Rough Linen I love a banquette, not just for eating - it's handy to park a chatty friend while I cook, or little children with projects or homework. The trapped feeling works for me, not against me!

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Agree Tricia Rose. Thank you for your comments. I greatly appreciate your input.
Charmean Neithart

ab01566 We're considering adding a banquette. I'd love to hear comments from those who have one if you or your guests find it incovenient to have to slide out to let others in or out. We use that area as overflow holiday seating and some of my in laws are fairly large people and I'm concerned it wouldn't work for them. Thoughts?

olldbobbi I had an Aunt-in-law who raised three kids with the smallest kitchen imaginable. She had this weird empty corner in her kitchen that she never knew what to do with and I suggested she get a small banquette so the kids didn't have to eat their breakfast cereal at the formal (and only) dining room table. She had one built immediately! That's when I knew decorating was my passion.

Lanie Brown Charmean, I too remember sitting at a banquette when I would walk home with one of my friends for lunch. (Remember when kids walked home from school for lunch?) This is a fantastic idea for an odd breakfast area I have. The breakfast area is actually outside the kitchen beside the bar at the far end of a huge family room. No one ever sits at the kitchen table, so I move the chairs and use it for a buffet. If I create a banquette, I bet I could draw people to gather there as well as around the bar. Oh, my golly, another project to plan!

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi olldbob. Yes, I have had that moment too. That's really what good design is...making our daily lives at home comfortable and enjoyable. I really love these banquettes, so glad you shared your story. Thanks for your comments. Charmean

A. Peltier Interiors There is something about a banquet that makes me so happy! I have always wanted one and never been able to accommodate it in my homes. One day!

Sudha Lovely pictures. Love this feature. I have a small parallel kitchen end to end granite / counter top on both sides, so no space for a banquette, wish i have one !

Lanie Brown Charmean, when my husband & I can get to this project we will likely engage our carpenter to custom build window seating. (Hubby hasn't heard about this new idea yet...) But is banquette seating available "out of the box" as a lower cost option to create these spaces?

olldbobbi Lanie, I bought one out of the box about 10 years ago, but it was golden oak !!! I had to upholster the seats myself and I chose black pleather for the ease of cleaning. Not what we'd call sytlish today.

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi Lanie. I have not seen any ready made banquettes, but that doesn't mean they're not out there. I will keep my eye open and inquire with my carpenter. A google search always turns up the most amazing things. I'll get back to you if I find something. Depending on the style of your house, it should be a fairly simple project. You just need a carpenter or cabinetmaker and an upholsterer. Let me know if you need further information. Thanks Lanie! Charmean

Lisa Hyte Thank you so much for this article. I have been looking for a way to cozy up my banquette. Mine is not a corner banquette though. Is there a way I can make mine cozier? I find I really don't use it that often because it's not that comfortable.

frenchdecor In Europe I had good size closed kitchen-dining room, family size table with couch, it was the best thing ever, odor and noise kept in and family liked to be there with me while I was cooking, talking, kids doing homework, reading books... Big parties were served in the living room. Now with open concept smell is everywhere and no comfy seating nearby, no intimacy, eating everywhere, in front of TV or sneaking with some snack at the computer. So need comfy seating in the kitchen. Good article.

andy138 One oft overlook aspect of the banquet is the need to have a proper table that will not impede the feet of your guests. Look at the square table in the first picture. Good luck getting into the corner, or sitting there comfortably. They key is a nice base that supports the table top emphasizing stability in the center of the table with legs that are not at the corners. A center base is much better. I would love to see an ideabook on such tables. There is an opportunity for a table manufacture to create a custom top that affixes to a standard base.

olldbobbi I agree with Andy138. The banquette I had came with a trestle table, it worked out great.

icey I've long waited for this article. I have a small place for dining area and these suggestions are perfect for it! Thank you so much.

indybaba Auction is a great option for finding banquettes.

The Impatient Gardener Our corner banquette solved the problem of having the back door very close to the table. With a round table it always felt like you were walking straight into it. The banquette solved that problem and allows us to seat double the number of people. For the person who asked about guest seating, we've had no issues. We have three chairs at the table as well so those who don't care for or can't sit on the banquette sit there, plus there are two end spots for easy egress so there are five spots with unlimited movement. We usually stick visiting kids in the middle because they don't mind sliding around. Except for the corner spot. Everyone fights over the comfy corner.

The Impatient Gardener Photo of above mentioned banquette

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi sailorgirl. Great pictures! I'm so happy the banquette is working out for you and your family. Thank you for sharing your comments with us all. Your input is greatly appreciated. Charmean Neithart

sherrizigman We LOVE our banquet! Friends come and sit in the banquet and have a great view of the kitchen. We fit so many people around it! We ended up finding a small pedestal table and then our wonderful cabinet maker built the table top and installed it on top. Our banquette measures 9' x 7' so we can fit quite a few people around if we want to!

conniegoeb Ballard Designs catalog always features banquette seating. It would seem to be a good
"out of the box" solution.

rahils I'm thankful for the idea how to utilise the space in my friends home for small banquette .

murpet Thank you for helping me convince my husband that this is a great idea for our cottage that we are building! And the great photos will help the contractors too. Sailorgirl has the same layout as what I'm planning, with the entrance door right next to the dining area. But I will have windows behind both sides of the bench. Can anyone please suggest how high above the floor should the windows be, to be able to enjoy the view of the lake outside comfortably while sitting on the bench? Just discovered this app and am loving it!

