Breakfast bars have absolutely exploded in kitchen design popularity simultaneously with the spectacular growth of kitchen islands. However, islands don’t have a monopoly on the breakfast bar. You can find them along kitchen peninsulas as well!
In order to come up with the very specific design ideas, we create most designs with the assistance of state-of-the-art AI interior design software.
Since the kitchen is often the central and most important room in the home, it’s becoming more and more of a multi-purpose room that includes adjacent seating, in-kitchen dining (including cozy dining nooks) and now casual dining areas with the breakfast bar.
Breakfast bars are fantastic because they create a community space much like a tavern does. There’s just something special about sitting on bar stools that create a casual, fun and community environment. Fortunately for you, if you’re interested in kitchen designs with a breakfast bar, we’ve come up with some of the very best breakfast bar designs out there!
FYI, the above stunner is by SAOTA and can be viewed in this home.
1. The Plain & Simple Kitchen
We are starting out this collection strong with a beautiful kitchen design that anyone would be proud to call their dream home kitchen. This amazing space has all of the components that make up a kitchen that is elegant, timeless, inspiring, and most importantly, utile.
Slate flooring will make any room look sleek, but once we incorporate really warm-toned wood cabinetry and cozy leather bar stools, we get an added element of warmth that in my opinion, you always want present in the kitchen.
This is a perfectly sized kitchen island with a modest double seated breakfast bar. I love a kitchen where guests can take a seat while you finish preparing a meal, and this is a room anyone wouldn’t mind spending some extra time in.
Using white countertops and white brick backsplash is a really excellent way to brighten up the space without using overhead lighting. And of course, having nothing but windows in every direction brings the brightness to a whole other level.
2. The Sunny Herringbone Kitchen
This is an absolutely gorgeous example of a kitchen that doesn’t need to be doing very much in order to be effective. I think in part that comes from the over-the-top gorgeous herringbone hardwood flooring that you know has been there for many years.
The kitchen becomes very modernized with very dark hardwood cabinetry, which in the brightened right up by using pure white countertops. This kitchen really focuses on utilizing the kitchen island both for storage, prep space, and for extra seating as well.
Everything about this kitchen is generous. Generous space, generous space for seating, generous light beaming in from those big windows, and I know you’re peeking at that very generously sized gas stove over there! Gorgeous!
3. The Cozy Coastal Kitchen
Now this kitchen space has to be one of my favorite kitchens not only in this collection, but out of all the kitchens I’ve ever seen! It could be the fact that I know it’s in a coastal home, but I think it’s probably because of the elegant simplicity and unique shape.
I adore the smart decision to use the wall sharing the stairwell, telling you that the designer wanted to be intentional about space saving. We have so many options for seating with the simple overhanging breakfast on the kitchen island, and the exceptional picnic-table style table by the sliding door.
Sea foam colored walls bring a delicate color palette, while super simple kitchen accessories really allow you to feel at ease and uncluttered in this room. A truly exceptional kitchen design.
4. The Wood n’ White Kitchen
Here we have an exceptionally gorgeous kitchen that encompasses you on all sides in gorgeous horizontally lined wooden panels found on the cabinets, drawers, and walls. This all pairs superbly with the beautiful dark hardwood floors.
We have light features exactly where we need them, found in the upper cabinets, the white backsplash, the countertops, and the breakfast bar stools as well (and even in those groovy pendant lights!). This is real minimalism at its absolute finest.
I love the shape and size of this kitchen island, ensuring you have more than enough preparation space, and tons of seating availability too. And let’s not forget to mention the fact that the refrigerator is camouflaged under that wood panelling. Amazing!
5. The Clean Corners Kitchen
Impressive is the first word that comes to mind when I look at this kitchen space. Impressive in its design, impressive in its execution, and impressive in the obviously high quality materials that were used to create the space.
This is true minimalism and modernism at its finest. I personally love a kitchen that has a little bit more warmth to it, but this is the kitchen for you if you’re looking for something that is extra sleek and extra sexy.
We see gorgeous concrete floors that look amazing against the dark gray cabinetry and black countertops. We have very smart white backsplashes to lighten up the area, and overhead lighting that is barely noticeable. I adore kitchens that are off of outdoor spaces, especially when you access to those through huge sliding doors.
6. The Airy Kitchen
You may have noticed already that I’ve picked kitchens with a certain color scheme to them, and I think that’s because I’m so taken by rooms that use black, white, and wooden elements to them. I find that combination elegant, timeless, and warm.
