Kitchen Dining Ideas for a More Social Kitchen

Tuesday, 12th April 11:05am 2022

You know when your 14-person dining table is too long, leaving guests feeling isolated? Yep, neither do we. Most us only get to experience limitless space when we’re doing a bit of property voyeurism. That’s why our kitchen dining ideas often revolve around the opposite problem: finding dining solutions that are space-efficient but still enable us to cater for large gatherings when necessary.

Don’t fret if, like us, you lack a mansion, though, because today we’ve compiled a list of space-saving kitchen dining options to produce an uber-sociable kitchen no matter your space. So, whether you need kitchen dining ideas to maximise a dining room or you’re looking to create an all-in-one social kitchen, these real kitchen diner ideas will provide you and guests with heaps of food for thought.

H-Line Sutton Heather Slate and Madoc Urban Suede. Designed at Moulton Kitchens.

A Breakfast Dresser

Let’s start with ground zero – kitchens with minimal floorspace. Does that sounds like your situation? If so, a Breakfast Dresser is a fantastic solution. Paired with a dinette – a folding dining table tucked away until you need it – this feature offers extra storage without eating up too much worktop space.

Hatfield Moonlight Blue and Light Grey. Designed at Sigma 3 Kitchens Abergavenny.

Crucially, it also showcases breakfast paraphernalia in a way that’s both inviting and convenient. Imagine a tea and coffee station and breakfast cupboard on steroids. Using it daily to dish out healthy recipes, you can build a good cornerstone habit of spending screen-free quality time with family.

A Kitchen Island

Venturing bigger, it’s easy to see why kitchen islands are ever-popular. Indeed, this kitchen dining feature looks great and makes excellent use of space. What’s more, add a few tall dining room chairs and you no longer need an extendable dining room table. The island allows for food prep, work and socialising.

Hardwick Highland Stone and Olive. Designed at Moulton Kitchens.

Adding an overhang and a cut-out for stools is all it takes to create a space for dining or entertaining while you cook! Suddenly, the space becomes both a social bar and kitchen. Your island doesn’t need to be huge, either. At Masterclass Kitchens, we offer plenty of kitchen islands for small kitchens.

A Kitchen Peninsula

Real islands only need a slither of water separating them from the mainland to exist. Kitchen islands, however, need a minimum of an 1,000mm buffer to be functional, as do standalone dining tables. Many kitchens don’t have the floorspace to accommodate either. That’s where peninsulas come into play.

Ashbourne in Olive. Designed at KBB East Anglia Limited.

U-shaped kitchens, in particular, can reap all the benefits of kitchen islands from peninsulas. Ask your kitchen designer to leave an overhang in the worktop on the outer run of cabinets and put your own stamp on the design by incorporating bar stools in your favourite colour for a stylish breakfast bar.

A Dining Booth

Many rooms are an odd L shape, featuring hard-to-use nooks that don’t allow for open-plan kitchen lounge dining. A standard response is to fill these voids with storage cabinets, slide in a desk for remote working or – worst of all – sleepwalk your way into creating a “junk corner.”

Hardwick Scots Grey. Designed at Sigma 3 Kitchens Colchester Avenue.

Why not take inspiration from restaurants, however, and add a dining nook bench? Instead of purchasing an ill-fitting table and chairs, you could use the space you have to create a fitted cosy kitchen dining nook. This will ensure your kitchen diner makes the best use of the space.

An Open-Plan Kitchen Dining Setup

At Masterclass, we don’t body shame small, quirky kitchens. That said, we also don’t subscribe to tall poppy syndrome. So, if you have a tour-worthy kitchen, well done. We’re here for you bossing those #KitchenGoals and believe you’re equally deserving of clever kitchen dining ideas.

So, keep your hands inside the carriage at all times and enjoy the rollercoaster ride. Here come our best creative options for those who have plenty of space for a long kitchen dining table but also want to create an intentional kitchen design that works for both family life and entertaining guests.

Hardwick Hunter Green and Scots Grey. Designed at Britannia Design.

Firstly, consider adding a kitchen dining table in addition to an island. Doing so might seem like overkill but, in a cavernous room, this is a fantastic way to unite your kitchen-dining-living spaces or zone off kitchen and living areas to make both seem cozier for more intimate social conditions.

Hardwick Vintage Rose and Farringdon Grey. Designed at Et Lorem.

Alternatively, how about incorporating a dining bench along the edge of a large kitchen island? This strategy blurs the borders between cooking and eating zones, forming a casual kitchen dining area. As a host using this tactic, you can finish food courses without missing dinner conversation.

Large-Scale Island Tables

A small table and chairs is practical and allows for flexibility. However, no table can match the spectacle of a full-scale island table, especially one that flows through a large L-shaped room.

H-Line Sutton Heather Slate and Ligna Mayfield Oak. Designed at Sigma 3 Kitchens Esher.

Able to command any room, luxury kitchen islands are impressive, multi-functional storage and seating solutions. Yours could even include a marble-topped workstation for preparing food and a solid-wood table extension for serving visitors. This kitchen dining option is a sure-fire way to set your kitchen apart from the rest and create a unique in-home chef’s table experience for your guests.

Need More Kitchen Dining Ideas?

If you need more help designing a more sociable kitchen then find your nearest Masterclass Kitchens showroom and book a meeting, or become a Masterclass Insider for free. As an Insider email subscriber, you’ll get exclusive guides and resources to help you make the most of your kitchen.

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