31 Breakfast Nook Ideas From the AD Archive
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Even if the first meal of the day isn’t your cup of tea, the best breakfast nook ideas can make mornings inarguably better, regardless of whether you tend to enjoy a solo cup of coffee or chow down on eggs and bacon with the whole family. To make the most of your kitchen nook, consider adding a banquette. Then choose bright upholstery or dynamic art to help separate the space from the rest of the room and create the illusion of a designated area for a leisurely brunch or dinner. Here, we’ve gathered 31 breakfast nook ideas from the AD archive that we’d happily gather in any time of the day.
Bring the beach inside
In the breakfast nook of a Malibu home by architectural designer Scott Mitchell, the table and banquette, which is cushioned in a de Le Cuona linen, were devised by Mitchell. Denise Kuriger designed the chair. The kitchen includes a custom pot rack custom by Paul Ferrante, counter stools by Bourgeois Bohème, and a Wolf range.
Make sure breakfast has a view
Industrial pendant lights from Rewire Gallery hang in a Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, breakfast nook, where the view is of bucolic surrounding farmland.
Consider a pop of yellow
In the breakfast nook of a Southampton beach house by AD100 interior designer David Netto, a set of mahogany-and-rattan chairs purchased at Christie’s joins a yacht table from Soane Britain.
Play with proportion—like a slim and trim bench
Interior designer Francis D’Haene designed the banquette and table for the dining nook of this New York apartment, which showcases one of Christopher Wool’s signature text-based works.
A simple nook with modern moments
Modern decor makes the more simplistic elements of this nook pop. A Thomas Demand photograph overlooks Verner Panton chairs by Vitra in the breakfast area of a Manhattan apartment decorated by Vicente Wolf.
A sofa will suffice
Flanking the table in the kitchen nook of fashion publicist Ed Filipowski and Barneys New York CEO Mark Lee’s Manhattan penthouse are a sofa covered in a cotton by Holly Hunt and Jules Wabbes chairs.
Mix patterns in a tight space
In a Chicago apartment by Jean-Louis Deniot, the breakfast nook features a vintage Poul Henningsen light and a painting by François Stienne. The wallpaper continues in and under the nook's alcove, and compliments the contrasting marble diamond flooring.
Sleek, oceanic ambience
A view of the ocean from the dining nook of a California home. Verner Panton’s acrylic Globe light hangs above Hans Wegner CH20 Elbow Chairs. Marie Krane Bergman paintings are displayed on the wall.
Centering a piece of art (like this Murakami moment)
In a Manhattan home by AD100 designer David Kleinberg, a work by Takashi Murakami brightens the breakfast nook of the kitchen, which has stainless-steel-and-milk-glass cabinetry and gold Calacatta marble counters and backsplashes.
A banquette can star in a bold color
In the kitchen nook of a Manhattan duplex decorated by AD100 designer Steven Gambrel, a Julian Chichester table base with a granite top is paired with custom-made chairs cushioned in an Osborne & Little fabric.
Add cozy vintage-inspired chairs and textiles
Mornings start early at the New York City home of actress Alexandra Wentworth and television journalist George Stephanopoulos, designed by AD100 Hall of Famer Michael S. Smith. In the breakfast nook the family’s two dogs are seated on chairs by David Iatesta.
A nice niche
The breakfast nook of a Manhattan apartment by Penny Drue Baird is furnished with a chair from Design Within Reach and a Sputnik-style 1960s Venfield light fixture.
Curate a gallery wall
A vintage light fixture accents a polished Upper East Side breakfast nook. The chic space, devised by David Mann, features old photographs arranged salon-style.
Play with texture
Big country breakfasts are served at the Texas Hill Country vacation home of decorator Sara Story. The dining nook’s long banquette is upholstered in a creamy leather by Moore & Giles, which serves as a nice contrast to the wooden chairs and stone tabletop.
Freestanding warm wood
The kitchen in Naomi Watts and Liev Schrieber’s Manhattan home, designed by AD100 firm Ashe Leandro, features a cozy dining nook, pendant lights by the Lamp Goods, a Wolf microwave, Lostine stools, and a checkerboard concrete-tile floor; Ashe Leandro designed the cabinetry and hood.
Make use of a bay window breakfast spot
Farrow & Ball’s Ballroom Blue paint brightens the breakfast nook of a Connecticut home decorated by AD100 designer Miles Redd. Antique chairs flank a custom-made table by Redd.
