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Breakfast Nook Sets Worth Buying

If you need a table, pick from the five full sets, and if you’ve got one, you only need the Harris or the Selby.

Best for most kitchensLinon Chelsea Kitchen Nook

• Amazon see price

Best for: a family that’s run out of cabinet space.

Whichever corner of your kitchen is free, the Chelsea’s corner bench can turn to fit it, since you choose its direction as you build.

Lift either side of the L and there’s a compartment underneath for placemats, napkins or a stack of board games. I love a bench that keeps all that out of sight.

SpecsSet 67.25 D x 51.49 W x 33.75 H in

Whole set

67.25 D x 51.49 W x 33.75 H in

Pieces

Table, two-seat bench, three-part L-shaped corner bench

Corner bench

High paneled back, you choose which way it turns

Table

Rectangular, trestle base

Storage

Under the seat

Made of

Solid pine top and seats, MDF frames

Holds

550 lb

Seats, per the brand

5

Finish

Walnut, wipe with a damp cloth

Assembly

Ships in several boxes

Best for lessOphelia & Co. Deral 5-Person Corner Nook

• Wayfair See price

Best for: two adults, or a young family, on a tighter budget.

With the Deral, you get a table and both benches, with solid wood where you sit and eat. It’s rated for 300 pounds, so I’d buy it for two adults, or a family with young kids on the shallow loose bench. For a first breakfast nook, I think it’s a sweet little set!

SpecsTable 43 x 26.8 in, 29.3 in high

Table

43 x 26.8 in, 29.3 in high, trestle base

Loose bench

40 in long, 13 in deep, 17.1 in high

Corner bench

Goes left or right

Storage

Under the corner bench

Made of

Solid paulownia

Holds

300 lb

Seats, per the brand

5

Assembly

Tools included, two people, about two hours

Warranty

1 year, full, defects only

Best upholstered setLinon Lucy Corner Nook

• Amazon see price

Best for: anyone who likes to stay at the table after the plates are cleared.

Want some color in your kitchen? The Lucy has Capri Blue fabric seats on a white frame.

That fabric looks a lot comfier than bare wood, too. Honestly, I’d pick it for that blue alone!

SpecsTable 42.875 x 27.375 in, 29.375 in high

Table

42.875 x 27.375 in, 29.375 in high

Corner bench

66.25 x 50.25 in, 34.5 in high, with a back

Loose bench

40 in long, 13 in deep, 17.5 in high

Made of

Pine, with 100% polyester upholstered seats

Color

White frame, Capri Blue seats

Storage

None listed

Holds

Not listed

Seats, per the brand

6

Assembly

Ships in several boxes

Best if you already have a tableLinon Harris Backless Corner Nook

• Amazon see price
• Wayfair See price sold as the Eslick
• Target See price sold as the Tobin

Best for: a kitchen that already has a table you love.

The Harris is an L-shaped bench in solid pine, and both sides lift up on soft-close hinges, so the storage sits right under you. (It’s the same bench Wayfair sells as the Lark Manor Eslick and Target lists as the Linon Tobin.)

With no back, it’s more of a perch than a place to lounge. For hidden storage and a corner that looks built in, though, I’d take that trade.

Specs62.4 W x 16.5 D x 18.2 H in

Size

62.4 W x 16.5 D x 18.2 H in

Each side of the L

62.4 in long from the back corner, 16.5 in deep

Seat height

18.2 in

Back

None

Storage

Lift tops, soft-close hinges, cutout handles

Made of

Solid pine

Holds

600 lb at Amazon and Target, 500 or 600 lb at Wayfair

Table

None, bench only

Best for a softer seatLark Manor Selby Corner Bench With Cushions

• Wayfair See price

Best for: a table you already own, and anyone who’d rather sit on a cushion than on bare wood.

Here’s the Harris again, this time with seat cushions and pillows. You get something soft to sit on and the same lift-up storage underneath, with plenty of room for toys, shoppers say. Food gets on anything next to a kitchen table, and these covers zip off.

It still has no back, and the build can take a while. Once it’s built, it might just become everyone’s favorite seat in the kitchen.

