Booth or table? Banquette nice addition to any area

Most mornings I wake up hungry, eagerly looking forward to breakfast; and that day at the Beverly Hilton was no different. I hurriedly dressed and rushed to meet my clients in the coffee shop as we had arranged the evening before. I arrived first and the maître d' lost no time in asking the proverbial restaurant question, "Would you like a booth or a table?"

"A booth or a table?" I heard my subconscious repeating. Was he joking? Who among us, given the choice, would ever request a table instead of a booth? Despite the early morning hour I managed to conjure up a faint, polite smile and said, "A booth would be nice. Thank you." The typical answer any maître d' must receive countless times during the course of a day. And, with good reason.

Shortly thereafter my clients arrived and almost immediately remarked how nice the booth was and then excitedly added that it was indeed the kind of seating they wanted for their new kitchen. I had to agree that it was very comfortable and would be a great addition for their home, having always liked booths or banquette seating myself. We also took note of the 54-inch round dining table, remarking how well it worked with the seating arrangement. (We knew it was a 54-inch diameter because my client always carries a small tape measure with her at all times! Just in case)

And so, as fate would have it, the breakfast nook of their lovely, new contemporary home was pretty much finalized by the time we had eaten breakfast. I explained to them that the best dining space plan needs to balance six important factors: capacity, flexibility, efficiency, aesthetics, function and comfort. Bench or banquette seating is one of the best ways to accomplish such a design feat.

The banquette is a configuration that utilizes bench seating on one side of a table (whatever the shape) and a chair(s) on the other and so offers tremendous flexibility. This type of seating requires a smaller footprint in a room than a traditional table and chairs so it is an ideal choice when space is at a premium. In this way the standard separation of about 12 inches between chairs is no longer required.

What's important to note when planning this type of seating is to be sure to allow the edge of your table to overhang the banquette seat 7-8 inches, just enough room for you to slide in comfortably. Remember that this type of seating is fixed and does not allow you to pull your chair up to the table as you normally would with a conventional table and dining chair.

My clients understood that as a designer I'd see to it that the custom-made banquette I'd create for them would be made to fit perfectly within the dimensions of the corner of their breakfast nook. Once built in to the room, it would be considered a part of their home and would not only go a long way to adding a great deal of charm, but would, in the future, even be considered one of its major selling features.

Naturally, as with any dining chair, the banquette has to be as comfortable as possible because, without a doubt, comfort is an absolutely key component of any dining room. All of us have experienced now and then the misfortune of an uncomfortable seat ruining an otherwise lovely dining experience. This can be avoided by specifying a luxurious padded seat and back, along with a webbed no-sag seat cushion for extra comfort; which is the only kind of upholstery I use when designing this type of residential seating.

And speaking of comfort, I know of one designer who fashioned a banquette for a client's living room that was intentionally made low, deep and luxurious in order to serve as the perfect "trap" for her client's boyfriend to relax in after dinner. And while her client's intentions weren't at all honorable, the designer takes some credit (and delight) to this day for that lady's subsequent nuptials.

It's also prudent, since it's an eating area we're dealing with, to try to select a material that is inherently stain resistant and easy to maintain. I accomplished this for my clients by using a faux leather in a color, with an understated pattern, that echoed key colors that had been used in the overall decorating scheme of the home. A bold dark chocolate wood finish on the surrounding trim and back shelf succeeded in providing a subtle contrast to the fabric color while incorporating the finish of the adjacent kitchen cabinetry.

It's my considered opinion that the breakfast nook, whether large or small, (or for that matter, even the dining room or living room) is the ideal place to incorporate bench or banquette seating and it's a shame that homeowners and even designers don't consider this option more often than they do. L-shape bench seating along with a coordinating table combination will give the appearance of a cozy restaurant booth while allowing for the maximum seating in the smallest of spaces.

And just think, with banquette seating at home, you won't be nearly as disappointed the next time the maître d' tells you that all booths are taken.

Stephen Leon is a licensed interior designer and president of Soleil Design International; he has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years. He has served on the board of directors of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers and is a certified professional in green residential design. Questions can be sent to stephen@soleildesigninter
national.com.