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Every clearance5 figures, with sources

Clearance behind a seat

32 in where nobody passes, 36 in to edge past, 44 in to walk past, 60 in for wheelchair passage (NKBA)

Bench seating

24 in per adult minimum, 30 in optimum (Dimensions.com)

Table height and occupancy zone

Table height 30 in. Occupancy zone, bench back to table edge: 18 to 20 in (Dimensions.com)

Knee space at a 30 in table

24 in wide by 18 in deep per diner (NKBA Guideline 9)

Minimum nook size

None in the guidelines. The 8 ft 3 in by 9 ft 3 in above is built from these clearances.

Jump to a section

• Clearance behind the seat
• Table height and size
• Bench length per person
• Gap between bench and table
• Knee clearance
• Which pedestal table to buy
• A four-seat nook, worked through
• Getting in and out
• Plan your nook
• Questions

Breakfast Nook Clearance Behind the Seat

If you’re picturing a nook in a corner you already have, this is the number I’d work out before anything else. It’s the space from the edge of the table to the wall or counter behind a seat, and how much you need depends on who sits there and who has to get past them.

In a corner nook, the benches sit against two walls and nobody walks behind them. Those sides only need room for the person on the bench, 18 to 20 inches from the bench back to the edge of the table.

The open sides are a different story. That’s where the chairs and the foot traffic go, so they need more room. Pick the row below that matches who walks behind the chair.

In a small kitchen I’d pick a nook over a table and four chairs, because keeping the bench sides that tight lets it fit where the chairs won’t.

Breakfast Nook Table Height and Size

If you’re shopping for the table first, I’d look for one 30 inches high. That’s right in the middle of the 28 to 32 inch range that suits a breakfast nook.

Kitchen tables generally run 28 to 30 inches, so most of what you’ll find already fits, though I’d still glance at the height on the listing. If someone at your table uses a wheelchair, the ADA allows 28 to 34 inches for a dining surface, so 30 works there too.

Want a bench and a table made to go together? That’s what breakfast nook sets are, and the three in the table up top are where I’d start.

For a nook, I’d halve any seating chart you find. Banquet charts like this one count people all the way around the table.

A nook only gives you part of the table. The bench reaches two sides of a rectangular table, or halfway around a round one.

So a 48 inch round that seats five or six in a dining room seats three in a corner nook, and a fourth if you pull a chair up to the open side.

Breakfast Nook Bench Length Per Person

Give each adult at least 24 inches, and 30 if you want them comfortable.

Restaurant booths are built to 24 inches a person, or “two feet to eat.” At 24, everyone’s touching elbows. At 30, each person has room to move.

So a 96 inch bench seats four people snugly, or three with room. For four adults I’d go to 120 inches, and a family with small children can manage on 96.

Ready-made benches come in whatever lengths the brand chose, so I like to have my own number in hand before I shop. Then it’s easy to hold it up against the seat lengths on the corner benches page and see which ones make the cut.

Gap Between Breakfast Nook Bench and Table

Leave 18 to 20 inches from the back of the bench to the edge of the table, the room an adult takes up sitting down.

Let the table hang over the front of the seat by 2 to 5 inches, and I’d aim for 3. With less, you lean forward to reach your plate. With more, the edge of the table catches your ribs as you slide in.

I’d choose the bench for its depth first, because you can’t change that once it’s in your kitchen. If you want depth, the Three Posts Maniscalco is 19.25 inches front to back overall. That’s the figure I’d hold up against the seat depth range in the bench seating guide.

Knee Clearance Under a Breakfast Nook Table

Under a 30 inch table, leave each person 24 inches wide and 18 deep for their knees. A counter needs less depth the higher it gets.

If someone at your table uses a wheelchair, I’d make sure the table leaves knee room at least 30 inches wide, the accessibility standard‘s minimum, so their chair can roll right up to the table.

Given the choice, I’d go with a pedestal table every time. On a four-leg table, the legs land right where the second person’s knees want to go, and a single base in the middle leaves everyone’s knees alone.

Which pedestal table fits your nook?

I’d put the East West Antique in a small corner for two, and the East West Dublin in a nook that has to seat three now and then.

The 36 inch round for twoEast West Antique Pedestal Table

If it’s usually just the two of you at breakfast, this is the table I’d start with. That’s about what a 36 inch round seats in a nook, and a third person makes it a squeeze. With one pedestal base, nobody’s knees hit a table leg.

It’s 29.5 inches high, right in the range a nook table should sit. Once I know a table fits, I check what it’s made of. The listing says rubberwood, so it’s real wood.

Best for: two people sharing a small corner nook.

The drop leaf that opens for a thirdEast West Dublin Drop-Leaf Table

If your nook has to stretch some days, I’d get the Dublin. Open, it’s a 42 inch round, enough for two in a nook and sometimes a third. Drop one 9 inch leaf and it’s 42 by 33 inches, or drop both for 42 by 24, so there’s more room to get in and out.

Folded, it still needs 42 inches of clear wall to push it against.

I’ve used a drop-leaf table myself, back in our smaller apartment. It wasn’t in a nook, but we kept it right at the wall and only opened it when we needed it. They’re incredibly useful in a small or tight space.

Best for: a small kitchen that needs its walkway back between meals.

A Four-Seat Breakfast Nook, Worked Through

Say you want a corner nook that seats four, with a walkway on one open side. Here’s the math.

I’d start with a 48 inch round table, which seats three on the benches and a fourth on a chair at the open side.

Now the benches. I’d count four places: the three people, plus the inside corner, where the benches meet and nobody eats comfortably. At 24 inches a place that’s 96 inches of bench, or 120 at 30 inches.

Split between the two walls, each bench runs 48 inches for a snug fit or 60 for room to move.

Then the floor, from the wall behind one bench across to the walkway. The bench takes 18 to 20 inches, the table 48 and the walkway 44. That’s 110 to 112 inches, about 9 feet 3 inches, enough for people to walk past the chair instead of edging by sideways.

The other way, the open side faces a wall and nobody walks past, so 32 inches is enough there. That brings it to 98 to 100 inches, about 8 feet 3 inches, so the side without a walkway can be a foot shorter.

If your corner is longer one way than the other, I’d let the longer way carry the walkway.

If you’re buying a set instead, the three at the top of this page all come with a 43 inch table, 5 inches shorter than the round in this example, and the breakfast nook sets page has all three.

Want the bench to hold things as well as people? Then I’d look at lift-top and drawer benches instead.

Getting In and Out of a Corner Breakfast Nook

Everyone at the table should have more than one way out, and no, crawling under the table doesn’t count.

In a corner nook, whoever sits in the inside corner is stuck until someone else gets up. A table you can slide out of the way fixes that.

A pedestal table on felt pads slides easily, which a heavy four-leg table on a rug won’t.

So before I chose a table, I’d think about who sits in that inside seat, and how often they’ll need to get up. If it’s the kid who’s always done eating first, that pedestal starts to look pretty good.

The planner below shows the biggest table that fits your corner, and how many it seats, once you type in your wall lengths.

Where to go next

Breakfast Nook Dimension Questions

See which nook sets fit these numbers.

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