Either would look wonderful, however, my pick would be for white like your cabinets.

Your kitchen is absolutely beautiful!!!

Match the cabinetry

amylville - Your kitchen is marvelous! If the seating is going to tie into the tall cabinet (or is that your FF?) I agree that it should match your cabinetry. If the banquette is going to be separate, I think that matching it to your island or railing would look good.

White for sure. Have you seen the "morgue drawers" over in the kitchens forum? It's a fab banquette-- who can chime in on whose it is? I say match the cabinets for sure. White, white, white. I have a restaurant booth in my kitchen-- you will love it! Will it be l-shaped, u-shaped, or two parallel benches? I am leaning toward parallel.

Will you be putting a table there or just the banquette? Honestly, it seems rather crowded with the railing right there. I could more easily see a couple of comfy club chairs in a great print, and a table between them. Great place to enjoy a cup of coffee and read recipes, or for people to sit and chat while the cook is at work.

Love the finish on the white cabinets, so if you are doing the banquette, I vote for that.

A wonderful kitchen - very warm!

The space is too small for a banquette (in my opinion)...I truly dislike tight spaces like that - I'd feel pinned in - especially if it was filled with people. How about low storage cabinets with a display area on top or a window seat?

I agree with cattknap that the space looks tight but a table with chairs that need to be pulled in and out will be even tighter. I put a small round table with my banquette so it is easy to get in and out. The small table works because only two or three people sit at it on rare occasions (DR and bar stools are used more.) It gets used most when I am in the kitchen and people are just sitting around chatting with a beverage and appetizers in hand.

signed, morgue drawer gal

It is such a beautiful kitchen!! Since you do not need an actual table, I can see a great window seat, with pretty cushions and pillows! Build it on a your white cabinet base, and have a couple drawers for storage and open shelves for display.

My friend has one in her kitchen under the window, but she built it up,(taller) put on a nice wood top and uses it as a buffet, bar when she is entertaining.. her window is just a little lower than kitchen counter height.

Due to your location your space would be perfect for a window seat!!

I just realized that I didn't answer your question. I think the banquette should be the lighter color on the cabinets. The table could be the darker color on the island.

BTW, gorgeous kitchen.

Although you didn't ask our opinion on whether a banquette should be built, I do like the suggestion of a comfy chair or two and a small round table. I suspect that the space may be larger than it looks in the photo, though.

Thanks for all the feedback. I am surprised that almost everyone votes for white. the space is really larger then it appears. the wall under each of the windows is 6'8''x6'8". Does that make a difference? I am building the banquette in a modified "u" shape under the windows. Think of three pieces with the sides longer then the middle. My plan is to have it end at the edge of each window. I will have a small table in the middle. The carpenter is coming tomorrow so we will see what he says.

Here is a link that might be useful: here is my inspiration pic

Kitchenkelly is the queen of banquettes (and morgue drawers) LOL, I like her suggestions.

tina

I thought there might be more room than the photo shows. It's an interesting area.

I really think that either would work well. Which will be easier to match the stain, or the cabinet color?

Wow - what a gorgeous kitchen!! My dream kitchen. Drool drool.

The color of the cream cabs with a walnut(to match island) table.

Smiles:)

Ah, kitchenkelly-- I drooooool over your banquette! Alas, I am on a very very tight single-mom (of four) budget, so in my own (tiny!) kitchen I have a nook which has a big window and is a little smaller than the space here. I have an old restaurant booth which I found for less than 100 bucks-- a standard, molded-laminate booth! Each bench is 6' long and I can feed up to a dozen kids at it-- and often get to! It is actually much nicer than it sounds.

Kitchenkelly I remember your "morgue drawers" from the kitchen forum but needed to refresh myself on your banquette so I pulled it up on FKB. You have the table I remember liking so much. Where is it from and how big is it?
Newhomebuilder whether I go with paint or stain I will be doing it myself. I have 2 extra panels (beadboard from end of island) that came with slight damage so I could recycle those and match the stain. If I decide to paint I have some experience (and some paint/glaze)because I did the corbels (under the mantle above the stove) myself. I just couldn't pay $500 dollars for them. It was time consuming but doable. As there is a large dining table in the room already, I picture the area to be used only by myself and my husband. I want a space were I can see into the backyard. I like to garden :)

Here is our kitchen booth:

I realize this is nothing like the upscale kitchens on this site! I am a single mom with sole custody of four kids and I go to school full-time as well as doing daycare in my home-- so money is very tight!

skatiero - My hats off to you! I admire you for your accomplishments. Your booth is so cute. Where did you find it?

Thanks, newhomebuilder. I got it veeeery cheaply on Craigslist. I had to pay them to deliver it and the total was still under a hundred bucks. I realize it is not "Better Homes and Gardens" but I mounted a roll of butcher paper under the end by the window and we keep markers etc right there and it is usually covered with artwork, and works well for us. The tv was left in place by the previous owners. And the guy on the porch in the last photo is the inspector!

Here's a thought from the opposite camp -My cabinets have a color scheme similar to yours and for our banquette we went with cherry . A big concern to me is the fact that I have young kids who do homework, draw, and create general mayhem there. Plus I kept thinking of little feet kicking it as they sit and draw and the white would not hold up very well under those conditions. Although, I think visually the white would be lovely.

skatiero - I kinda wondered who the man was. lol What a great idea with the butcher paper!

coleen3201118 - Good point!

Hey amylville, my table is 36" round from Berhardt. I got it from Marshall Fields. It was about $600? (Can't find the receipt.) I love the rich color.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to table

kitchenkelly, thanks for the info. That table might be the perfect size. Marshall Fields you say? Good thing there is a Bernhardt store not to far from me. If you don't mind, what is the dimensions of your banquette?
Thanks,
Amy

Kelly, that table is gorgeous!

Thanks skatiero.

Amy, one side of the L is 4 ft and the other is 5 ft.