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi murpet. Glad you found the article useful. Seat height for a banquette is usually 17-19" high. As far as your window height is concerned, that will probably depend on surrounding windows. Your architect or builder will probably want the sizes and height to be somewhat consistent with surrounding windows. I think having approx. 18" above your seat height is plenty for a pillow area. That's about 36" from the floor to the bottom of a window. Have the builder do a mock up for you so you can see if those dimensions optimize your view. Hope that helps. Thank you for your comments. Charmean Neithart

Sarah Miller This article couldn't be better timed. I'm ready to have my carpenter start building a banquette but I'm concerned about making it built-in. I planned to have him make it more like a corner bench with spindle legs but a boxed base with wainscot would work too. Thoughts?

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi Sarah. What are your concerns about making it built-in? Just curious, maybe we can put your concerns at ease first. Your other idea of a corner bench could work too. If you happen to have a picture of your space, it would be helpful to see. Let us know. Charmean

Sarah Miller Here is a photo of the space for the banquette. The left-hand wall will be the longer side of the L shape. The island is quite large so I thought the spindle legs would make the space airy but still cozy.

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi Sarah. I think you have a great corner there for a banquette. This space is most like the second to last picture with two sets of windows on both sides of the corner. I suggest a seat height from 17-19", but because the windows are low, I would only stack pillows in the corner and the very end of the left side. . I would not stack pillows against the windows. I would consider a round, 36-42" table maximum to keep from blocking the lane on the right. Hope that helps. Charmean Neithart

Jennifer Graham_Rateliff I'm contemplating adding banquette seating into a bay window in my semi-formal dining area (dining area open/ adjacent to the kitchen) . I feel the overall effect would leave me with what some would call an "eat-in kitchen" and no real dining area. My question is regarding loss of a formal or semi-formal dining space. Is the trend to casual dining such that any type of formal dining space is being eschewed? Or do the people who have (and love) banquettes also have some other formal or semi-formal dining area?

Lanie Brown Jennifer, I've been thinking about your question all day. Where I would like to install a banquette in my personal home, I will still have a separate formal dining room also. In real estate, in my market, I notice if there is only one or the other, the casual eating area where everyone can hang out is more important than a formal dining room. I hope this helps, but let me know if you have more specific questions.

dinasty having small corner banquette with the kitchen area add a cozy feeling between your kids and your friend when you are busy working in the kitchen .it's a great idea .

trasgorshek Charmean can I just tell you how wonderful you make Houzz! You truly take so much time with our questions and comments and give us such incredible advice, it's like having a decorator right here with us!

I've gone through your projects a number of times for inspiration and your work is amazing, I have no idea where you find the time to run your business as well as answer all of your individual questions, article questions and write additional articles! You can tell you truly love what you do. I believe the time you put into Houzz should be acknowledged, thank you so much for all the inspiration!

And, yes, I too would love a banquette one day! That dream has to wait awhile. For now I chose a settee instead of chairs on one side of our table and has worked out great so far. But, it's funny, a lot of visiting family won't sit on it. My son and I love it! One of our favorite spots.

Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Hi trasgorshek.
Wow! Thank you, compliments like yours are really all I need to find the energy to get it all done. You are right, I really love my job and I love Houzz. My work ethic stems from a core belief that working is a blessing and if you have a talent you should share it. I learn something every day, I'm grateful to have a platform to share what I have learned. I'm so happy to know that I have helped someone just by answering a question, really how great is that! Thank you for taking the time to write such kind thoughts. Have a great weekend. Now, I definitely will. Best regards. Charmean

wileycora Like want I see great I ideal

suzie123 I am a huge fan and have one in my tiny kitchen. I am now enlarging my kitchen but will still have a banquette. Here are some of my "live and learn" suggestions.
If children will be using it often either keep the seat wood or use an easily washable material. I found that the bottom cushion gets dirty quickly and therefore upholstery fabric is not practical with kids. The fabric on the back does not pose the same problem.

Jennifer Graham_Rateliff I still would like more feedback on the question: Do people who have (and love) banquettes also have a formal dining space???

bbnoehr I am fairly new to Houzz and really appreciate the discussions that emanate from the photo ideas. The great impetus for the major kitchen remodel on which we are about to embark is built in bench seating to replace counter seating. When we visit family in Germany, we love the cozy comfort of sitting around the table on an Eckbank! I basically decided not to have storage built in underneath for foot space but am trying to decide how to angle the back rest. And, yes, we do having formal dining space as well.