Many
times, clients want to have a breakfast table to accommodate four to six
people, but their space is limited. When a table is in the kitchen,
it’s required that another five feet in addition to the table size is
available. This is because when the chairs are pushed back, they
inevitably will take up another 30” for the person to be able to get in and
out. This is the minimum space to allow, a little large space is better
so that when the chair is in the out position, a person will still be able to
walk by, or the chair won’t hit a wall, island or peninsula.
Banquettes
are a great idea since the bench eliminates the need to have an additional 30 –
36” for clearance. This also keeps the table closer to the wall and out
of the way. A banquette does not necessarily have to be set up against a
wall, consider putting it on the back of the island. This idea works
especially well when the kitchen is open to the family room.
Try
nestling a table into the back of the island and put the table on casters so
that when more space is needed, the table can be pulled out to accommodate more
people. This solution is cleaner and looks great in a contemporary kitchen;
it also works in tighter spaces than a banquette since the seat of a banquette
will take up a minimum of 21 additional inches. It’s important to plan
for the table pulling out, make sure that there is enough room to do so or that
furniture, a chair for instance, isn’t too close or can easily be moved
out of the way. Stools can be tucked under the table against the island
so that when the table moves forward, the chairs are automatically in position
and ready for use.
