Breakfast Bars And Worktop Overhangs
A breakfast bar fails in one of two ways: it is too shallow to sit at comfortably, or it is deep enough and insufficiently supported. Both are decided long before the worktop arrives.
Where this works
- Islands with seating on one side
- Peninsulas dividing kitchen from dining space
- Raised bar level above a working worktop
- Narrow galley kitchens with a fold down or shallow bar
- Open plan kitchens where the bar is the main eating spot
How we install it
- 1Get the geometry right first
A person needs three hundred millimetres of clear overhang to get their knees under and six hundred millimetres of width to sit without touching elbows. Below two hundred and fifty millimetres people sit sideways, and a bar people sit sideways at gets used for post rather than breakfast. Also check what is under the overhang: a plinth, a bin pull or a cabinet handle at knee height will ruin an otherwise correct dimension, so look at the section, not just the plan.
- 2Support without corbels
Beyond the unsupported span of the material, the overhang needs support. The neat method is a steel flat bar, typically fifty by ten millimetres, let into the top of the cabinet carcass and cantilevered out under the worktop. It is invisible, it does not intrude on knee space, and it has to be planned while the cabinet is being built. The alternatives, corbels and gallows brackets, are visible, get kicked and generally look like an afterthought because they usually are one.
- 3Height, and matching it to the stools
Two standard heights work. Counter height, with the worktop at nine hundred millimetres and a six hundred and fifty millimetre stool seat, keeps everything on one level and is the easiest to live with. Bar height, with a raised section at one thousand and fifty millimetres and a seven hundred and fifty millimetre stool, screens the working surface from the dining side. Choose the height before buying stools, and measure the actual seat height rather than trusting a product name, since bar stool and counter stool are used inconsistently.
- 4Material choices for a bar
The bar is touched more than any other surface in the kitchen, so warmth matters. Timber is the most pleasant to lean on and can be sanded when it wears. Stone is cold but durable. A poured mineral finish sits in between, with a softer touch than stone and no join where the bar meets the rest of the worktop. Whatever you choose, remember the underside and the edge are visible from a seated position, which is not true of the rest of the kitchen.
Common pitfalls we prevent
Frequently asked
How much overhang do I need for a breakfast bar?+
Three hundred millimetres of clear overhang is comfortable for adults. Three hundred and fifty is generous. Two hundred and fifty is the practical minimum and only works if there is nothing protruding beneath it.
Do I need corbels or brackets?+
Not if the overhang is within the material's unsupported span or if steel is built into the cabinet. Corbels are the visible fallback when support was not planned, and most designers avoid them where possible.
What height should a breakfast bar be?+
Nine hundred millimetres if you want it level with the worktop, or one thousand and fifty millimetres for a raised bar. Match the stool seat height at six hundred and fifty or seven hundred and fifty millimetres respectively.
How many stools will fit?+
Allow six hundred millimetres of width per person. A two metre bar seats three comfortably, not four, and squeezing in an extra stool makes the whole arrangement unusable.
Can a poured finish do a bar overhang?+
Yes. The substrate is built to the overhang shape with the appropriate support beneath, then the finish is applied continuously over the top, edge and underside, so there is no join and no exposed edge anywhere.
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