10 clever ways to add a bar area in your kitchen

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Our breakfast bar ideas are all about maximizing the functionality of your kitchen. Of all the dinner restaurant ideas out there, incorporating a breakfast bar is one of the best ideas for flexible living. Perfect for enjoying a quick coffee break, lunch on the hop, and an easy family dinner. When entertaining, the breakfast bar can also be used as a buffet area for serving drinks and appetizers.

A breakfast bar will take up less space than a dining table surrounded by chairs and can be used to enhance prep areas in your kitchen as well. Where to install the breakfast bar depends on the layout of your kitchen and how much space you have to save.

One of the most popular kitchen island ideas is adding a breakfast bar. “Away from the island’s ‘work area’, the breakfast bar allows friends and family to comfortably socialize with the hosts, without getting in the way when cooking is in full flow,” says Richard Moore, Design Director, Martin Moore.

breakfast bar ideas

Before getting busy with our Insta-worthy breakfast bar ideas, decide how many seats you would like to accommodate. If you’re just looking for a quiet place to check social media, a single chair tucked into the corner is perfect. But if you want to enjoy breakfast together as a family, everyone will need a seat.

Allow at least 50cm width for each chair, plus about 15cm on both sides for easy access. Adds George Forsyth, Director of Drew Forsyth & Co. Don’t forget to consider how much space the stool will take up in the room when in use. You’ll need to make enough space behind your seated guests so others can pass without getting stuck!

1. Put the breakfast bar in the corner

If you don’t have an island or other kitchen surface to spare, consider building a stand-alone breakfast bar in a quiet corner away from any busy entrance or exit ways. Remove it out of the corner to accommodate additional seating and create a more social experience without sitting with your back into the room.

Make it extra functional with top and bottom storage for breakfast supplies and cutlery. Using the same worktop as in the kitchen will achieve a sense of consistency and prove practical in terms of ease of cleaning and stain resistance.

2. Lift the bar

High-end breakfast bars have a range of benefits. In terms of design, it allows switching in surface materials which can create a striking feature and allow something more forgiving to put your arms around it than cold stone or quartz.

From a safety point, the raised bar can provide a level of protection from hot oil mist if there’s a stove on the island and keep kids away from sharp knives when ready. Don’t be drawn to height too much, ideally no more than 106cm/42in, or you will struggle to get a stool tall enough to sit comfortably.

3. Add a simple hanging island

In a smaller kitchen, one of the simplest ways to add bar-style seating is to hang a worktop at the front or ends of the island. If you’re hanging out on a work surface without any additional corner supports, keep it no higher than 30cm/12″ to avoid carrying issues when guests bend over the crossbar.

Two or three standard 60cm/24in base units with a 90cm/35in deep worktop above are an easy, turnkey solution that won’t break the bank. Choose bar stools without a back that can be tucked under when not in use.

4. Work with the breakfast bar on the wall

No island? No problem. A section of a kitchen worktop in the form of a shelf at the end of a group of units can provide a quiet place for your morning coffee. Yes, it will turn your back on the room, but that’s not always a bad thing, especially if you’re busy with a laptop or the kids are missing out on their homework.

Be as generous as possible with space so the area doesn’t feel tight or penetrating. Aim for a work surface that is at least 1 meter wide for two benches, and 1.5 meters wide for three benches if possible.

5. Get more undergarments on the seats

Use benches instead of bar stools to accommodate more guests—perfect for kids’ parties, and they look great too. This stylish design idea calls for a low-profile breakfast bar to make it easier when it comes to getting on and off the seats as those in the middle will need to slide along.

Add pillows and faux fur to enhance comfort levels and create a cozy Scandi-inspired look. Make sure the seats you buy are built strong and heavy, so they don’t tip over when loaded with kids!

6. Impress with a floating bar

It’s hard to beat the cantilevered breakfast bar at the forefront of success. This structural bar also provides plenty of legroom underneath for seating comfort.

