The Outdated Home Feature Making A Comeback For Its Major Storage Potential

Charming breakfast nooks and banquettes may seem like a throwback to the past, when eat-in kitchens and cozier, smaller cooking spaces were the norm. These clever seating solutions, however, are having a major comeback in design circles, both in sleek contemporary design and in larger kitchen spaces. While banquettes and bench seating around a table can help conserve space and offer a comfortable spot to sit, one of the biggest benefits is potential space underneath, allowing storage for kitchenware, appliances, and all manner of things with easy access to them.

While dine-in kitchens and breakfast nooks were often a standard in many vintage homes, the style has given way to more open-concept and larger kitchens, offering seating at islands and peninsulas rather than table-height. Adding some bench seating and a small table, however, can often open up a ton more storage for things like serving dishes, platters, and seasonal items, as well as provide a more comfortable spot to hang out with whoever is cooking. It's also a perfect area to work, do homework, play games, and enjoy other activities that may happen in a kitchen.

Bench-style built-in seating can take many forms, from rounded and U-shaped layouts that fit in a small corner to larger, lengthier straight and L-shaped banquettes that seat several people. It can be great for families, as well as offering more compact seating for little ones than single chairs provide. A 5-foot bench can easily accommodate four to five people in the space of two regular chairs. In addition, the comfort of bench cushions and a more relaxed posture can make lingering comfortably in the space much more likely. Unlike upholstered chairs, cushions can be easily slip-covered and washed to remove dirt and stains, a factor very important in kitchen and dining spaces.

Its storage, however, is where this form of seating truly shines. Large, deep benches can easily accommodate large serving trays and small appliances you want to tuck away, as well as linens, extra pantry items, and cleaning supplies. You can buy and install bench seats with a hinged top or drawers underneath, or create DIY banquette seating from inexpensive shiplap and lumber.

While there are also downsides and reasons banquette seating may not be right for your kitchen, like accessibility concerns and a lack of open wall space to accommodate it, it's still an ever-growing popular element in newer and remodeled kitchens. Adding traditional chairs on one side can help with accessibility issues for those unable to use the bench or who need space for movement aids. If there is a lack of open walls, bench seating can be added along surfaces like the back of an island or peninsula to create a banquette in front of it. 

In addition to obvious places like the kitchen or dining room, this style of seating can be useful in other spaces throughout the home as well. Add a built-in window seat with a small bistro table to create more seating in a living room, bedroom, or office. Create a cozy reading nook in a library or office space or a banquette in a mud room for messier arts and crafts. Or line an entire room with benches to turn unused space into a cozy hangout that can double as dining or entertaining area for large groups. This is also a great trick for outdoor seating if you have limited space on a porch or patio, allowing storage for things like hoses and garden supplies underneath the bench.