Bar counter for a small kitchen - 50 best ideas

When thinking about the design of a small kitchen, you can abandon the usual dining table and replace it with a modern alternative solution - a practical, stylish bar counter. Design solutions for this type of kitchen furniture allow you to choose an option for different interior styles. Read on to learn how to choose the right bar counter for a small kitchen made of high-quality material and conveniently place it in the room.

Features of kitchen design with a bar counter

Installing a bar counter in the kitchen is a fairly common solution for modern interiors.
To fully reveal the features of this find of modern design, it is necessary to talk about four things:

• Functions that a bar counter can perform. Simply put, why is it needed? It's not just for beauty. No, this is a useful, very practical component.
• How can you place this element of furniture? Where and how to fit it into a limited space? After all, the majority do not live in palaces. And at first glance it may seem that in the kitchen in a Khrushchev-era apartment there is simply no room for a whole bar counter... But this, of course, is not the case.
• What is this piece of furniture like from a constructive point of view? It's helpful to know what your options are right away. And evaluate what is needed to install them.
• Aesthetic possibilities of such a solution. A design is perceived as attractive and harmonious when all parts of the room, every detail, work together. They form a common style, a solid color scheme, and a single image. How to fit a bar counter into different styles? How to make it a decoration for your apartment?

When choosing a bar counter for your kitchen, you must take into account the height of your family members.
This article covers all four of these aspects in detail.

DIY installation

There shouldn’t be any difficulties with installation; we’ll see step by step how a bar counter is created in the kitchen. We will need:

1. Hammer,
2. Level,
3. Hacksaw (metal),
4. Meter,
5. Hammer,
6. Screwdriver.

And also consumables:

• Table top,
• Corners for the tabletop, L-shaped, measuring from 3x3cm per meter of tabletop,
• Pipe and fasteners for it,
• Hardware.

Algorithm for installing a retractable version in a Khrushchev building

We will proceed from the mounting to the height of the room - i.e. the pipe goes from floor to ceiling. Let's get started:

1. At the place of our markings we attach clamps, we also attach them to the tabletop, to the place where the pipe passes,
2. We put corners on the wall,
3. We place the tabletop on the corners (with the pipe already attached),
4. We level the pipe and fasten it (you can use nails or screws).

We can finish here, but we still have to secure the upper part of the pipe:

1. We attach the fixing parts for the pipe on the tabletop,
2. We level the pipe in the clamp, then mark the area on the ceiling for self-tapping screws;
3. We put a fastening element on the upper part and fasten it to the ceiling.

Don't forget to leave at least 15mm to the ceiling for the pipe to fit into the clamp!

Combined bar counter with dining table

Kitchen studio layout

It’s easiest to talk about the functions performed by the bar counter using the example of a studio apartment. In such interiors, such a piece of furniture works especially clearly and clearly.

The layout should be such that it is easy for guests sitting at the bar to communicate with the hosts who are busy preparing food.

Bar counter and sofa

Function No. 1 - the bar counter is used to delimit space. It is necessary to somehow visually separate the food preparation area from the place for rest and leisure. For the same purposes, a sofa is often used, with its back facing the kitchen area and the seat facing the living part of the room.

It is better to choose the same material for the tabletop as for the main furniture.

Bar counter and table

Function No. 2 - this element can take on the role of a table. A dining room or work room, where the hostess prepares food. Sometimes this small oblong surface copes well with both tasks at once.

A bar extension of the countertop is a great option for small rooms. Often such models are made with various shelves, stands, and other useful decorative elements.

Advantages and disadvantages

A small kitchen with a breakfast bar has several advantages:

• The tabletop can be used as a dining area. As a result, space is saved and more free space remains. Used for quick snacks. This is convenient for residents of large cities, where every minute counts, and helps save time.

• A closed structure can become a storage space if you use part of it as a cabinet or shelves.

Closed option

• A small kitchen is often combined with a living room. The bar counter is used for zoning. In order for it to look visually harmonious, the design must repeat the design of the kitchen set.

Border between zones

• If the countertop is wide enough, you can put chairs under it so that they don’t take up extra space in an already small kitchen.