“The floating breakfast bar requires careful engineering for stability—usually a steel frame hidden under the worktop and bolted to the ground below the island,” explains Andrew Hall, director of Woodstock Furniture. But the results are worth it. Not only are they guaranteed to be impressive, but they also leave more flooring visible, enhancing the sense of space.

7. Consider the stool on both sides

A line of bar stools may be one of the island’s most popular breakfast bar ideas, but it’s not the most social way to sit. If you prefer to make eye contact while sipping on this wine, go for the L-shaped configuration.

Fitting a breakfast bar in one corner of the island will also leave more countertop space free, leaving room for a large stove. Use lighting to define the bar area – a low pendant dangling over a separate light switch will light the bar at night, while casting the rest of the kitchen in the dark.

8. Drop the breakfast bar to the dining level

Sitting on a bar stool isn’t a problem for short periods, such as a quick lunch stop or coffee break, but if you’re staying for longer dining chairs, they are undoubtedly comfortable. Choose chairs with padded seats and a high back for maximum support.

Dropping the breakfast bar to dining height (76 cm / 30 in) will also create a small space for installing electrical sockets – ideal for connecting a laptop or chargers when working from home.

9. Save space with a thin strip

Experts recommend leaving a passage of at least 90cm-1m wide around an island or dining table to prevent impeding the flow of movement when cooking. One of the advantages of the breakfast bar is that it can be made much narrower, without affecting functionality.

“Freestanding breakfast bars take up much less space than dining tables or islands, especially when designed with benches that will swirl underneath,” says Melissa Klink, Head of Design at Harvey Jones. Before investing in a breakfast bar, make sure you choose the right size for your space. A small breakfast bar will look out of place in a large room and vice versa.

10. Take a decorative approach

The blank space below the breakfast bar is ripe for an injection of color and pattern. Since the surface often gets under fire from fallen feet, especially those of young children, choosing finishes that are wear-resistant and easy to clean.

Patterned tiles can look especially eye-catching and can be matched with the kitchen spray motif for a coordinating scheme. We also like metallic cladding like old bronze or copper plates, which can be made to measure and attached using adhesive.

What is the breakfast bar?

A breakfast bar is basically a casual place to pull a chair in your kitchen. It can span the entire length of the island, with four to six seats, or be little more than a shelf in the corner, or a short protrusion at one end of the island.

“A breakfast bar is a great way to get more out of your kitchen,” says Graeme Smith, head of retail and commercial design at Life Kitchens. “Breakfast bars keep everyone socially connected in the space and can make it easier for hosts to cook away while guests chat.” In recent years, breakfast bar ideas for kitchen life have included yet another place to work from home – a place where you’ll never be far from a coffee machine!

What to consider when planning a breakfast bar?

The location is likely to be your first consideration. Some layouts, for example one with an island or peninsula, fit more easily for a breakfast bar. The main thing to think about in terms of location is whether there is enough space behind the breakfast bar for people to pass through – allow at least 60cm, but ideally 90cm. It should never cause obstruction.

“In terms of materials, any surface used for the breakfast table should be easy to clean, durable and ideally resistant to scratches and stains as well,” says Simon Boocock, Managing Director, CRL Stone. “Quartz and stones are very low maintenance but can be unforgiving on glassware, not to mention cold on your arms. Switching from quartz on your main kitchen countertops to a warmer surface like wood at your breakfast bar is a great solution.”

What height should the breakfast bar be?

There are no set rules as to what height a breakfast bar should be, but you will make stool shopping easier if you plan to rise according to the dimensions of the two most common stool options, counter stools or bar stools.

A counter stool, sometimes called a kitchen chair, targets breakfast bars that sit at the height of a standard kitchen worktop. That’s about 90-95cm/35-37in off the ground, with seats ranging from 60-75cm/24-30in (for seat height).

The bar stool targets elevated breakfast bars, whether it’s a freestanding bar or a raised section on an island or peninsula unit. If that’s your preference, go for a height of 100-106cm/39-42in, and buy a bar stool with a height of 75cm/30in or higher. Eliminate the stress of bar stool shopping by choosing a height-adjustable design that can be made higher for kids and lower for adults.