Reasons to include banquette seating in your kitchen design
Banquettes have been popular in the design world and with good reason. They’re not only beautiful, they’re practical. The beauty and benefits of incorporating banquette seating into your kitchen designs could be a long list, but some of our favorite reasons include:
Maximize space
Specializing in period homes, we come across design challenges like awkward nooks, narrow spaces, or small areas more times than not. Utilizing every inch is our goal and banquettes are often a great option.
The design incorporates a dining bench against a wall for comfortable seating and use of adequate space. They are often best paired with pedestal tables and dining chairs for ample leg room. It can be designed in sections of benches paired together to make a booth.
They’re historic
Many historic homes have long used design elements that are still functional and trending today. Banquettes aren’t a new idea. The fireside inglenook — where built-in banquettes by a fireplace offered a place to warm up on chilly days — was a popular feature in homes more than a century ago, including some designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. If you’re hesitating about incorporating a banquette in your design, because you think they will go out of style, just do some quick research and you’ll find banquettes used in the most timeless of historical buildings.
They’re cozy
Banquette seating hearkens to the coveted restaurant booth feel that everyone tends to prefer over table seating. It can be hard to carve out a dining area in a narrow kitchen, but not only does it reduce the number of chairs needed, it can also double up as a homework station and place to watch TV.
They add extra storage
Many of our clients love them because of their additional storage. Clients with children or a collection of items needing to find a home are particularly over the moon with their built-in banquettes. With drawers, cabinets, or lifted tops, the extra storage is especially useful in areas like a mudroom. They provide a place to take shoes off or put them on and the perfect hiding place to stow them away and keep the home clutter free.
They’re beautiful
While there are many arguments for the functionality of banquettes, our favorite reason to use them in designs is how beautiful they are. A banquette can elevate a space by adding warm textures and textiles and quaint and cozy charm.
Other spaces we love to include banquettes: mud rooms, hallways, reading nooks, closets, hallways, awkward spaces.