Consider sumptuous suede
The suede-upholstered banquette in this Matthew Patrick Smyth–designed kitchen nook in the Hamptons encourages leisurely breakfasts.
A banquette carved from cupboards
A Richard Estes photograph overlooks a banquette in the kitchen nook of this Manhattan apartment by AD100 designer Victoria Hagan.
Chilling under chalkboard
A chalk wall in the dining nook of Meredith Melling’s Manhattan apartment by AD100 firm Ashe Leandro allows the kids some creative freedom.
Lean into an unfinished, rustic retreat look
Slatted Old Hickory chairs double down on woodsiness in the breakfast nook of this Long Island weekend home. The project’s interior designer, Thad Hayes, made the irregular shaped dining table and overhead lantern custom for the space.
Entirely embedded
This unique and fully embedded niche is in a Shelton, Mindel & Associates–designed home. The dining area offers a relaxing space in which to take in the sun, thanks to south-facing window.
A spot in a sunroom
The sunroom at this Queen Anne–style home in Illinois was put to good use with breakfast nooks in two corners, thanks to interior designer Suzanne Lovell. Perched perfectly under walls of windows, residents can feel enmeshed in nature even during the state’s chilly winter months.
Prime time for prints and color
At a Los Angeles home by AD100 studio Reath Design, the breakfast nook offers a pattern focal point against the color-blocked kitchen, with a Knoll mod plaid and a checkerboard-like weave on the Shaker board chairs.
Expand for a big booth breakfast
You might think a breakfast nook is in essence quaint and cozy, but this iteration by AD100 designer Ken Fulk proves that a breakfast nook can host plenty. The leather banquette is both easy to clean and extremely classy.
Kids’ corner
It’s hard to find a kid that doesn’t love a banquette, and this Carrier & Company–designed booth is even more lovable for the younger crowd thanks to its striped fabric cushions and engaging artwork.
Sitting in stripes
A blue-and-white Schumacher stripe defines the breakfast nook of this Connecticut home, designed by decorator Asia Baker Stokes. The niche’s small footprint allows the print to feel unifying rather than overpowering.
Filled by a photograph
To fill space above the banquette of this long breakfast nook in a home by AD100 designer Giancarlo Valle, a Wim Wenders photograph was mounted above the long side of the bench. The navy blue backrest calls to the colors in the picture, while the caramel leather melts into the wood toned frame.
Inspired by the sky
This baby-blue-and-bright-white breakfast nook, in a home by architect Peter Pennoyer and decorators Miles Redd and David Kaihoi, an AD100 trio, calls the bright morning sky to mind. Are there any better surroundings for your first cup of joe?
Monochromatic and midcentury inspired
AD100 interior designer Jamie Bush and architect William Hefner worked together on this LA property that indulges in its fair share of blue tones. The breakfast nook is no exception, featuring a custom banquette in a teal Keleen Leather and chairs to match, plus a baby blue lazy Susan.
Get crafty with storage solutions
Even in the grandest of penthouses, it’s no surprise to find a Manhattan kitchen lacking in space. To hold onto all possible storage room, but still offer a nook, James Huniford and AD100 Hall of Famer Stephen Sills created a breakfast nook within a framework of cupboards in this Park Avenue apartment.
Is a breakfast nook a good idea?
As with any home design decision, whether a breakfast nook is a good choice depends on how you use your living space. If you’d like to have a space within your kitchen where guests can congregate more comfortably than perched around an island, a breakfast nook could be a great decision. Breakfast nooks are generally cozier and more relaxed than a traditional dining room, allowing for a broader range of uses. It’s perfect for breakfast, as the name implies, but it can also be a space where kids work on homework, a place for board game nights, or a space for prepping meals as a family.
Does a breakfast nook add value to a home?
A breakfast nook can certainly add value to a home! Since they generally involve some kind of custom component—generally banquette seating, and sometimes a built-in table as well—they’re essentially a turnkey amenity in a home that potential buyers can look forward to enjoying and perhaps customizing with their own decorative tweaks.
How much room do you need for a breakfast nook?
Breakfast nooks come in all shapes and sizes. There are massive 15 foot long breakfast nooks, but most are squeezed into much more compact spaces. A charming breakfast nook can be as small as a two-seater. As with any custom build out project, be sure to consider how you want to use the space before you begin the project. Doing so can help with aesthetic decisions too: If you realize you want to use it as a mini living room, then you can build a banquette that’s much more sofa-like than if you want to use it solely as a space for dining.