SpecsSeat 45.5 in wide, 18.2 in high

Shape

One L-shaped corner bench

Seat

45.5 in wide, 16.5 in deep, 18.2 in high

Back

None

Storage

Lift-top sections, soft-close hinges

Includes

The Harris bench and a five-piece cushion set

Covers

Zip off

Holds

600 lb

Seats, per the brand

4

Best for storage in both benchesEast Urban Home Lief 5-Person Corner Nook

• Wayfair See price

Best for: a kitchen corner that’s mostly the kids’ spot.

If you’re setting up a nook for your kids’ breakfasts and homework, the Lief is the set I’d give them. Grown-ups are another story, because its weight rating is low. Room under every seat to stash the crayons sounds perfect to me.

SpecsTable 42.9 x 25.6 in, 29.1 in high

Table

42.9 x 25.6 in, 29.1 in high

Corner bench

47.4 x 62.2 in, 33.6 in high

Loose bench

42.9 in long, 11.8 in deep, 17.2 in high

Storage

Lift-up seats on both benches

Made of

Solid and manufactured wood, painted

Holds

251.3 lb

Warranty

1 year, limited

Best for a full houseLaurel Foundry Chen 5-Person Corner Nook

• Wayfair See price

Best for: a family kitchen where everyone piles onto the corner bench at once.

If the Chelsea sounds right but you’d like a set rated for a lot more weight, the Chen is the one I’d look at. The whole set is a good size for a small kitchen, too, and shoppers say they love that about it.

The two-seat bench is only 13 inches deep, so I’d save it for the kids. Grown-ups get the corner and its back, which suits a family breakfast just fine.

SpecsTable 43 x 27.16 in, 29.1 in high

Table

43 x 27.16 in, 29.1 in high, trestle base, no leaf

Two-seat bench

40 in long, 13 in deep, 17.13 in high

Corner bench

L-shaped, with a back, builds left or right

Storage

Lift-up, both corners of the L

Made of

Solid pine top and seats, manufactured wood frames

Holds

1,200 lb set, 600 lb corner bench, 275 lb two-seat bench

Seats, per the brand

5

Assembly

Full assembly, screwdriver, two people suggested

Warranty

6 months, limited

The Seven, Side by Side

*Wayfair, which sells it as the Lark Manor Eslick, gives 500 lb in its specs and 600 lb in its description.

How to Choose a Breakfast Nook Set

How many people will it really seat?

The number on the listing is the brand’s count, so I’d count from the benches instead, and I’d treat the corner as the most cramped seat at the table.

And give the corner seat to whoever eats slowest. They’re stuck there until someone else gets up.

Which table base?

I’d rather have a trestle base under a nook table, like the Chelsea’s and the Deral’s, because each person needs a clear space under the table 24 inches wide and 18 inches deep for their knees.

Do you want a back?

If you do, the Chelsea, the Lucy and the Chen have one, and the Harris and the Selby don’t. A good nook back comes up at least 16 inches above the seat and leans back a little, and that small lean makes a long breakfast a lot more comfortable.

If you add a cushion to a wooden bench, keep it thin and firm, since a thick one lifts you too high for the table.

If you’re shopping for a bench on its own, the bench seating guide goes deeper on seat depth, back height and cushions.

Which pad fits your wooden bench?

On a bare pine bench like the Chen’s, I would add a pad. At a kitchen table, I’d only buy one with a cover that’s washable or wipes clean. (The Lucy’s seats are upholstered, and the Selby comes with cushions.)

I’d put the Saula Bench Cushion in 40 by 12 inches on the Chen’s or the Deral’s two-seat bench. It’s the same length, and its cover zips off and goes in the washer.

At 2 inches, it’s as thick as I’d go. On either bench, it brings you up to about the top of a good seat height for a nook, so anything thicker would lift you past it.

For the Harris, I’d get the baibu Classic Bench Cushion in 42 by 16 inches, one for each side of the L, and its cover goes in the washer. It’s too thin to sink into, but it’s enough for anyone who just wants to be off the bare wood.

Where to go next

Breakfast Nook Set Questions

I sold contract-grade furniture from 2016. More about who runs it.