Kitchen Space: 5 Real-Life Breakfast Bar Ideas

You know what's strange? So far I've been inside more Australian kitchens than I can count—from little terraces in Paddington to sprawling homes in the Hills—and this crafty concept just keeps turning up. Breakfast bars are trending, but here's the part that keeps getting me: most people have absolutely no idea where to start, or worse, they figure it's just about slapping a few stools at an island and calling it done. 

I get it, the whole breakfast bar phenomenon has been epic, especially now we're all spending more time at home. According to design reports of recent kitchen projects coming out from Australia's leading architecture firms, by 2024 breakfast bars are the foremost kitchen feature being requested. Sometimes they're even more popular than walk-in pantries! And this is something quite significant when you consider just how much Aussies love storage.

But after years of writing about kitchen renovations and watching my family's ordeal with the breakfast bar journey (my dear mother still remembers five years later our spiffy modern installation failure until she started using it at six o'clock every morning), I tend to think that the best breakfast bar ideas aren't really about riding current tastes. They are spaces which actually work for how people live.

The Masterstroke of The Multi-Level Design

Imagine the situation: your lower surface is set right on 900mm--standard height for countertop work or doing those essential kitchen tasks. Then you have another elevation at 150mm higher, for use as your breakfast table area. Now this is an idea I saw in a renovation from last month. 
The key word to describe the higher section of this kitchen is 'clever'. In an open-plan home like mine, you can't have people staring directly at your unwashed dishes. The raised part of the worktop looks good but also forms a visual barrier. Plus, and I am showing my Indian heritage here, it gives that perfect spot to show off some beautiful brass or ceramics because they would get lost in an ordinary kitchen.

What I am especially grateful for in this design is that it has managed to resolve problems. At the lower, prep level you can fit a Kitchen Sink with Drainboard and on top the raised bar can stay nice for casual meals. With the difference in height you won't find all the crumbs and spillage filtering from the eating area to your cook zone--believe me, this is much more important than it may at first appear when you're busy all day long.

The Impressive Peninsula

You don't have to get a whole island, but simply extend your existing benchtop out into a peninsula, which is basically an L- or U-shaped extension jutting into the kitchen or living space. This I think is one of the most underrated breakfast bar ideas because it works in areas where a conventional island just doesn't fit.

What's great about having a peninsula is that it keeps a connection with the main kitchen while defining a space for eating. I particularly like this in the more vintage Australian kitchen settings where you've got little floor area but an acceptable amount of wall length to put furniture against. You can get storage underneath — great place to hide those appliances that don't have anywhere else to go.

What also makes it attractive is the opportunity for different cultural cooking methods you have with this model. This model needs some serious benchtop space installed within your kitchen, which can accommodate everything from rolling rotis to elaborate weekend brunches. Seeing that extended workspace during cooking times is so rewarding -- and when you're entertaining, it effortlessly becomes this very hub of sociability.

The Waterfall Wonder

I confess I was one of those people who thought the waterfall edge breakfast bar was just a little bit too much. Oh, but after experiencing it in a friend's renovation I swallowed my words! The stone or benchtop material actually 'waterfalls' down the side, giving this continuous surface that is not only striking but also works really well in practice.

Here's what changed my feelings: It isn't just decorative but that vertical surface protects your cabinetry from kicks and scuffs, an especially important consideration if you have kids or tend to run into things. And it creates this sense of solidity and permanence which turns the breakfast bar into a proper piece of furniture, rather than just an afterthought.

The waterfall design is perfect for integrating both minimalist Australian aesthetics and slightly more ornate Indian-inspired elements. In some versions the stone has beautiful veining, which becomes a point of interest; in others its clean line offers a perfect background for colorful accessories or artwork.

The Rustic Charm Solution

Sometimes the best breakfast bar ideas are born out of your existing environment and not a clean-slate approach. I'm referring to incorporating salvaged timber, natural stone or even the reuse of old furniture to make something unique to yourself.

In recent years, Australian homes have seen an increase of timber benches along with light, open spaces. These kitchens have been designed to cater for both a traditional sit-down family mealtime and tomorrow's casual kitchen party. With their warm colours and traditional textures they can create an air of welcome which is both cozy and modern at the same time. As an example, they recycled old railway sleepers into the breakfast bar's top last year in a house I visited at Byron Bay–and for rustic charm, it was absolutely wonderful.

There is one school of thought that it's very successful to count all your cultural influences together in a single design. Natural timber has an intrinsic appeal that works with the clean white lines of Scandinavian furniture as well as rich Indian silks and cottons. With brass fixtures, vibrant tiles or intricate patterns in your breakfast room too, you create layers of interest that tell your story.

The Genius of Hidden Storage

One thing that really annoys me is a beautiful breakfast bar that has no storage space built into it. What's the point of these wonderful features if they can't help your family in its daily running?

In the most brilliant designs, there's storage all over. Think pull-out drawers for the placemats and napkins underneath, a wine rack if you need that kind of thing, or even space for smaller appliances that are used often but would clutter up main work surfaces in a kitchen.

One of the smartest designs I've seen included room for a top mounted kitchen sink right inside the breakfast bar itself. That might sound extravagant but think about it for a moment: It's ideal for all sorts of small tasks from rinsing coffee cups and washing fruit to filling water bottles. This leaves the main kitchen sink free for heavy jobs like cooking. Many homeowners also opt for a compact Bar Sink in their breakfast bar setup for even more convenience.

The secret of storage is to make it totally streamlined. No handles and hardware poking out everywhere, so push-to-open mechanisms or even flush finger pulls let the clean lines flow all over your breakfast bar while still giving you access to every single thing that you could possibly need.

The Reality Check

Look, the fact of the matter is the best breakfast bar for your home is the one that fits how you actually live--not how you think you should live. There are people who have installed massive islands with seating for eight without any real entertaining to speak of at all, and there are others in tiny suburban houses where the peninsulas look just right.

Consider your morning routines, how you entertain, and--to be brutally honest--how much cleaning you want to be doing. Those spectacular light-colored stones show up every fingerprint and coffee ring. But since beauty is good, why not simply be realistic about maintenance?

Height also matters more than you might think. Standard bar height is 1050mm, and if you are shorter or taller than average a change of 50-100mm can make the difference between a breakfast bar you love and one that is too much trouble to use.

Climate considerations matter too--here in Australia we have everything from tropical humidity to dry inland conditions. Natural stone can handle temperature differences without a problem, though some timber choices may need more looking after in extreme conditions.

In my opinion, the really interesting thing about breakfast bars today is that they have managed to evolve into these transitional spaces in our homes. They aren't quite kitchen, they're certainly not dining room and, in fact, there is something uniquely their own. They fit the way we actually eat--we quickly grab something before the school run in the morning, on weekends linger for hours just chatting, or midday perch with laptops.

When it's done right, a breakfast bar can capture the rhythm of life itself. This is where the kids do their homework, it's where people talk while they're cooking, and right after waking up in the morning you sit there with your cup of coffee making plans for everything that lies ahead.

But no matter how cool the trend happens to be right now, remember that good kitchen design should support you in doing ordinary things--not obstruct your work and life routine. Whatever style you're comfortable with, the breakfast bar designs above help make your daily routines just that bit smoother and more pleasant.