A banquette is simply an upholstered bench, but in the kitchen it becomes a whole lot more.
Banquettes are often found in kitchens and other rooms as comfortable window seats. You may find one tucked inside the awkward space under a stairwell. In living rooms they can provide extra seating for guests along an underused wall.
In the kitchen, banquettes provide comfortable bench-style seating and can lend an element of style to the room. And for practical purposes, a modern kitchen banquette isn’t always upholstered either. As you’ll see in some of our examples, the style, shape, and optional upholstery of a kitchen banquette design can take the entire room in a new direction.
The banquette in this Case Design/Remodeling kitchen clears up space in the center of the room by moving the dining table into the corner. While chairs are awkward when placed up against the wall, a built-in bench becomes the perfect solution.
More often than not, a kitchen banquette is located beneath a set of windows because it makes good use of the space. A wall with windows doesn’t fit as much cabinetry and windows provide a nice view at mealtime.
In this kitchen a traditional table and chairs could have been placed in the same nook, but a built-in banquette fits the space so much better.
In the kitchen, a banquette is also called a breakfast nook, booth, storage bench, or window seat. This U-shaped booth design by Arkin Tilt Architects is the ultimate dining nook with its combination of hidden storage and open shelves.
Colorful teapots decorate one side of the nook while the daily dishes are stored within arm’s reach of the table on the other. Look closer, and you’ll see that drawers for silverware pull out from the sides of the bench backs and the bench seats flip up to reveal additional storage.
Bench storage is common in a banquette, but storage that’s accessed from the top can become inconvenient if you have to move the cushions or the table’s in the way.
This banquette design by Venegas and Company includes multiple storage drawers underneath. The dining nook takes advantage of the windows and vaulted ceiling to create a very open feeling space in the dining area.
The angular shape of this kitchen banquette design helps integrate the storage drawers underneath.
The banquette in this Case Design kitchen doubles as a china cabinet that keeps items hidden away. The bench itself can be used as banquette seating, a sunny windowsill for plants, or simply a place to gaze out the window.
The design of this banquette by TreHus Architects includes storage drawers that are more easily accessed from the ends of the benches than from the fronts.
One advantage of a banquette over a traditional table and chairs is that banquette seating can fit twice as many people. In this Rachel Reider Interiors design, the curved bench helps fit more people around table while extending beyond the table to create plenty of extra seats for any occasion.
Without a dining table, a banquet looks a lot like a built-in bench and functions like a couch. A banquette comes with design options where a table can be added or removed at any time to change the look of the room or create extra dining space.
The bench pictured in this Mc Adam Kitchens design can function as a comfortable sitting bench with a view and some extra storage below, or it can comfortably sit three along one side of a kitchen table.
Some banquette designs are very functional with their cutting-edge storage, extra seating, comfortable cushions, and refreshing views of both the outdoors and the room itself. But when it comes to some banquettes, design and style trump seating and storage needs. It all depends on your lifestyle and the look you’re striving for inside your space.
Outside the kitchen, a banquette around a smaller table can be perfect for drinks or small plates. Choosing a dining-level table instead of a lower coffee table keeps the space ready to quickly transform for dinner by adding a few chairs.
Placed on the other side of the kitchen window, this banquette and smaller table double as a couch and raised coffee table without any additional chairs. The serving window makes it easy to move food to the table from the kitchen.
The extra deep seating and soft suede upholstery on this couch-style banquette create a luxurious experience. As is the banquette is perfect for an evening cocktail, and for a sunset dinner by the fire, chairs can be added around the open sides of the table.
This diner-inspired contemporary corner booth becomes a bright and sunny breakfast nook that seats six people comfortably with room to space in a smaller space.
Who says a banquette has to be stuck in a corner? This banquette-style dining table offers the comfort of a banquet for everyone at the table and a little privacy too.
Whether you choose a bench-style banquette like this one:
Or a booth-style banquet like this one:
A kitchen banquette is a welcomed and refreshing addition to any kitchen space.
