How to Design A Breakfast Bar

Photo Cred: Michael Hunter

A Breakfast Bar is considered a raised counter in a kitchen that has room alongside for seating and is used for eating light meals – or all meals depending on your family’s dynamics!  I’m pretty sure we use ours more often then the actual table.

 Breakfast Bars are a great place to quickly serve food to the kiddos or have them do homework while you are cooking dinner.  It also seems to be the spot everyone gathers around when they come to your home and it’s the perfect place for people to congregate while staying out of your way in the kitchen.

 Breakfast bars need traffic flow space so if you have the room, an island is a great place to do this. Ideally you’ll like several stools around this spot and since they’ll be pulled in and out often, you want to make sure there is room behind the stools so folks can still walk by.  If you don’t have room for a traditional island, don’t shy away from creating a Peninsula like in the picture above.  A Peninsula can maximize flow and storage while still providing counter seating and a great spot to create a buffet style dinner. 

 A good rule of thumb on breakfast bar length is allowing no less then 28” of linear length per stool – thus, if you want to fit at least three stools, you’ll need 84” of space.  As I mentioned above, you also want to consider the flow BEHIND your stools.  I try to make sure I can get 60” of clear space from the edge of the breakfast counter to the next wall, counter, furniture piece etc.  Stools will be pulled in and out several times a day so you want to make sure you have the room to do so.  If you follow that simple rule, you can make the breakfast bar as long as you want and fit people around it comfortably.