Ideas for an Eat In Kitchen

When we purchased our home last fall there were a few areas I immediately felt excited to transform; one of them being the eat-in portion of our kitchen. The previous owner had arranged the space with a high top table and two chairs, which left a good amount of room for a traffic pattern from the kitchen to the living room, but not so much for eating. I wanted more seating for guests and a cozy place to drink coffee in the morning or enjoy dinner with my husband. I should mention- our home is a cozy 988 square feet with no dining room or kitchen island so this is the only designated eating area. We decided to arrange the room differently, using every inch available to make this a place we love to spend time.

Below is a before and after:

Such a difference! (we still would like to redo the floors one day but that will be down the road)

Below is an image during the first couple of weeks getting settled in the space, sushi takeout and all!

When it came to eat in kitchens, a built-in banquette seemed to be the perfect solution for almost every magazine/instagrammer/home blogger I could find. We didn’t quite have room for a banquette, but after a bit of brainstorming, we decided that a dining bench in front of the slider and two chairs would fit comfortably and leave plenty of room access the door.

Moving the light fixture from the middle of the room to centered directly over the table grounded the space and made it feel like an intentional dining area. We also swapped the semi flush mount for a statement pendant light. If moving electrical isn’t an option for you, swagging a light to the desired area is a great solution.

The sliding glass door previously had black out curtains that blocked natural light and made the room feel dark and dingy. We purchased these green curtains from Ikea and hung them as high as possible, the new height makes the room feel taller. Ikea is my favorite spot for affordable window treatments!

From the moment I saw this wallpaper on the Anthropologie website I dreamed of using it and thought that this wall would be the perfect spot. I love how it turned out!

All that was left to do was decorate the table and add some comfy pillows to tie everything together! I wanted to have something on the table that felt substantial but wasn’t “lean forward in your chair and crank your neck to see the person across from you” tall. I decided on this mix of new and thrifted finds that includes a plant and a couple unscented candles.

We now use this space to enjoy meals, do work, read, and just hang out! Unique and personal touches are all the elements that create a home.

Thank you so much for reading!