Minuses:

• The bar counter is complemented by non-standard high chairs with footrests, which are more convenient for people with good physical fitness and sufficient height to use. There is a risk of falling for children under 12 years of age and the elderly.

• In a small kitchen, 2-3 people can sit behind the bar at the same time. If the family is large, this may be inconvenient. The use is relevant for studio apartments, small-sized kitchens in Khrushchev-era buildings, and for small private houses.

The location of the bar counter in a small kitchen

In a separate kitchen, especially a small one, function No. 1 may not be fulfilled. There is no urgent need to distinguish between different zones. It is possible to separate the food preparation area from the dining area, but this is not necessary. And it's not even always possible.

When choosing the length, do not forget about the seating arrangement and the maximum number of people.

But function No. 2 is implemented just fine. In a kitchen with a modest area there is always a lack of work surfaces, and it is often unclear where to put the dining table. In this situation, a bar counter is a compact and convenient option to solve both problems at once:

• increase the working area;
• organize a place for eating.

Now is the time to touch on the question of how this can be done? What types of location of the bar counter are there in the space of a small kitchenette?

Perpendicular

The correctly selected size, configuration and location of the bar counter in a small kitchen will help create not only a beautiful, but also a functional interior, which is especially important for small spaces.

It can be installed perpendicular to the kitchen unit. As a continuation of the working surface, so that their joint contour in plan looks like the letter “G” or “P”. This is a very common and convenient solution.

Parallel

Due to its small width, the counter can replace a dining table, which is often difficult to place in a small kitchen.

It is less common to place a small kitchen unit with a bar counter in parallel. That is, a set of cabinets, shelves and household appliances along the wall. And a long horizontal tabletop - in the center of the room so that it follows the direction of the working area.

Note! Visually, this technique will further lengthen the room, making it more elongated, reminiscent of a train carriage. Therefore, it must be used with caution; it is not always appropriate.

Near the window

Sitting at such a bar counter is a pleasure, because you can admire the view from the window while drinking tea or enjoying a cup of coffee. However, if the view from your window leaves much to be desired, you should consider placing the bar counter in a different location.

You can make the bar counter a continuation of the window sill panel. Then you will have a dining corner where you can comfortably enjoy the view from the window. This idea allows you to use the window sill more rationally and save precious square meters.

At a free wall

If you decide to place the bar counter this way, you should think about the decorative design of the adjacent wall. Tiles or wallpaper with interesting patterns or designs will help offset this drawback.

In narrow, long rooms, sometimes the only possible place for a bar counter is the walls. As a continuation of the work surface of the corner kitchen unit. Or separately from it, as an independent object. The disadvantage of this way is that during a meal at a counter installed in this way, a person sits with his face almost close to a blank wall.

The advantage of this placement is that the bar counter can be made quite long depending on the length of the wall.

Note! You can make the surface above the bar counter more interesting with the help of well-chosen photos, decorative elements, and sconces. Such things not only make the space rich and cozy, but also visually expand it.

Folding bar counter

A transforming stand can serve as an alternative to a regular dining table, which makes it very relevant in small-sized kitchens.

A folding bar counter for a small kitchen is simply an ideal solution. It allows you to make the most of space. From a constructive point of view, such a piece of furniture is made in different ways:

• Folding option.
  When the tabletop panel is folded, it leans against the wall. A special case of this solution is a transformable cabinet, the door of which, when open, acts as a table.
• Retractable option.
  When the stand, if desired, is completely retracted, for example, under the working surface of the headset.

Modern designers have come up with many ideas to optimize the functional use of kitchen units.

Sometimes there are less typical folding design solutions; you can try and invent something original yourself.

Design Tips

In this section you can read several interesting and informative recommendations that will definitely help you make your kitchen more attractive and cozy:

• Give up stereotypical thinking. There are many interesting mechanisms on the furniture market that allow you to make the most of a small space.

