How to Choose the Best Kitchen Bench?
Table of Contents
Top Best Kitchen Benches Based on Reviews and Price
How to Choose a Kitchen Bench?
You might have a regular rectangular room for dining. Otherwise, you might be thinking about creating some transitional space amid a family room and an open-concept kitchen. Irrespective of the case, ensuring the best dining space with the right furniture for the entire family to get together at least once or twice in a day is important. If you are thinking about a kitchen bench for your kitchen or your dining space, you will have to consider many different factors in the selection process. Before getting into the factors to consider, let us first understand how dining benches are different from dining chairs:
Dining Benches VS Dining Chairs
Here are details to help you gain a better understanding of the difference between the two:
Style
Kitchen/Dining Bench – A practical and modern alternative to dining chairs.
Kitchen/Dining Chair – The popular and conventional style of dining seating.
Usability
Kitchen/Dining Bench – Dining benches can generally accommodate two or more people based on the size.
Kitchen/Dining Chair – The popular and conventional style of dining seating
Place of Use
Kitchen/Dining Bench – Benches are generally confined to a single place in the kitchen or dining space.
Kitchen/Dining Chair – You can take chairs to other rooms and can use them for other purposes.
Seating
Kitchen/Dining Bench – Less-restrictive when it comes to the number of people.
Kitchen/Dining Chair – Restricted only to a single person.
Space Usage
Kitchen/Dining Bench – As compared to chairs, benches will consume a lot of space.
Kitchen/Dining Chair – Chairs do not consume more space in your kitchen or dining room.
Backrest
Kitchen/Dining Bench – Benches mostly do not have a backrest and so you cannot expect support. However, nowadays, benches with backrest are available.
Kitchen/Dining Chair – When it comes to chairs there will be backrest to provide better support
Now, with this comparison, you can decide whether or not investing in a kitchen bench will be the best idea. Here, let us explore the top 10 factors that will make your shopping the best and long-lasting for sure:
10 Factors to Consider Before Buying a Kitchen Bench
1. Assess the Space
Initially, you will have to consider the wants and needs of your kitchen. Yes, besides understand what your kitchen needs, you should analyze what it can actually accommodate. It means that space is an essential consideration in deciding on a suitable kitchen bench.
You will have to consider whether it is for your formal kitchen or whether it will be used in the kitchen, where foods for parties will be frequently prepared as well. Make sure that there will be enough room surrounding the kitchen bench and it should not affect your easy movement around the kitchen and the dining space.
2. Consider the Material
As you can judge, you will find kitchen benches made out of different materials. So, you should consider the right material that will go well with other interiors in your kitchen.
For instance, you will find wooden benches. As you know, wood can go well with other interiors. Even when you go for wood, you should make sure that the right color is selected.
You will also find other materials like leather benches and upholstery bench. Irrespective of the material you choose, durability is important.
3. Size and Type of the Kitchen Bench
You should decide whether you need a full-length kitchen bench or a tuck-in variant. There should be enough space to sit on the benches. For this purpose, it would be a good idea to ensure that the front of the bench is in line with the edge of the table in your kitchen.
Here is a list of things to consider concerning bench size:
- Height of the seatback: In case, you go for a bench with backrest, you should make sure that it fits with any window sills or paneling.
- Height of the seat from the floor to seat
- Depth of the bench
- Length of the bench
- Depth of the seat
Full-length Bench
A full-length kitchen bench does the same as the name suggests. It will be in-line with the complete dimension of the countertop or table in your kitchen. This type of bench will work particularly fine with bases in pedestal style.
The reason is that you can easily insert the bench when still improvising the available space. It does not mean that this type will not go well with a countertop with legs. All you have to do is just think of how you can stay seated on the bench if the legs of the countertop come in the way.
Tucked-in Bench
A tucked-in bench is a great type for saving space. The reason is that you can easily tuck your bench underneath a countertop with legs. This type of kitchen bench can easily fit inside the leg length measurement of a tabletop as against the extent of the countertop.
Here, you should make sure that you permit about 5 cm for clearance. Doing this will help you prevent banging into the legs each time you pull the bench on and off.
4. Consider the Type of Table or Countertop
You should choose a kitchen bench after considering the type of table or counter-top in your kitchen. Here are some ideas concerning this:
For a corner nook:
When the countertop or table in your kitchen has been designed as a corner nook countertop, you can choose a corner bench. In addition to creating communal nook, it will give a cozy look as well.
For a round table:
All kitchen benches will not work with a round countertop or table. However, if you are particular about the luxurious or generous feel of a bench, you can consider dining armchair as against a bench.
For a square table:
When the table or countertop in your kitchen is square, you can consider choosing a backless or straight back kitchen bench. To maximize space, you can also consider a couple of benches with backrest and a pair of kitchen benches without backrest.
For a rectangular table:
For a rectangular table, you can consider selecting backless, back or corner kitchen benches.
For an extending table:
When you have an extending countertop or table in your kitchen, you can consider benches that match the table or countertop size.
5. Consider the Purpose
Some people buy kitchen benches just for storage purposes, while some buy them for seating purposes. So, you should first decide whether you will be using it for storage or for your family members to stay seated in the kitchen. In the case of the former, you need not have to consider whether the kitchen bench is sturdy.
Of course, this relies on the type of storage you plan to do. On the other hand, if you are planning to shop for the bench for your family members and guests to sit, you should go for a sturdier model that can withstand the weight of people sitting.
6. Backrest or Without Backrest
You should decide whether the kitchen bench that you plan to shop should have or should not have a backrest. Even, this decision can be made based on the purpose of the bench. If it is for storage, the backrest is not essential.
But, if it is going to be used for sitting, you can go for the models with backrest if you feel that it is really essential for your family members. Even, models with high backrest and low backrest are available in the market to choose from.
7. Benches with Interchangeable Design
When you compare kitchen benches online in a reliable store, you will also come across interchangeable benches. It means that you can make the bench bigger when required and even if you feel that at a moment only a single person will be sitting, you can accordingly reduce the size. This type of innovation has been recently done in the category of kitchen and dining benches for customers to choose from.
8. Decide on a Suitable Color
You might have used a specific color in your kitchen interiors. It would be a great idea to choose a kitchen bench in the same color. Only then everything will look even and your guests will feel that you have bought all of them together. Otherwise, the bench alone will look like an odd man out. So, not just the material, but the color is also an essential consideration.
9. The Foot of the Bench
Only the foot of a kitchen bench will decide on the number of people it can accommodate in a single time. So, check whether the foot look sturdy and even you can find benches with attractive designs on the foot. Even, you can find models, where the foot alone can be detached when not in use.
10. Traditional or Modern Benches
Even, you should decide whether a traditional or a modern kitchen bench will go with the other interiors in your kitchen. You can decide on the suitability by comparing the rates of different units and accordingly deciding one that gets within your budget and either modern or traditional.
Conclusion
As you intend to shop for one of the best kitchen benches, consider the factors mentioned above and you will end up with the best choice.
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