This is a kitchen that has a really really smart kitchen island design. It’s unconventional in the way that one side of it is an extension that has turned itself into an entire breakfast table situation, whereas the rest of it is dedicated to cabinet space and preparation space.
The sleek white cabinets are obviously an expert choice, and that gorgeous stone backsplash brings a level of extravagance, while the black countertops are the perfect contrast. Not to mention that’s some of the most stunning wood flooring I’ve ever seen!
7. The Cityscape Kitchen
I really love the use of space that’s happening in this kitchen. Sometimes you have to be a little bit creative when you’re working with smaller apartment spaces like this, and I think the placement of the kitchen counters and the table is so so smart!
The main focal points of this kitchen are obviously the beautiful stone tiling, and the really gorgeous waterfall style bar table. Because it’s longer than it is wide, you can fit so many seats without feeling like much space is being taken up.
The room feels extra big since we have a corner balcony that looks out onto an incredible view of the city scape. But of course, you already knew that big windows can make even the tiniest room feel bigger!
8. The Homey Modern Kitchen
This great room features hardwood flooring and a white ceiling. The kitchen offers an L-shaped counter and a marble waterfall-style center island with a separate counter for breakfast bar. I think it’s so smart to have a two tiered kitchen island where you can have standard height chairs, because sometimes sitting on high stools can get a little bit uncomfortable after a while!
This room is so special for so many reasons. We have the gorgeous vaulted ceilings that make it feels enormous, and the L shaped construction of the kitchen space makes it feel even bigger. The combination of marble countertops and wooden cabinets is incomparable.
This is a home that you can feel cozy in, a home that is gorgeous and impressive, but also completely functional and welcoming at the same time. That is a hard strike to balance, and it has been perfectly achieved here.
9. The Cozy Cavern Kitchen
Though this isn’t the most extravagant or impressive kitchen, nor a design that is particularly unique, this is the type of kitchen that I could wake up to every morning and be absolutely pleased to make my coffee in it.
There’s just something special about the simplicity and the warmth of this kitchen, but obviously the best thing about it is the fact that it has its very own pizza oven built right into the wall. I could live and die in that kitchen all be completely happy about it.
We have gorgeous asymmetrical ceramic tiling that is so charming, a simple but roomy kitchen island with a wooden countertop, and all state of the art stainless steel kitchen appliances. What more could you need?
10. The Sleek & Stylish Kitchen
Here we are featuring a hyper modern, hyper minimal kitchen design featuring sleek ceramic flooring, sleek black countertops, and endlessly sleek marble countertops. Something I’ve never seen before is that really chic square feature in the back that holds a double oven!
We see another really unique kitchen island feature that has two levels to it. One level is dedicated to storage space and counter space, where we have the raised breakfast bar with beautiful white bar stools tucked in below it.
11. The Industrial Artistry Kitchen
Though this isn’t particularly my style of kitchen, I don’t have to love it in order to appreciate the really cool design that it has. It’s a really impressive open concept kitchen that reveals the artistry of the rest of the house as well.
What I really love here is the horseshoe shaped kitchen with seating laid out all around it. This type of shaping makes the space feel really inviting, despite the fact that the industrial bones of the space feel quite bare and raw.
I really adore the the kitchen island with the wood panelling, and the black tiling on top of those features are especially elegant. I also really love the fun pendant lighting that match the white bar stools really nicely.
12. The Heavenly Home Kitchen
Completely switching aesthetic perspectives, here we have a gorgeous craftsman style kitchen with really gorgeous cabinetry work and insanely beautiful ceilings to boot. You can tell that this is a completely customized kitchen from top to bottom.
Everything about this kitchen is warm an inviting, from the shade of ivory used to paint the cabinets and ceilings, the shade of lighting coming from those beautiful pendant lights, and the way that the natural lighting comes into the room. I adore the fact that super dark hardwood was used to perfectly contrast all of these lighter features.
There is an incredible amount of space in this kitchen, meaning that there’s opportunity to have an enormous kitchen island with a built in breakfast bar area. We have super comfy looking cushioned bar stools tucked into the island, making this the ultimate cozy kitchen.
13. The Gorgeous Craftsman Kitchen
Here we have a more classically inspired kitchen, with beautiful classic hardwood cabinets on the main portion of the kitchen, with really beautiful tiled backsplash. Marble countertops flow through the entire room.