Mobile installation - what is not the kitchen of the future

• Replace your usual household appliances. Large electric ovens are bulky devices that perform all the same functions as a microwave grill or air fryer. Although there are more compact appliances, for example, multicookers.
• The sink can be not only a place where dishes are washed, but also a work surface. For this purpose, special lids are sold that are installed on the bowl.
• A small kitchen-living room with a bar counter will look much more practical if the bar countertop divides the room. Use additional lamps that will separate the kitchen from the recreation area.

If guests come to you, but you are still cooking, it doesn’t matter, you can continue cooking without interrupting communication

Well, to justify, so to speak, the support of a small kitchen, I would like to add that with the proper furnishings of the room, it becomes more practical than large kitchens. You will ask why? Because everything is always at hand, no unnecessary movements.

Types of bar counters

To choose the design of a bar counter in the kitchen, you need to take into account the area of ​​the kitchen, the presence of a separate dining table, the amount of cabinet furniture and, of course, the lifestyle of the owners.

When talking about folding examples of this piece of furniture, it’s hard not to think - what does it look like from a design point of view? And what types of bar counters are there based on their design? Although human imagination is limitless, most often there are 4 main options.

• Console.
  When on one side the tabletop is attached to the wall (or to a window sill, cabinet, cabinet, or other piece of furniture), and the other simply hangs in the air. In order for such a design to be sufficiently reliable, the protruding part must be short in length, no more than a meter.
• Panel supported by racks.
  About the same as the legs of a table. There may be different numbers of them. From one massive monolithic support in the center, to 6-8 thin metal rods. The advantage of this design is its reliability. The downside is that sometimes it is impossible to remove bar stools under the counter due to the supports. That is, space is used inefficiently.
• Hanging stand.
  When a horizontal rack panel is suspended from the ceiling or sometimes from cabinets on the walls. In this case, cables and rigid metal rods can act as load-bearing elements.
• Combined type: console plus stand.
  On one side the tabletop is rigidly attached to the wall, and on the other it rests on a single stand. This seems to be the most common version of the design solution. It is especially often used for bar counters perpendicular to the kitchen unit. Its advantages: reliability, ease of execution, availability of free space under the tabletop.

Typically, racks are made of the same material from which the entire set is made: wood or plastic.

Note! With any design solution, some parameters remain unchanged. The height of this piece of furniture from the floor ranges from 0.9-1.3 meters. The width of the tabletop should be around 0.4-0.8 meters.

Table or stand

If you still haven't decided whether to get a bar table instead of a table, you can try combining these two interior elements. The bar counter combined with a dining table suggests a two-level option: the lower level acts as a dining table, and the upper one as a bar area. For families with children, this option will be the most successful: children will not have to sit on high chairs, and adults will be able to enjoy such an interior detail as a bar table.

Save space

In general, a bar counter for a small kitchen should not be bulky or too pretentious.

To save space, it is, of course, better to choose supports or hanging elements with a minimum cross-sectional size. So that there is as much free space as possible. Then the area under the counter can be used to store bar stools.

Types of supports

In practice, you can find the following options for supports for a bar counter.

• Separate supports. These are wooden legs or metal supports, coated with chrome. The main advantage is the simplicity of this solution; such a support does not clutter up the space.
• Solid support. In fact, this is a cabinet on which the tabletop is installed. Depending on the model and placement method, storage spaces may be located on one or two sides. The support is made of wood or wood panels (MDF, chipboard). The disadvantage is the visual reduction of the room.
• Brackets. Used for folding bar counters. They are attached to the wall and have the ability to install hinges.

In some cases, the supports may have footrests.

Using a bar counter you can significantly save the usable space of your small kitchen.
By choosing this headset element correctly, you can optimize the use of space. © 2022 — 2022 Furniture-one.ru — Copying of materials is strictly prohibited.

Style

If you try, the bar counter in the kitchen will easily become the main and useful piece of furniture, as well as a place for cozy and cheerful gatherings with loved ones.

It is already quite clear that from a functional and constructive point of view, a bar counter in an ordinary small apartment is a great idea. It's time to talk about the aesthetic aspect of this decision.

