If you’ve always preferred the intimacy and comfort of a cafe booth to the unadorned quality of standard chairs, it’s time to treat yourself to a banquette in your very own home.
Also known as fixed seating, bench seating, or booth seating, adding a banquette to virtually any room in your house is the perfect way to create dedicated seating that’s ideal for gatherings and socializing.
In recent years, banquettes have become increasingly popular in residential homes, as many homeowners are looking for unique yet casual ways to add extra seating and foreground charm. Since they usually feature upholstered cushions or pillows, banquettes are much more aesthetically pleasing and a more comfortable choice than your stiff dining chairs.
In this article, discover everything you need to know about banquette seating at home, including the best spaces for them and additional styling tips.
Bay Window Banquettes
If you have a beautiful bay window in your bedroom or living room, there is really no better space to add a banquet. One of the best parts about banquette seating is that you can design the built-in bench to fit any shape. No matter if your bay window features three windowpanes or twelve, you can build out the banquette seating to align perfectly with whatever size the space allows.
In a bedroom, banquette seating near a bay window will give you a charming space to unwind after a long day, read a book with your kids, or simply lounge around while gazing outside.
Design tip:
Opt for a white-on-white banquette with white wood paneling and white upholstery and pillows for a fresh, simple, and chic bedroom look. You can readily use shorter wall cabinets to create the banquette, as long as they measure 12-24 inches.
Breakfast Nook Banquettes
A second area of the home that is ideal for banquettes is a breakfast nook. Already a dedicated space for eating, incorporating banquette seating to the perimeter of a breakfast nook will make you feel like you’re eating in a cute cafe.
One thing to keep in mind is that your new banquette makes for plenty of legroom beneath the table. If you take into consideration the height of the banquette as well as the depth of the seating itself, you shouldn’t run into any issues with legroom when multiple guests are sitting around the table.
Design tip:
If your kitchen is monochromatic, make a splash with your banquette by choosing a bold, geometric fabric like art-deco diamonds, or even an animal pattern like brown cowhide. You could also opt for a banquette that’s made from bold cabinetry colors, like this trendy navy blue design.
Game Room Banquettes
If you have a space that is reserved for entertainment, like a theater room or basement, adding a banquette is a wonderful way to make the space a true gathering place for fun and games. If you don’t have a dedicated corner or window area in the media room, you can add banquette seating along a long wall.
This will not only create a new area for seating in addition to your couch or beanbags, but you can add a table in front of the seating which can be utilized in countless ways. For example, if you’re hosting a movie night, the banquette can act as a serving station for drinks and snacks. And, of course, game room banquettes make for a perfect spot to play cards with friends!
Design tip:
Anything goes in a game room, so now is your chance to make your banquette extra plush like movie theater seating. Choose a lush, velvet fabric and add as many pillows as you can fit for extra comfort. You can expertly build a moody, theater-like banquette using short wall cabinets like this stone grey shaker style.
If you’re still looking for ways to add comfort to the rooms in your home, check out this incredibly cozy kitchen design tip that we swear by.
