Things That Make Me Smile

Last night I read this post from AtticMag. I have always loved banquette seating, so I was really excited they featured some well done ones. We have often recommended them to clients for multiple reasons, the main reason being space. A chair needs about 36" to be able to, comfortably back the chair up or for someone to walk behind it, while a banquette only takes up about 18". I have considered doing some type of not-built-in banquette in the corner of my eating area.

As Is (in all honesty, the table is usually pushed against the left wall)

This is how it would be with a banquette

(I have 18" for the seat and 4" for the back, I am looking to build in some storage underneath and the full 22" will be what I need)

It would give us a nice pathway to walk from the kitchen into the living area while still allowing for the table to be fully functional as a 4-seater. The table is from Ikea and has a built in leaf to accommodate 6 people. We already have 6 chairs (I can feel our storage unit filling up!) With only 650 sq ft of space saving an inch here or there helps a ton. 

Here are some pretty examples of banquette seating...

Sunny Spot from BHG

Ikea Hack

Sarah Richardson using a freestanding bench rather than a built-in