A bar counter in a small kitchen is a key element

If you still prefer an L-shaped kitchen:

1. Install the stand where the set ends, or rather its floor component, that is, near the entrance to the kitchen.
2. Please note that the bar table for the kitchen should allow you to place something underneath it. For example, the same technique. Thus, the distance between the counter and the tabletop should not be excessively small.
3. Calculate the length of the tabletop in advance; the doors under the counter should open freely.

Think in advance where you will store the bar stools! And please note that such a bar table in the kitchen will not seat more than three people at a time. But for a young family without children, this is an acceptable solution.

Bar counter in a classic interior

Lighting the bar counter in the kitchen should be interesting when it is given a central place in the interior. Therefore, it is advisable to use several light sources that can be adjusted.

Modern classics are a solid formal style, rich in a significant amount of detail. A small kitchen with a bar counter in this style is not an easy task. It’s easy to make it too bulky, oversaturated with decorative elements, or cramped. What do you need to remember to avoid these common mistakes when designing it?

Preference for light colors

Material is also an important factor influencing the choice. Acrylic and plastic models can withstand weight up to 90 kg. Steel and wood are stronger.

White, cream, beige, light gray should be basic. They can be complemented with dark, gold, burgundy accents. But only in very measured doses.

Moderate amount of decor

To make the design original, you can assemble the model using slabs from different types of wood or decorating a model made of plasterboard with a beautiful mosaic.

There are very impressive kitchen sets with stucco on the doors, cornices, and pilasters. They fit amazingly into large rooms with high ceilings. But it is strictly not recommended to order them for little ones! On the contrary, you need to settle on something concise.

Natural materials

A wooden tabletop is good for its natural beauty, durability, versatility, warmth and the possibility of restoration. In addition, it is easier to care for as it repels dust.

Or materials that reliably imitate natural ones. Stone, wood, plaster. Of course, white paint, neutral wallpaper, discreet patterns, floral or geometric are also acceptable.

Natural stone is an expensive, durable and very beautiful material, but, unfortunately, it is not ideal. Marble is resistant to acids, grease and food dyes, and granite can be radioactive.

Note! The bar counter is exactly the place where you can relax your soul in modern classics. Supports stylized as columns, elegant brackets supporting the tabletop, vertical and horizontal edgings - all this is welcome.

MDF is a budget material that imitates wood or stone. It is quite impact-resistant and moisture-resistant.

Bar table in modern style

High-tech, eco-style, minimalism, loft - all these modern design trends love to use bar counters. What all these styles have in common is:

• minimum number of parts;
• contrasting colors;
• geometric simplicity of forms.

It’s good if the base of the bar counter is equipped with shelves, drawers, perhaps even a wine cabinet.

Everything else may vary. The design, materials, location are determined only by the imagination and taste of the author.

Tabletop materials

It is important to choose the right material for the bar counter; it affects the reliability of the structure, as well as the design of the product. When selecting, take into account the following points:

• sufficient strength;
• durability;
• resistance to aggressive factors (substances, humidity, temperature);
• visual appeal;
• environmental cleanliness.

Let's look at the most common types of materials.

• Chipboard. This is the cheapest and most unreliable solution. A wood board of this type quickly warps under the influence of moisture and temperature changes. Often the glue contains formaldehyde, which is unsafe for humans; to avoid problems, it is recommended to use chipboard with a protective laminated layer. In any case, a tabletop made of such material will not last long.
• Tree. Expensive material, but with excellent appearance. The disadvantage is that it is massive, which is not always appropriate in a small room.
• MDF. Wood board is an analogue of wood. Not inferior to wood in strength. A large number of finishing options allows you to achieve any appearance of the rack. Natural resin is used as glue, completely safe for humans.
• Plastic. Typically used in modern interiors. Nowadays bioplastics are often used. Disadvantages include poor resistance to impacts, as well as the risk of deformation when exposed to heat.
• Glass. Can be used in high-tech or other similar styles. Due to transparency, it significantly relieves space.
• Natural and artificial stone. Rarely used in small kitchens. Primarily due to its heavy weight, as well as its tendency to get dirty.

