12 breakfast bar ideas for the perfect seating spot

When it comes to designing a kitchen, breakfast bar ideas provide a solution for far more than their name suggests. Whether you're looking for a quick coffee spot, a convivial cocktail corner or even somewhere for the whole family to eat, breakfast bars can be a valuable addition to your kitchen and lifestyle.

As the way we live and use our homes continues to evolve, long gone are the days of formal dining rooms and lengthy repasts which required a larger, and usually separate space.

"Breakfast bars bring a number of benefits to a kitchen design from the addition of extra seating to allowing social interaction while food is being prepared," says Molly Chandler, designer at Willis & Stone, but do they suit every style of kitchen and is there an optimum height you need to plan for?

Breakfast bar ideas can be tailored to your individual needs

"Whilst the best height for a breakfast bar comes down to personal preference to some degree," says Molly, "the standard height is typically around 36 inches or 91cm high. 

"This allows for comfortable seating for most adults when using standard bar stools, which are typically around 24 to 30 inches or 61 to 76 cm in height."

From island ideas to standalone solutions we've rounded up a selection of the best breakfast bar ideas, so pull up a seat and find one that will work for your next new kitchen or renovation project.

Molly Chandler

Molly Chandler is a designer with a wealth of experience in creating quality kitchens to suit a wide variety of customer needs. From initial idea through to completed design, Molly understands just how to make a kitchen work well and look good.

1. Choose a contrasting breakfast bar shape

While breakfast bars were once seen as an add-on to a kitchen - and indeed, sometimes the addition of a low-level small shelf on a wall or an extra long piece of worktop with a stool popped underneath still suffices in smaller spaces - they are also now considered an integral element in many kitchen ideas. 

For extra impact and prominence, choose a contrasting breakfast bar shape when it forms part of your kitchen island ideas. Instead of extending the island or incorporating seating either side, add a circular raised section at one end and bar stools coloured to match your kitchen cabinets.

As well as providing a striking design feature, it clearly marks the space out from the rest of the island and food preparation areas. 

2. Pick pretty patterns for your bar stools

If florals and fabrics are your preferred choices when it comes to your decor, don't assume there's no place for these in your kitchen.

When your breakfast bar stools are your main seating each day, they need to be visually appealing as well as practical and comfortable. In this soft green, shaker style kitchen, the added pop of red on the bar stools is a great kitchen decor idea and ties in neatly with the artwork and kitchen blind.

3. Create a floating style breakfast bar to provide access to cabinets below

If you need a larger breakfast bar but don't want to sacrifice any storage opportunities when it comes to your kitchen cabinet design, this scheme from Benchmarx Kitchens demonstrates how it's possible to have your cake, and eat it.

By creating the breakfast bar in a different material, raising the height so that it sits on one edge of the worktop, and adding a slab leg at the other end for support provides unhampered access to the kitchen cupboards below. 

For added ease of access to your cabinets, choose stools that can slot neatly underneath the breakfast bar and to one side when not in use.

4. Extend your kitchen worktop to create a small breakfast bar nook

"For kitchens with limited space, wall-mounted breakfast bars provide a sleek and efficient solution, maximising room flow while still offering a designated dining area, says Julie Gokce, senior designer at More Kitchens.

Her top tip for getting the design right?

“In terms of height, ensuring your breakfast bar aligns with standard countertop height is key to creating a seamless transition between the bar and surrounding surfaces. "

To continue the illusion of space, stop your kitchen wall units short of the full length of the room and add kitchen shelving above so that you still have storage options but don't feel penned in when pausing for coffee.

Julie Gokce

Julie Gokce brings over 40 years of expertise in the kitchen design world. Though holding a diverse array of roles during that time, her passion for design has been her guiding light, always leading her back to her true love: crafting bespoke and innovative kitchen designs.

5. Go large to create a full size breakfast bar island

If breakfast time involves several family members needing to eat together, or weekends see your home filled with extra guests requiring food, max out on your kitchen diner ideas and create a breakfast bar idea that's large enough to seat plenty of people. 

"Island breakfast bars offer a central hub for food preparation, additional worktop space, and stylish seating options, making them a versatile choice for modern kitchens," says Julie Gokce.

But how big should an island breakfast bar be?

"We'd recommend allowing a minimum of 4ft by 2ft of space to ensure comfortable movement and adequate seating arrangements."

6. Add artwork if your breakfast bar idea is wall-facing

If modern kitchen ideas are more to your taste than farmhouse kitchen ideas, large islands, or lots of shapes and different materials may not work when it comes to your dream kitchen.

"If a minimalist design is favoured, a wall-mounted floating breakfast bar works well giving a sleek look with clean lines," suggests Molly.

