Breakfast is better in a nook, right? Whether you’re sharing pancakes with the whole family, sipping your morning coffee alone, or just enjoying a book in the cozy corner, a breakfast nook should be a comfortable and welcoming part of your home.
Maybe it’s booth, perhaps it’s a dining banquette, or it could even be a table and chairs. Every breakfast area is capable of becoming a comfy spot in the hub of your home. Here are a few ways to nail your breakfast nook:
Create cozy lighting
Cozy lighting is essential in creating a comfy breakfast corner and a warm breakfast area in general. To succeed with lighting in your dining nook, try embracing LED lights.
LED string lights create a pretty glow anywhere they’re hung. Try to string some above your corner kitchen table or dining banquette in your kitchen nook. String LED lights also come in a range of colours, in case you want to choose a fun hue to compliment bright furniture.
Another option is to use corner lamps. Light emanating from the corner of your breakfast space will be much more comfortable and cozy than a single overhead light, Millstrand Co. suggests. Find some freestanding lamps to add to the corner of your breakfast corner for a relaxed feel.
Stock the tabletop
Think of how restaurants keep salt, pepper, and napkins permanently on their tables. Use the same idea in your nook. You can keep condiments and whatever you usually use when dining, but be sure not to invade on elbow room space.
To keep these items out of the way, store them on top of a cake stand, perhaps with a small jar of flowers or a sprig of herbs.
Consider borrowing space
Sometimes, you just won't have room for a eating nook. If you need a bit more square footage to create your dream breakfast booth with a booth table, look around for some more space.
Check the spaces adjacent to your kitchen to see if you can push the nook out a few feet. In addition to giving your nook more room, a separate eating area just outside of the kitchen also gives diners a place to relax that’s out of the cook’s way as they work in the kitchen, BHG suggests.
Choose a warm colour palette
If you’re looking to make your breakfast space as warm and cozy as possible, let the colour palette you choose do the work for you. Warm paint colours work well throughout the home and especially in kitchens to make the space feel more inviting. Warm shades will also energize an area.
When picking pairs or trios of colours to create a warm and cozy palette for your breakfast area, consider some of the warm colour combinations BHG suggests below:
- Khaki and butter
- Eggplant and sage
- Navy and pumpkin
- Daffodil and Cherrywood
- Khaki, chocolate, and gold
- Ginger, white, and mocha
- Sunny yellow, mahogany, and persimmon
- Honey gold and greige
- Brick and beige
- Burnt orange, navy, robin’s-egg blue
- Cocoa and moss
Remember that no matter what colour palette you choose, to keep it simple, as too many colours can be distracting and make your kitchen and breakfast nook appear and feel smaller, Southern Living says.
Update your chairs
Revive old chairs you already have around the house or those you can find for cheap, and use them in your dining nook. You can completely alter the look of second-hand dining chairs in just minutes if you have the right tools. New cushions and a graphic fabric is all you need.
To update each chair, start by unscrewing the seat from the bottom of the chair. Then, remove the old fabric. Next, lay the fabric on the flat surface with the wrong side up, and place the seat on top of that.
Southern Living then suggests folding down the fabric on one side and stapling it from the middle out. Then, pull the fabric taut and smooth out any wrinkles before stapling the fabric on the opposite side. Repeat this step until the fabric is attached entirely around the chair. Lastly, reattach the chair to the seat.
Don’t forget to add texture
Texture is imperative for creating a warm space anywhere in your home, including your breakfast area. And, you can get texture in more ways than just adding blankets and pillows of different fabrics.
Instead, think about your wall décor and window hangings. For example, try pairing woven plate hangings with textured window shades. Add a rug with a pop of colour or bright furniture to complete the look in your breakfast nook.
Also, consider using stain-resistant fabrics. Spills and messes are inevitable in a breakfast area, especially with young children in your home. You can either choose to have fabrics custom treated to be stain-resistant, or choose from a range of available outdoor fabrics you can in stores and online.
No matter what colours and designs you choose to incorporate in your breakfast area, remember to stay true to your style and personalize your kitchen dining and breakfast nook.
If you’re not sure what your style is or are wondering what designs would work best in your kitchen, head to a Vague & Vogue showroom for inspiration or to chat with one of our professional consultants.
