Creative ways to add a sofa to your kitchen
The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, and for good reason. It’s where you come together to make food and drink, it’s where people sit to eat their breakfast in the morning, make a cup of tea and catch up with friends, pore over homework and much, much, more. If your kitchen is very much a hub for your family and you want to make it a more comfortable, inviting space, have you thought about introducing a sofa? With more and more homes focusing on open plan kitchens, adding a sofa has never been easier. If you like the idea but are looking for some inspiration, here are some creative ways to add a sofa to your kitchen.
Before deciding on a sofa style or finish, you first need to consider the functionality of your room and where you think a sofa is best placed to go. If you have an open plan kitchen and have split it into zones, a sofa can help to break up the space and create a more social area. If you’re tighter on space and a sofa in the middle of your room won’t work, a neat corner sofa will give you plenty of space to sit back and relax without taking up too much of your kitchen. Before making any decisions, it’s always worth measuring the space you’re thinking of using and looking at what would work best. Given that a kitchen tends to naturally be a busy space, with lots of comings and goings, you don’t want to choose a sofa that will see you lose the routes people take in and out of the room.
Once you’ve measured the space and decided where you want your sofa to go, it’s then time to start looking at the style of sofa you’d like in your kitchen. First and foremost, if you want your sofa to blend seamlessly into your interior, it needs to complement the aesthetic of your kitchen. If you have a contemporary kitchen, a sleek modern sofa will work well. If you have a country/rustic kitchen, a more traditional sofa is a good choice, providing you with softer edges and deeper seats. However, if your kitchen enjoys more of an eclectic style, that gives you more options when it comes to the design of your sofa.
Given that most kitchens are considered high traffic areas, your choice of upholstery is an important one. You need a material that is durable and easy to clean but that looks the part in your interior. There are lots of stain resistant and easy to clean fabrics to choose from, in an extensive range of colours.
At Darlings, our upholstery range includes the following:
- Stain Resistant House Fabric
- Easy Clean Soft as Cotton
- Stain Resistant Chenille
- Easy Clean Plush Velvet
- Easy Clean Matt Velvet
- Easy Clean Recycled Velvet
- Stain Resistant Moleskin Velvet
- Stain Resistant Broad Weave Linen
- Stain Resistant Recycled Cotton
- Stain Resistant Textured Linen
- Stain Resistant Viscose Cotton
- Stain Resistant Herringbone
- Stain Resistant Linen
- Stain Resistant Cotton Velvet
- Hard Wearing Leather
As spills and stains are likely when you’re relaxing in the kitchen, the colour of your sofa needs to be chosen carefully. The colour and theme of your kitchen will influence what colour your sofa should be – choosing a complementary shade to work with your wall colour and the colour of your units will help the room to feel cohesive. However, if you want your sofa to be a statement piece, take a look at opposing shades on the colour wheel, which still work with your scheme but will make it stand out in your interior.
Whites and lighter colours may bring a sense of style to your interior, but any stains will be more apparent. Choosing a slightly darker colour for your upholstery will benefit you in the long term. Before you do make any final decisions, make sure to check the care instructions of your selected material to see how to clean it should there be any accidents.
If you have chosen to create a more social zone in your kitchen, you’ll need more than just a sofa to create an inviting space. Have a think about accessories, such as side tables, throws, rugs and pictures, all of which can come together to create a cosy, engaging space that sits comfortably in your kitchen.
If you’ve measured your chosen space and a large sofa isn’t going to work, there are other options available to you. A loveseat offers room for two to cosy up and can add effortless style to your interior. Accent or armchairs can provide a comfortable seat and bring real style to your space, and depending on the space in your room you may be able to introduce a matching pair, or mix it up with contrasting styles.
The introduction of a window seat is a lovely addition to any room and takes up less space than a chair or sofa.
Modular seating provides you with a plethora of options, enabling you to break the units up into smaller sections. Not only does this give you the ability to really work with the space you’ve got, it also means you can change the layout to suit the occasion.
While a sofa in a kitchen was practically unheard over 20 years ago, the way we use the space has changed in recent years, with more and more people seeing the need for a kitchen sofa in their space. Take the time to do your research to find the right sofa for you and your family and enjoy the process!