I think that the most special aspect of this space is that really impressive kitchen island. I’m loving the two tiered kitchen island where we have the standard height for the larger portion, and a really gorgeous and curved breakfast bar area with leather bar stools.
14. The Generous Breakfast Kitchen
This is a spectacular example of a single wall kitchen, but this one by no means is modest or dedicated to a small space. When the majority of your counter space is dedicated to the open part of a room, you know that this room is made specifically for hosting.
This is clear in the design of the kitchen, especially when we consider the sheer size of this kitchen island (safe to say it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen). There is a wild amount of seating space at this island, and even more storage and counter space.
We have extra notable features around like that stunning stonework found on the backsplash, open shelving for you to display your best dishware, and gorgeous pendant lights hanging over the bookend counters.
15. The Breath of Fresh Air Kitchen
This is a beautiful representation of a tropical dream home with a kitchen to match. You can never go wrong with combining with and wooden features, and it was done really beautiful in this kitchen design.
The horseshoe shaped kitchen is featuring amazing wooden cabinets, and a spectacular looking farmhouse kitchen in white as well. We have a state of the art double oven found on the west wall, and a really special feature of this space is the slanted and vaulted ceiling with exposed beaming.
I particularly love this waterfall style kitchen island with white countertops, and a special little nook for you to tuck in a couple stools for your morning coffee or casual dinner. This kitchen can really do whatever you want it to!
16. The Modern Farmhouse Kitchen
I think the key word to use here is elegance. Elegance timeless, and timelessness is elegance. Every aspect of this kitchen is simple and effective, from the classic white cabinets, the shiny white brick backsplash, and really beautiful hardwood flooring.
We also see featured an amazing vaulted ceiling that really makes the space feel huge, and the perfectly sized little kitchen island with a sink built right into it. I adore the corner seating arrangement with wicker bar stools, making the space feel very inviting, which can sometimes be hard to do when things are so elegant looking!
17. The Basic Beauties Kitchen
What a special kitchen space! I find this to be a really unique kitchen design, and of course you can’t go wrong in using industrial inspired aspects like the exposed beams and super rustic wooden shelving where all of your fancy dishes can be displayed.
We have a really neat L shaped kitchen space with classy gray countertops and funky white drawers, and state of the art stainless steel kitchen appliances. I think the use of a narrow and long kitchen island is super smart not only for space saving, but so that you can add that many bar stools to the breakfast bar area.
This room is really cozy and really neat. I especially love the use of lighting above the upper cabinets to create dimension and warmth. Truly one of my favorite designs in this collection!
18. The Spa Kitchen
This entire home – not only the kitchen space – really feels like a breath of fresh air. The main living area is incredibly open and light, and I think in part this has to do with the type of wood that was chosen for the walls and for the flooring.
If we look at the kitchen space we see featured a single wall kitchen with a very generously sized kitchen. Despite the size of this house, the kitchen is rather moderately sized, but that’s because it doesn’t actually take so much space to have everything that you need.
The super tall ceiling next to the beautiful open window make the space feel very spacious, where the gray accessories bring a more grounded nature. Again we see another two tiered kitchen island with one half dedicated to prepping and the other dedicated to lounging. Different levelled pendant lights bring a lovely eclectic feel as well.
19. The Eleganza Kitchen
This is a very impressive kitchen space featuring a lavishly large kitchen island with a gray marble slab for a countertop. This goes so well against the light gray tiling found along the floor, and even further matches the steel framing of the pendant lights hanging above the kitchen island.
The same type of light stained wood is featured throughout all of the cabinetry, but the truly special aspect of this kitchen is the wooden cabinets found on the back, in which I think we have a camouflaged refrigerator. We love a camouflage fridge!
This is an amazing kitchen island that not only has a double oven built right into it, but its very own sink and wine fridge as well. Not to mention this impressively sized island has a ton of seating space around it, making it great for hosting.
20. The Minimalism Dream Kitchen
I really admire this super open concept kitchen design, that has a rather unconventional arrangement where we have a single wall kitchen, but laying perpendicularly from that we have two long kitchen islands.
The kitchen island closest to use has its very own sink and a perfect little breakfast nook that has some adorable kitchen stools tucked in below it. The further one is dedicated more to storage and prep space, but it also acts as a divider between the kitchen and the living space.
