Clever banquette dining designs to inspire
Banquettes and benches are clever ways to utilise otherwise awkward spaces, such as corners, to create a convivial dining area. Whether they are expansive, enveloping banquettes that invite long lunches and a touch of largesse, or compact nooks perfect for a morning coffee, these homes show how banquette dining can work for spaces of any size.
A raised dining area by Cristina Celestino
The Brutalist Residence Club is an iconic building for the city of Udine. Architect and designer Cristina Celestino transformed a former office into this pied-à-terre for clients who requested a functional home. Celestino responded to the brief with thoughtful details such as this raised dining area, with custom bench seating upholstered in fabric from Torri Lana, which is made partially private by a bespoke piece of furniture that doubles up as a planter.
A desert-inspired home in Madrid
The Madrid home of María Teresa García Santiago, an interior designer at Patricia Bustos Studio, is deeply inspired by desert landscapes. She stuck to a limited palette of natural materials and the entire home has a continuity, with no hard edges, only softly rounded corners, including the banquette dining area. The bench seating was upholstered by Ilarcuris in a soft corduroy, and wraps around a sun-set hued glass table she designed.
A breakfast nook by Studio Duggan
Designer Tiffany Duggan created this cosy breakfast nook in an Arts & Crafts era home in London. Utilising the corner of the room and installing a custom banquette was a smart use of space for the family of four, with the ‘Pillar’ dining table from HK Living slotting perfectly into place.
A spacious, curved banquette in Amsterdam
Once a dismal, deserted office building with cable-strewn floors and merciless strip lighting, Nicole Dohmen of Atelier ND transformed this space into an inviting family home. The spacious dining area is the perfect space to linger after a long lunch and features a curved banquette upholstered in Dedar’s ‘Elektra’ fabric and vintage Ettore Sottsass chairs. ‘They’re low, but we couldn’t resist them,’ says Nicole.
A restaurant-style dining nook in London
Studio Skey remodelled this London flat for a client who was downsizing, with the intention of creating a beautiful space that still worked for gatherings. Located right beside the kitchen, this nook is home to a bench upholstered in fabric from Perennials, with an Italian smoked-glass circular table from Antique Modern Mix and a pair of ‘Casalino’ chairs by Alexander Begge. The antiqued mirror from Chelsea Glass creates the illusion of more space and adds a refined restaurant feel, setting the mood for entertaining.
A sunny dining space in a Cologne home
This industrial loft-style apartment by DIIP architecture is filled with unexpected bursts of colour, like a neon orange stairwell and this sunny dining area. Both the table and bench seating are custom built, with the latter covered in an egg-yolk yellow fabric from Kvadrat.
Bistro-style banquette dining in a London home
This custom leather seating by K&H Design is reminiscent of a chic Parisian bistro, which is fitting given the homeowner hails from the City of Light. This roomy dining area is ideal for the family of four; the banquette is complemented by a selection of colourful chairs from Philippe Model Maison and the ‘Copernic’ table by Arnold de Vinck.
