Kitchen Banquette Ideas

Kitchen is the busiest place in the house. Unfortunately, it is also the most challenged room in terms of space, in the house. The large kitchen appliances, along with the dining set eat up a substantial space in the kitchen. Although, you cannot do anything about the space occupied by essential kitchen appliances, you can certainly free the large space occupied by a bulky dining set. How? With the help of kitchen banquettes. The word 'banquette' is derived from the German word which means 'bench.' Kitchen banquette seating is a simple arrangement of a bench and tabletop. Not only does this set up look very trendy, it also takes up less space in your kitchen.

How to Build a Kitchen Banquette

Know Your Purpose
Although, kitchen banquettes are essentially meant for eating together for family members, they are now serving an additional purpose of entertaining guests. Likewise, people are getting them built in their living rooms, libraries and studies. If you are going to use it as an eatery in kitchen, make sure the upholstery and fabrics can stand the rough usage. For other purposes aesthetics may take precedence over utility.

Select a Design
Selection of the banquette design would primarily depend upon the available space. Fortunately, there are a myriad kitchen banquette designs to cater to the needs of every kitchen. Kitchen banquettes can fit in perfectly, even in the smallest nook of your kitchen. If you only have a few square feet space available for building a banquette, then consider setting two parallel benches on either side of tabletop. Large, semi circular banquettes look apt in spacious kitchens. You can also complement your banquette with a couple of chairs. You can build the bench along the wall containing the window and set the chairs on the open space opposite the bench. The tabletop shape can be customized according to the shape of the banquette and available space.

Select a Seating
Seating is the most important aspect of banquette style. Since, banquettes create an informal ambiance, you can go for a cozy seating arrangement. Soft cushions with large pillows in lieu of high back, look perfect for a banquette arrangement. Ideally, seating should be at least 18 to 20 inches from the floor, with a leg room of 2 feet, per person. The tabletop should rise 29 to 31 inches above the ground level. If the seating is too deep or the tabletop too high, the occupants will have trouble reaching the table.

Choose a Place
Placement of the banquette is very important, as it decides the utility of the banquette. Do not build the banquette amidst the major traffic flow in the kitchen. Any place between the stove, sink and refrigerator is considered inapt for building banquette. Usually, a corner besides a window provides the most suitable place for building banquette. Also, an adjoining corridor overlooking a patio or garden provides a scenic option for setting up your banquette arrangement.

Select Proper Upholstery
Ideally, the fabric of seats should be sturdy, easy to clean and withstand rough usage. Vinyl covers satisfy these conditions and also offer a variety in terms of colors. Large, beautifully decorated pillows create a perfectly cozy ambiance. The upholstery should be comfortable enough to sit upon, as people are likely to spend quite some time upon kitchen banquettes.

A modern kitchen banquette should also be equipped with storage for additional utility. There is really no dearth of ideas, hence you can easily pick a design to suit your requirements. So, get ready to experience an ultimate dining pleasure everyday, in your own kitchen.