It looks great without extra chairs. But If you do occasionally need more seating I would pull up two Un-upholstered wood chairs instead of trying to match the style of the banquettes. I think that much upholstery around a table is kind of daunting. Glad to see you have no rug to interfere with the nice composition of woods in the table and floor! Rugs under tables are unhygenic anyway, IMO.

I'd make the bench on the fridge wall the full length, and make the other one 2' plus the depth of the benches. If benches are 20" deep, the shorter bench would be 44", corner to edge. I'd use a rectangular table, but you need to allow space for the fridge door to open fully, and even if the fridge is counter depth, the doors must extend beyond the counter to open. You also need to allow space for the fridge enclosure panels (if fridge will be enclosed), so the 7'10" space will be reduced by 2-3". I'd use a table 32" x 54" m/l. I have 16" deep window seats which were made for reading nooks for the grandkids, but they are kind of shallow for adults, although we use them, too. I found this on the 'net: I like your kitchen layout. If you are planning on living in the house when the kids are old enough to help out, you might want to add an 18" prep sink to the island, to provide space for a helper. It would also be pleasant for you to face out while prepping, instead of facing the corner. If you don't want the island counter interrupted, you can have a cutting board made to fit over the prep sink, returning it to counter space. Good luck!

I agree about not having a "U" for the banquette. I would hate having to sit in the middle! There's one restaurant that we visit that has a "U" like that -- and it really only works for 4 people. (P.F. Chang's, if you want to go see an example.) If one of the "inside" people needs to get up, the "outside" person has to get up as well. While this is only a minor inconvenience at a restaurant, it can become a major headache if you have to do it every single day at home! Is this your only table space? I hope not! Regarding the bench + chairs idea...you need to understand spacing needs for (1) seating and (2) aisles around the table Seating Each seat/chair needs at least 24" of linear space. You need 18" to 19" of unobstructed/clear space under the table for legs/knees -- without overlapping at the corners b/c two people cannot occupy the same space, including their knees/legs! Aisles around the table If there's not traffic behind the seat, you need at least 32". If there will be traffic (e.g., trying to get around to another seat or the bench), you need at least 36" to edge past a seated diner (note that it will be a tight squeeze) Note that this is your situation!

If you scroll further down in that linked thread, the details are there including pictures from the outside. . I am pasting the text from that thread , below, for a quick read. My box bay was built under a second floor overhang so no roof needed but a small roof would probably not add that much to the total cost. Another bonus of the box bay is that with the half screens, we can remove the banquette pillow and use the window seat for a staging area for food to be passed to the deck from the kitchen when we have a garden party. The half screens move up and allow access to the plates/trays, and then move down to protect the food and house from flies. It beats trying to walk out a closed patio door with both hands carrying a heavy tray. We also have used the box bay to temporarily stage the music speakers for parties. Of course nowadays that is moot due to bluetooth everywhere. I think you have lots of room to get by it on the exterior. You can put a bench of similar depth and width in that area on the outside of the house to gauge how it might affect your walkway. HTH ___________________________________________ form the original thread... It cost slightly less than $5000 all told (including moving electrical and adding foam insulation under the exterior Azek cladding, tempered windows since I have all boys :) ), measures 78 inches wide internally by 18 inches deep. Much cheaper than adding a 40k breakfast room or an 80k large kitchen expansion as I first planned. I have a custom cushion for it now and my teen boys enjoy lounging and napping there. The key is to seat it low enough to the ground to make it comfortable for sitting (16" height). I also specified the weight that it had to be able to carry (600 lb). The style is known as a "box bay" and the brand is Sunrise windows. I purchased their premade "projected frame" window through their authorized contractor and he worked with me on the other details. My good friend and former nanny came by to visit the other day and barely noticed the kitchen renovation, she was so taken with the sitting bay. Exterior of original windows New box bay replacing old windows. Somehow those bay walls bring in a lot more light into the space. We also really like watching all the small wildlife outside that we could not reall see before. In terms of the layout, it gave us enough "breathing space" and sitting area... The light, animal/ibird watching, and perceived airiness is a huge bonus.