How to create a cosy kitchen nook

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If you’re anything like us, you spend a lot of time in your kitchen – and not just preparing food. It ends up being the place where the family or flatmates hang out, and so it makes perfect sense to have a dedicated place to curl up with a good book, or somewhere a loved one can relax while you’re cooking dinner (or better still, vice versa!). But how do you go about starting to create a cosy nook in your kitchen? We’ll talk you through our kitchen nook ideas, including furnishing and flooring hints, and how you can maximise a small corner of your room.

How to build a kitchen nook

First things first, rest assured you won’t necessarily need to undertake a huge DIY project to build a cosy kitchen nook. All you need is a small area to become the place where you provide a spot to enjoy your first coffee of the day, casual meals, or a place for the children to do homework or crafts.

If you have the available space, in front of the window is a prime location to have your nook, as it will benefit from natural light. But if that’s not possible, then perhaps find a previously awkward corner, or the place where one room transitions into another; think about whether you could squeeze in a bench or table and chairs, then read on.

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Use distinctive rugs and flooring in your kitchen nook

When planning your kitchen nook design, we recommend you start from the bottom up. Not only will you need flooring that’s comfortable, easy to clean, and lasts for a long time, you’d like it to look beautiful, too. We have hundreds of brilliant ideas on the best flooring for kitchens, whether they’re carpet, laminate, to engineered wood flooring and LVT (luxury vinyl tiles), each of which have their own unique qualities. If you need inspiration on what colours match with others, then take a glance in our Ideas Hub at our lovely Lookbooks, which show on-trend co-ordinating shades. Our current favourites are the following:

Our collection of luxury vinyl is exclusive to Tapi. It looks gorgeous and feels great underfoot. And as it’s scratch-, stain-, water- and heat-resistant, it stands up to practically anything life can throw at it, making it perfect for kitchens, where there’s always someone wandering around.Perhaps opt for a striking dark charcoal that would add drama to your nook, or a pale grey for quiet elegance.

Engineered wood looks so stylish anywhere in the home and would be a perfect addition to your breakfast nook. The wood itself is brushed and oiled so that all those lovely characteristics and ‘perfect imperfections’ of timber shows through. It comes in plain planks and a herringbone pattern and it’s delivered to your door so you can fit yourself.

Kitchen nook designs tips and tricks

We’ve compiled a handy list of kitchen nook ideas to consider while you’re creating your dream space, including:

Think about stain-resistant fabrics

It’s easier to keep your beautiful new nook looking fabulous if you don’t have food marks or wine stains on the tablecloth or cushions!

Contrast your decor

If you want to create a truly separate space, then choose wall coverings, flooring or accents that are opposite to the rest of the kitchen. For instance, neon chairs in the nook of a traditional farmhouse-style room will make a strong statement.

But if you prefer to make the nook look like it’s always been there, then think about using a bolder shade that matches with the rest of the kitchen. For instance, if your walls are pale pink walls, then option for a fuchsia, cerise or magenta so that the space itself provides a pop of colour, but doesn’t dominate – check out our Pretty in Pink lookbook for more inspiration.

Consider removing a countertop

If there a part of the kitchen that doesn’t get a lot of use? This might be the better place to situate your nook. Lower the countertop to sitting height, and this becomes your table. Add a shelf above for cookbooks or anything else that’d be useful in this space, like the cutlery or glasses.

Get smooth in a booth

This is more of a commitment than just introducing a bistro table and chairs, but if you’re creating a designated nook, then think about adding a partition wall to the bench or banquette, so that it creates a booth. You could locate it close to an appliance like a dishwasher so that it blocks off noisy white goods, on three sides of a corner or a bay window. This would work perfectly as a cosy reading nook.

Treasure your island

If your kitchen’s big enough to have an island, then it’s a good idea to have the opportunity to use it at any time of the day or night. Add some high stools so everyone can gather or, if you’re able to lower it, then bring it down to a height that resembles a table so the whole household can be together around it. Think about warm lighting above so that this space is inviting and it becomes the focal point of the room.

Kitchen nook seating

The quickest way to update your kitchen nook seating is to slide a bench up against a wall and add a narrow table. If you have room on the other side of the table, add stools or chairs too. But if space is tight, you could buy chairs that fold up or can be stored underneath the bench. Alternatively, build your own bench or banquette by creating a flat space at knee level from an existing cabinet or low unit, adding some cushions on top, then drag a small table close by with a chair, and voila! A separate space that’s incorporated into your existing kitchen.

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Create clever storage

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a huge kitchen, you’re probably hoping to make every single centimetre work hard, especially after you’ve stolen a bit of space to create your cosy nook. So now you’ve create it, what will you do with all the things that were preciously in that space?

Think vertically

If you have plates to store, then we’d suggest racks hung vertically, and would also provide an interesting display piece. You may want to install shelving on the walls too, for cutlery, glasses, cookbooks or anything else that’ll need to be reached easily for this space.

Make every inch count

If you have your kitchen nook seating built-in, then it’s wise to make sure you still have access to the space underneath, either via drawers or a hinged lid. This is where you could put tablecloths, coasters, napkins, tea towels – or any of the stuff that has accumulated in the kitchen when you want to tidy up!

We hope we’ve inspired you to think about creating your own kitchen nook, and which flooring and furnishings you could use to bring your dream to life. Pop into one of our stores and look at the gorgeous collections of floorings, and chat to our friendly expert floorologists about what would look best in your own home. Or book a free home visit where we bring our floors to yours?

Post author

Claire Murphy Copywriter Former lifestyle journalist, keen amateur upcycler, full of value for money ideas

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Published: 06-03-2023