This room is incredibly bright and airy, and this in part has to do with the amount of white in the home. The white walls and cabinets and perfectly contrasted against the cement flooring (which is no doubt heated) and warm wooden countertops, which you don’t see very often!
21. The Picture Perfect Kitchen
This is a great example of a kitchen that can be modern but super cozy at the same time. I think part of this has to do with the sand colored tiling, the sand colored bar stools, and the beautiful sand colored waterfall kitchen island as well.
The single back wall kitchen features beautiful wooden drawers, white cabinets, and a sleek, shiny black backsplash. This kitchen is modestly sized but really has everything you need. The island itself is spacious enough to hold a breakfast bar large enough for 5 seats! Talk about being smart about space!
22. The Coziest Comfort Kitchen
It seems as though two tiered kitchen islands are very popular at the moment, and it’s not hard to see why! Adding different dimensions to a kitchen not only looks cool, but it makes certain areas feel more meaningful as well.
In this kitchen we have a higher, waterfall marble countertop with a wooden table set off from it for some seats, kind of like a lowered breakfast bar. On the right wall we see white drawers and stainless steel kitchen appliances, where on the left wall there’s nothing but beautiful wooden cabinetry.
I really love how each side of the kitchen has a completely different aesthetic and different materials used for each, but the two sides are literally fused together by the kitchen island. I also adore the little couch that’s built right into the foundation of the space as well. Very special!
23. The Quaintest Kitchen
Another lovely representation of a small kitchen that is designed in a way to make it seem large. This is achieved through higher ceilings, longer pendant lights, and keeping lighter colors towards the base and top of the room, and the darker colors congregate in the centre of the room.
We have a beautiful kitchen island with a dark gray base and a nifty little wooden breakfast bar, under which we see some great industrial style copper stools. White cabinets contrast perfectly against that patterned backsplash, and wooden cabinets really warm everything up.
24. The Simple & Serene Kitchen
Another perfectly minimal and perfectly gorgeous kitchen design. I already mentioned loving the color scheme of black white and stained wood, and here I think it one of my favorite examples of that.
The super rustic wood flooring gives the otherwise modern look a warmth, especially when that wood is extended to the window framing and the countertops as well. White cabinets brighten up the space, while black is found in all the places where you might be looking for some dimension.
25. The Serene Dream Kitchen
And yet another example of minimalism at its finest! Super plain and white cabinets almost blend right in to the white walls, while white windows let all of the natural light in that you could ever want. We get a great contrast with the darker gray countertops and lower cabinets.
I love how the main feature of this room is the standard height kitchen island with a breakfast bar. I find high stools rather uncomfortable, so I’m always happy to see when you can sit at the kitchen counter and be comfortable for extended periods of time.
And though it isn’t entirely in the frame, we get a little hint at the fact that there is a fireplace that opens up to the kitchen space as well. I don’t care what room it’s in or what it looks like, but I fall in love with any space that has a fireplace! What luxury to have one in your kitchen!
26. The Double Tier Spectacular Kitchen
There are so many amazing examples of smaller kitchens in this collection that are just doing so much with the space they are given! And here is another amazing of not only a small kitchen, but one that is making itself feel bigger by where certain colors are placed.
It’s always a smart idea to have lighter colored cabinets and a dark backsplash, not only for utility, but it creates a really dramatic sense of depth, further widening the look of the space. We have super minimal cabinets here that almost look like they’re walls, shiny black backing, and another area of open wooden shelving.
I absolutely adore this kitchen island. I love how just the little perch is high enough for you to do some prep, whereas the lower tier is clearly just meant for seating and lounging. The cooking area is dedicated to the corner space, while the hosting space is on the outside. Really smart designing!
27. The 5-Star Hotel Kitchen
It’s clear that this is a home that really doesn’t have to think about space, as there is so much open floor area surrounding the rather modestly sized kitchen island. Here we have a lovely L shaped kitchen with a hyper modern design.
I think the most special part of this kitchen is the copper backsplash, that looks all the more dramatic with the incorporated lighting. If this copper weren’t here, the room may feel a tad bit cold and unwelcoming.
The beautiful waterfall breakfast bar has just enough space for a couple of seats, while the kitchen island is there for some extra prep area and some nifty open shelving underneath. I love when kitchens have open shelving.
28. La Cuisine Moderne Kitchen
Here we have a gorgeous and highly modern kitchen that is again using that white, black, and wooden aesthetic to keep things both fresh and timeless at the same time. I find it so funny how so much of the time when it comes to interior design, two opposing aesthetics tend to be incorporated into one look.