But if the thought of facing a wall doesn't inspire you, create your own view with some stylish artwork such as this set of Three Wave Prints from Beach House Art.

7. Add sockets underneath for a flexible work spot

"With many of us now working from home, in more recent times breakfast bars have also proved a versatile space for a makeshift home office, or somewhere for homework to be completed," explains Molly Chandler.

But in turn, this has changed the way we need to think about electrical points when it comes to kitchen layout ideas.

As well as making sure there are enough plug sockets behind cabinets for appliances and above worktops for small items such as kettles, coffee machines and toasters, having somewhere to charge your laptop and phone is now usually on the list of most homeowner's requirements.

If you're in the early stages of kitchen design, be sure to include some below or at worktop level in case your breakfast bar doubles up as a work station.

As an alternative to mounting a socket to a cabinet, pop up solutions such as this Retractable Pop-Up Socket from B&Q also have a wireless charging pad for when you only need to pop your phone on charge.

Always be sure to check with your electrician and the manufacturer that products like this are suitable for use in a kitchen environment.

8. Position a skylight above your breakfast bar idea

Although installing pendant lights above a kitchen island comes high on the list of kitchen island lighting ideas, another way to ensure maximum brightness - without increasing your electricity bills - is to install a skylight in your ceiling.

And, as this clever lighting solution from More Kitchens shows, it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice ceiling lighting in the process. Instead, by recessing the skylight you can still run your electrical wiring to the area.

Choose a pendant light design with a long cable and a skylight with framed panels so that you have a secure surface to hang your cable and shade from, but be sure to check with your skylight manufacturer that the frame you choose is suitable.

As an alternative, angled, dimmable spotlights could also be fitted to the recess and provide suitable lighting at night.

9. Pair a simple overhang with a stylish bar stool

If  you require nothing more from your breakfast bar idea than somewhere to grab a quick coffee, a simple worktop extended worktop overhang breakfast bar idea will likely meet your needs. 

To ensure your design doesn't compromise the overall flow of movement or impact on the rest of your kitchen design,"in terms of height," says Julie Gokce, "ensuring your breakfast bar aligns with standard countertop height is key to creating a seamless transition between the bar and surrounding surfaces." 

The benefit of a simple worktop idea? You can choose a stylish bar stool to take centre stage instead. 

We love the velvet covered Tall Paul Bar Stool from Fox & Furb shown in the image. Alternatively, this Spindle bar chair set from John Lewis comes in a pretty shade of blue, light grey or black and is a contemporary slant on a traditional design. 

I have a few of the chairs in this range around my dining table and they have proved to be both stylish and durable.

10. Buy a standalone breakfast bar solution 

If you like the idea of a breakfast bar but perhaps don't have space for one in your kitchen design, or even prefer to dine away from the main activity, a freestanding breakfast bar could the solution.

Providing the height and look you prefer, it also offers a practical solution. Simply pull it away from the wall and turn a cosy spot for two into a casual space for four. Or remove the stools and the table becomes a handy extra surface for food and drinks at parties or events.

11. Add some fun with low level neon lighting

Although most of the focus in kitchen lighting ideas centres on walls, ceilings or under wall cabinets, there's no reason to exclude your breakfast bar from the limelight.

Instead, have some fun by adding neon lights beneath your kitchen island breakfast bar combo. While this design from More Kitchens opts for bright pink, choosing a light fitting which allows you to switch between colours would be a great way of changing the mood to suit the time of day.

Or, if you've already fitted your kitchen and don't have a spare plug to add a mains powered version, battery powered or rechargeable options are available such as this Hikenri Battery Powered LED Light Strip from Amazon.

12. Use metallic finishes for a taste of glamour

If your kitchen is at the heart of your social gatherings, embrace the ongoing trend for metallics and choose shiny gold bar stools. Providing the perfect perching spot for pre-dinner drinks and somewhere for friends to sit and chat while you prepare food, metallic finishes are guaranteed to add extra glamour to your space.

To replicate the look, buy these Siena Bar Stools in gold from Dunelm and pair them with a metallic wallpaper such as this Galerie Concrete Gold wallpaper from Wallpaper Direct.

Unsure which style of breakfast bar to choose? 

"Whether it's better to have a wall-mounted breakfast bar or one on an island unit depends on various factors including the layout of your kitchen, available space, your design preferences, and how you intend to use the space," says Molly Chandler.

"Whilst a wall-mounted option saves on space, they may offer less seating compared to an island unit design," she explains, "and while island breakfast bars often come with the added benefit of additional storage, they will clearly require more floor space."

As with most rooms in your house, getting the right balance between function and form is essential to a successful design. For more advice on turning your dream into realilty, read our comprehensive guide to kitchen renovation.