When choosing a tabletop for a bar counter, it makes sense to take into account recommendations for choosing colors. It is better to choose light-colored options, as dirt is less visible on them. Also, light colors make furniture visually smaller.

Tips for choosing a design

It remains to talk about a couple of techniques that have already proven themselves. Which the world's leading masters of interior design love to use.

• Accentuating the bar counter with light
  For example, eye-catching pendant lamps. Or LED lighting along the contour of the tabletop. Then the room will be more interesting to perceive in the evening, its space will become more complex and, at the same time, more understandable.
• Highlighting this piece of furniture with finishing
  For example, you can line the wall and part of the ceiling above the tabletop with the same material, contrasting with its surroundings. This looks especially great when placing the counter against the wall, parallel to the line of the kitchen unit.
• Application of a combined bar counter
  Which is both a bar counter and something else. For example, a table more familiar to the older generation. That is, it has two horizontal panels at different levels, usually separated by a vertical wall. Or a bar counter that doubles as a cabinet. There are a variety of hybrids, sometimes they look very stylish.

To avoid hitting the corner of the tabletop every now and then, make it round.

A kitchenette can and should look chic. But for this you need to approach its design wisely.

Breakfast stand transformable in kitchen interior - specifics

Until recently, this unique interior component was considered an attribute of discos, bars, restaurants or small cafes, but now virtually any home owner understands that it is comfortable, convenient and fashionable.

The transformable breakfast stand for the kitchen room has many good points, for example:

• For a small space in the kitchen, it can be an excellent alternative to a kitchen table, without creating clutter in the room, thanks to the lightness and mobility of the design.
• The table top of the counter has an acceptable height, convenient for cooking and performing many related works, for example, cutting food, dressing salads, mixing elements, whipping. By creating these activities at the breakfast counter, which is slightly higher than ordinary work tables, housewives experience much less strain on their backs and are less tired.
• A variety of installation types and designs allows you to choose the appropriate type of item for each interior.
• Some designs can divide the kitchen space into specific zones, becoming an interior decoration.

There can only be one drawback here. Because the tabletop of the bar counter in many cases is slightly higher than the level of ordinary tables, you need to additionally purchase chairs of a specialized design and height. However, some types of transforming racks have a standard height.

Photo gallery: design options for a modern kitchen with a bar counter

Dimensions of transforming bar counters

There are a large number of types of kitchen bar counters, as well as options for their implementation. Everything here depends on the properties of the specific kitchen interior, the dimensions of the room, the height of the object, the material of the countertop, the depth, and the method of location. The sizes, shapes, and appearance of structures can be different and are usually determined by the available space, and also by the overall interior.

According to the placement method they are distinguished:

• Island racks, installed separately from the key set, as an independent piece of furniture. This includes folding structures that can replace a kitchen table for a large company or family.
• Combination breakfast counters. They are small in size, in most cases the same as the work surface of the kitchen set, of which they are considered an extension. This category includes retractable, rotating structures resting on a leg (several legs) on the free side.

There are also open and closed types of bar counters. An open structure is any structure that rests on a leg and does not carry any additional practical load. Closed bar counters are more convenient, because in the middle of the structures there is space where you can store kitchen utensils and various things.

The typical height of a bar countertop is considered to be 110–120 cm, but such a design requires specialized chairs with a height of 60 to 85 cm, and is not suitable for performing a wide variety of work during cooking. Due to this, transformers usually have a height of about 90 cm or equal to the level of other surfaces of the kitchen set.

By request, the next post will be on the topic of a mirror and bedside table for a bathroom. We believe you will like it.

The width of an ordinary structure is 30–35 cm or depends on the properties of the kitchen furniture. If the tabletop is needed to replace a kitchen table, then its width ranges from 50 to 80 cm. There are no clear rules and restrictions, the main thing is to ensure that a distance of 25 cm is maintained from the support or wall to the feet of the people sitting.

But the length has almost no restrictions, the only thing that matters is that there is a distance of 60 cm per person.

There are two-tier designs, with an additional small one placed on the main tabletop at a distance of 20 - 30 cm.