We find with drawers and a white waterfall style kitchen island, that are immediately warmed up by the incorporation of some open wooden shelving next to the cozy breakfast bar, and gorgeous wooden cabinetry found on the back wall. We move back into the modern with cement flooring and stark black lighting and window framing.
29. The After-School-Special Kitchen
This kitchen has a very different appeal to it than most of the others in this collection, and honestly I am here for it! This is the exact type of kitchen that I wanted to come home to as a kid to have an after school snack at the breakfast bar.
Perhaps it’s the warmth of the afternoon sun beaming in, or perhaps it’s all of the very warm earthy tones that have been used in every aspect of the kitchen design. From the warm oatmeal colored countertops, to the cream cabinets and sand colored walls, everything about this room is inviting.
You can tell that this kitchen is used primarily for prep and not as much for hosting, but there is still a quaint little breakfast bar for a couple of seats for when your loved ones want to sit and chat with you about their day. This kitchen design is excessively charming,
30. The Solarium Kitchen
It’s going to be hard for me to focus on anything other than the solarium, because as I have mentioned probably a dozen times so far, there is nothing I love more than a big window (and a fireplace, of course).
I adore the fact that the kitchen is set just off from the solarium, really bringing the outdoors into the best room in the house. Here we see a single wall kitchen, with a super nifty L shaped kitchen island, which you don’t really see every day.
Sleek black countertops bring some modernity, where the beautiful light tiles bring some elegance and warmth. I also adore those super funky and weird stools that bring a little kitschy appeal to the room.
31. The L Bar Kitchen
My gosh! What a sexy room! Here is a kitchen that really doesn’t struggle with space, and probably has more storage space than anyone would really know what to do with. We have a combination of sleek gray cabinets and beautifully stained cabinets, and this same color scheme is present in the kitchen islands as well.
This kitchen is so big that it merits two islands, one dedicated to storage and to preparation space, while the other L shaped kitchen island with a breakfast bar is meant for the hosting side. This kitchen design is really tasteful and not so modern than it ends up being a little bit stiff. I find it very warm and welcoming!
32. The ‘Smores Kitchen
A beautiful minimal and modern kitchen with shiny slate flooring, cherry toned wooden cabinets, and white countertops to really brighten up the space. I love the tiny little square kitchen island in the center with two precious stools tucked under the breakfast bar.
I think the most special (and kind of surprising) part of this kitchen is that really light blue tiling that is found on the backsplash! This collection hasn’t had too much color in it, so it’s a real treat to see a kitchen with such a fun burst of color right where you need it.
33. The Everything-You-Need Kitchen
Modern kitchen featuring two kitchen counters and a white island with space for a breakfast bar lighted by charming pendant lights. I really love the arch of this room, where we see a vaulted ceiling right at the main part of the kitchen.
I love how barely any of the kitchen appliances are found on the wall, and almost everything is set in not two, but 3 different kitchen islands. Such a unique design for a kitchen space! The main portions of the kitchen have light gray countertops with wooden cabinets, while third and largest portion with the breakfast bar is fully white, which ends up looking even more dramatic next to the huge sliding door.
34. The Underground Kitchen
I think this is a super dainty and unique kitchen. And though it isn’t the most practical of designs for your every day kitchen, it sure would be fun to use it for a short period of time in a vacation home or Air Bnb.
Now that I think about it, I have no idea where the refrigerator is in this kitchen! But nevertheless, we find charm and chic elements in the waterfall style kitchen island with beautiful stonework and rustic high top stools.
Charming pendant lights hang over the kitchen island, while camouflage lighting is set under the upper cabinets and on the ceiling. Not to mentioned that absolutely gorgeous wooden flooring!
35. The Living Kitchen
And here we save one of my favorite kitchens for last: the living kitchen. I think that having plants in every room is a phenomenal way to boost your mood and the liveliness of a space, and we see that done wonderfully here.
I think my favorite part of this kitchen is all of the open shelving found by the ceiling, for you to place those plants and cookbooks, and to display all of your favorite dishware. I also love how the main feature of the kitchen is that huge kitchen island.
This island is great for several reasons. It has the perfect level of overhanging bit for comfortable seating, which we find in these gorgeous high back stools (I hate low back stools). There’s plenty of storage space available, and the white countertops really help make the room feel open and bright, while the black cabinets are great to keep things looking clean and sleek.
