

Probably the first thing you'll think about. If you have had it in your mind that your breakfast bar is going to be incorporated into an island or peninsula, there are some key points to remember. The most important consideration in terms of position is whether there is enough space behind for people to pass by; 60cm at the least, but ideally 90cm is recommended. It should never become a stumbling block between you and your kitchen sink unit or any of the other work zones.

Size

Freestanding breakfast bars occupy far less space than a dining table, especially when chairs are fitted underneath. Select the appropriate size that suits your space; a tiny bar in a large room will look weird and will need to be coupled with a larger island or a dining table. 

But again, don't go for the biggest piece available just to seem lavish. While a larger one may appear to be superior, it will be impractical if it is too huge for your kitchen. So, make sure you pick the size that looks compatible with your room's dimensions.

Dimensions; Height and Depth

According to the standard size set for kitchen worktops UK, they are required to be 60cm deep, or 62cm with an overhang. If you are looking to utilise an island as a functional breakfast bar, you'll need to increase the depth by at least 30cm. (note: the depth and width of a worktop are synonymous). The height of the counter should be 107 cm and that of the stools should be around 79 cm. Shorter bar stools can be tucked surreptitiously beneath, thus giving a sleek feel to the kitchen. The depth of an overhang can vary depending on the height of the bar counter to provide appropriate legroom. Taller the height of the bar, the lesser the overhang depth required and vice versa.  

Material 

As well as opting for a timeless design you love, you must choose a resistant, heavy-duty material that will last. Choosing something with a beautiful appearance will simply be a waste of money if it won't stand the test of time. In terms of materials, any surface selected for a breakfast bar should be easy to clean, long-lasting, and scratch- and stain-resistant. You need it to be able to adapt to a variety of events because it will be a gathering spot for coffee, meals, and endless chit-chats. Quartz worktops require relatively little upkeep amongst stone materials but it is not like others are unsuitable. Marble worktops and granites also make fabulous pieces given proper sealing and regular maintenance. 

Lighting

A kitchen breakfast bar or larger island can serve as both a dining area and a clever storage solution, we just got to make sure it's luminous enough. From the start of the planning process, lighting should be taken into account. To maximize the amount of natural light accessible, cabinets and units should be planned to fit around windows. LED flexible strip lighting, which is typically utilized along the base or on the underside of worktops or breakfast bars, is a good alternative for introducing mood lighting into a kitchen design. They're a brilliant idea to invite aesthetic depth to a room and can easily shift the mood when necessary. They work with everything from your simple Fossil Limestone to something as grand as London Smoke.