Kitchens take up more design time than nearly every other room. The reason for this is simply that a kitchen needs to do more than most other rooms do. Plumbing, electrics, lighting, ventilation and waste disposal all need to be considered before you even start on room layout, cabinets and appliances.

However, combining a kitchen with an additional purpose does not necessarily cause too much of a headache.If your kitchen is to serve as a food preparation area and as a dining area, as many contemporary ones do, then an open plan look is probably best. This will allow the kitchen to become the hub of the home, making it ideal for entertaining. If it is not large enough to double up as a dining room, then opt for the easier to design and more space saving breakfast kitchen.

Integration.

Modern styling for a breakfast kitchen will most usually include a bar where your family can grab their first meal of the day before heading off. The design idea is to make the dining a less formal experience than usual. As such the bar should be part of the kitchen, in a visual sense.

Use the same surface for your breakfast bar as your counter tops to create the integrated look. Keep your cabinets and the base of your bar in the same material for the same reason, too. Wooden flooring, or laminate, that extends from the kitchen area to the breakfast space is a good idea as well.

The Zoned Look.

Another entirely different approach to take, with a breakfast bar area in a kitchen, is to give it a distinctively altered look from the kitchen proper. For this approach, bolt a bar on to the back of a kitchen cabinet or have the bar area face away from the kitchen, possibly overlooking a window.

This zoned look will make a mini-room within a room and works well in apartments which has no other dining room to use. For a halfway position between the integrated and zoned look, use a different shape for your breakfast bar to create an individual area that still integrates well.

Breakfast Bar Islands.

If your kitchen is large enough to accommodate an island unit, then this is the perfect place to fit your breakfast bar. Use bar stools that tuck away neatly under the unit’s counter top so that the breakfast area does not get in the way when you are using the kitchen to cook in.

An island unit/breakfast bar combination is vastly improved if you are able to install a sink within it. Rather than for washing up, a small sink is perfect for washing fruit at breakfast time. If you already have an island unit, go for a bar table that can extend away from it for a contemporary look.

Do It Simply.

Not all kitchens are large enough to be redesigned around a breakfast area. If you need a simple solution, perhaps because your usual dining area is out of action, then opt for a stand alone breakfast bar.

They take up minimal space and have the advantage that you can, of course, move them around depending on what else you are doing in the kitchen.These range from simple raised tables with stools to stand alone cabinets with drop-leafed surfaces that help save space.

A good tip, if you have little room to work in, is to go for swivel stools which are easier to sit on and reach things than regular bar stools.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10and 11.