Build a Kitchen Banquette

History of the Banquette

Furniture historians trace the banquette, derived from the Germanic word for bench, all the way back to France in the 1600s. Royalty used banquettes as window seating in formal rooms, with cushions covered in lush upholstery and carpeting. Rumor has it that many castles and palaces had concealed entries to secret passages located underneath banquettes.

Fast forward to America in the 20th century, when interior designers Billy Baldwin and Elsie de Wolfe reflected on the finery of French design and began to incorporate banquettes into the homes of their wealthy clients. Again, not as a kitchen convenience, but as adornment in sitting rooms, libraries, and ballrooms.

Kitchen banquettes appeared in American homes in the early 20th century to accommodate the needs of a busy family. Many houses built during this time still had relatively functional kitchens, so a banquette, with it’s space-saving design of a bench and tabletop, made more sense than a full table and chairs set.

What to Consider

Here are a few pointers to help you build a kitchen banquette.

• Decide whether the banquette is a focal point in the kitchen, or a transitional feature between the kitchen and another room.
• Don’t build it in the middle of the primary traffic flow – for example, the path between the refrigerator, stove, and sink, or the main entry to the kitchen.
• Plan on seating four-to-six people in approximately 200 square feet of space.
• Seating should be 18 to 20 inches up from the floor, allowing for about two feet across per person.
• Don’t make the seats too deep, otherwise people will have a hard time reaching the table. Allow for 18 to 20 inches of depth, with a few additional inches for the seat padding.
• The seat backs vary in height, based on your preference. The range is usually 36 to 48 inches.
• Tabletops average 29 to 31 inches high. The table can be separate from the seating or secured to a raised bench structure.
• Since it’s a prime eating spot, choose fabrics that clean easily, or design your banquette with removable cushions and washable slipcovers.
• Costs will vary depending on the structure, but if you have it built by a remodeling contractor, budget $2,000 to $3,000. If you do it yourself, provided you have all the right tools, you’ll save $500 to $1,000 on that amount.

How to Build a Kitchen Banquette

Obviously, planning to build a kitchen banquette in a new home is easier than when doing full or partial kitchen renovation. Nevertheless, you can easily modify a space where the old table and chairs used to be, especially if you can run the seating bench along an existing wall.

However, banquettes can be in whatever shape you need – curved, round, L-shaped, U-shaped, or two benches flanking a long table. Use a bench and table only, or add more seating with stools or chairs.

• It’s more convenient to build the seat box first, based on the specs of the area. This can be done on-site or in a workshop.
• It’s easy to add cupboards or drawers to the underneath of the seat box using prefabricated doors and drawer fronts. If you want full storage under the bench, make the seat box two to four inches deeper along the back frame in order to raise the bench.
• If working around unusual contours, make a template out of cardboard first, then adjust the primary pieces accordingly.
• Secure the seat box with shims and screw into wall studs to ensure the screws won’t pull out from the wall.
• Trim out the unit with crown molding.
• Seat cushions can be made from all formed foam, foam and spring, filled with hemp fiber, or a number of other options. Choose from set cushions found in home decorating stores, or have one custom-made.

The DIY Network’s website has an incredibly helpful video to show you how it’s done.

Get inspiration from this collection of banquette ideas from Better Homes and Gardens.

Buy a Banquette

If you have a particular theme in your kitchen, check out these resources for a ready-made banquette.

• Retro Planet.com
• Kurt Peterson Furniture
• Cook’s Classics

Also consider purchasing restaurant booths from liquidation sales to save money and bring a classic diner look to your kitchen.