We’re renovating our kitchen now, and we’re adding a built-in banquette, a long bench seat tucked into a nook or against a wall that makes a small dining area feel like a cozy café. Custom millwork is expensive, but you can get remarkably close to the effect by lining up modular seating. It just requires some thoughtful measuring, a bit of hunting for the right fit for your dimensions, and maybe finding some affordable custom cushions.
One critical dimension to pay attention to is seat height. A typical dining table is 29 or 30 inches tall, and to sit comfortably, you want your seat at a minimum of 18 inches with 19 inches being the sweet spot. Go lower than that and you’ll feel like you’re eating dinner from a child’s chair. And do note that you’ll want to account for how squishy the base is — a softer 20-inch seat can compress to 18 inches when you sit on it. This rules out a lot of otherwise beautiful benches and daybeds for dining use, so check the specs before you buy and factor in the thickness of any cushion you plan to add.
Below are a few of my favorite pieces for pulling off this trick.
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