21 Cozy Breakfast Nook Ideas to Start Your Day in a Beautiful Space

Large or small, breakfast nooks are perfect for making the most of extra space in or near your kitchen. These small dining areas offer a cozy spot to enjoy morning coffee and casual meals. Learn how to tuck a breakfast nook just about anywhere with these ideas for storage and design.

Small Breakfast Nook

To install a breakfast nook in your kitchen without remodeling, slide a bench against one wall and add a small table. This dining area cozies up to the kitchen with an upholstered bench, bistro chairs, and a pedestal table. It can easily be rearranged if a change is needed. Colorful wall art and an overhead pendant light bring attention to the inviting area.

Seating Decor

Repeat colors and materials to seamlessly integrate your breakfast nook into the rest of your kitchen and home. This banquette borrows design inspiration from the decorative trim around the windows. Bright white, watery blue accents and natural textures echo the cool, coastal look seen throughout the home.

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Additional Storage

Think vertically to incorporate storage. Here, plate racks display dishware and serving pieces while cutting boards hang from a simple peg rail. A wheeled table and lightweight chairs are easy to move to access the storage areas or to accommodate heavy traffic in the kitchen.

Clever Corner

Breakfast nooks are a smart way to transform small, seemingly useless spaces. Previously an awkward corner, this space is now a cozy and convenient dining area. Not just a place to sit down and grab a bite, it also boosts storage with open shelves above and hidden drawers below.

Decorating Ideas

Bring in bright colors and bold patterns to distinguish your space with singular style. Here, coral walls sponged with a gold glaze set a warm, inviting tone. A colorful tablecloth establishes the room's focal point, while blue pillows add extra comfort to the breakfast nook seating.

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Eclectic Environs

When creating a unique and fresh dining space, remember that all elements don't need to match perfectly. This breakfast nook mixes a traditional wood table and hutch with midcentury modern chairs. The blue rug mingles with chartreuse-tiled walls and a gray-painted ceiling for a colorful, eclectic combination.

In-Kitchen Dining

To unite your kitchen with an adjacent dining nook, use similar decor elements in both spaces, but consider treatments to make each space unique. Here, the beaded board from the island is repeated on the window bench's door panels, and rustic wood furniture matches the casual cottage feel of the room. A colorful patterned rug runs underneath the table to distinguish the area from the rest of the kitchen.

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Window Seating

It's easy to turn a window seat into a breakfast nook—just add a table! While the chairs are optional, they come in handy when guests arrive. Plush pillows along the window seat turn this into a quaint alcove. A pendant above adds prominence.

Cottage Charm

Simple wood chairs and a table are unified with a weathered, whitewashed finish for a cottage look. The bench is painted in a crisp white and topped with plaid pillows that act as seatbacks without obstructing the view. Accessories complete this kitchen's cozy nook.

Bay Window Banquette

Bay windows are perfect for a breakfast nook, especially when the space gets plenty of early-morning light. A built-in bench hugs the angles of this window to provide extra seating.

Consider a table with leaves in an oversized space like this one, which allows you to adjust your dining accommodations based on your seating needs.

Casual Comfort

A wall of windows makes this the perfect spot to grab a quick meal or lounge with a cup of coffee. A tulip table allows for additional chairs when the whole family eats together. A built-in banquette adds hidden storage.

Small Banquette Ideas

A tiny banquette and a few chairs are tucked under the window at the end of this kitchen. This sliver of space allows dining for at least four people, which the kitchen lacked before adding this custom bench.

Breakfast Booth

Consider borrowing square footage from spaces adjacent to your kitchen to create a breakfast nook. A separate eating area gives diners a place to sit out of the cook's way. This banquette is the perfect place to add extra storage to the kitchen, whether through hidden compartments or open shelves above.

Sunny and Bright

Minimal window coverings keep this breakfast nook bright and sunny. Soft yellow cushions, pillows, and painted chairs add to the room's happy feel. The L-shaped breakfast nook design makes the most of this kitchen's square footage and creates many extra places to sit.

Retro Design

This sweet breakfast nook fits perfectly into a previously unused kitchen corner. A built-in bench wraps the corner, adding storage and lots of seating. Retro-style furniture and light fixtures add a playful, casual vibe to the eating area.

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Modern Breakfast Area

A modern table-and-chairs set, pendant lighting, and wall decor put a stylish spin on a traditional breakfast nook. Keeping the walls white in this space and the kitchen creates a cohesive look and ties the rooms together. In addition, the round table makes it easy to pull up extra chairs as needed.

Timeless Traditional

Natural light highlights the details in this traditional-style room. White walls and window details provide a beautiful backdrop for the dark, wicker furniture. Green seat cushions add a pop of color to the breakfast nook's primarily neutral color scheme.

How to Design a Breakfast Nook

Create a multi-use space for your busy life with these genius ideas for a beautiful breakfast nook. By incorporating extra storage into the design, it can serve as more than a dining area. Learn how to design a functional and stylish breakfast nook with our tips.

Comfy Dining Niche

This niche takes advantage of windows that provide natural light and great views. Low benches keep it casual and comfortable. The tufted upholstery and pillows make it a cozy, inviting spot to start the day.

Impactful Details

It's the little things that tie this room together. The patterns on the seat cushions and rug add style to the room. A black pendant light contrasts with the breakfast nook's white table and chairs. These simple details complement each other and create a cohesive look. A nearby china hutch stores overflow from the kitchen, such as infrequently used linens and dishes.

Intimate Meals

A sleek white table, a dainty chandelier, and pretty fabrics transform a narrow breakfast nook into an intimate gathering spot. The beaded board on the wall of this breakfast nook links it to the adjacent kitchen. A strategically placed mirror opens up the dining area and gives the impression that the space is bigger than it is.

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