I'm so excited (does a little booty dance in my chair) because today I'm sharing my breakfast nook refresh plans and mood board. There's also a video at the end of the blog post!
This small space between our kitchen and family room is the hub of our home. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, games, projects, homework, you name it! It all goes down around this table.
And our coffee bar is in all day rotation with hubby and me working from home full time. (The top is such bad condition that I covered it with craft paper).

Yet for a space in our home that we use so frequently, it really isn't very comfortable. The furniture (especially the loveseat) had definitely seen better days. Also, I wasn't crazy about the overt farmhouse vibes the table and chair combo was giving out.
While my main issue with the breakfast nook had more to do with aesthetics. (except the bench, that thing was basically fabric wrapped around springs).
My kids surprisingly had a lot of opinions about the breakfast nook LOL.(And you know it's bad when the kids have opinions about home decor).
Here are the cliff notes (if you got that reference, here's a long-distance high five too).
- The table was too bumpy, making it hard to write/draw on.
- Our old thrifted bench was too "poky" and the arms made getting in and out a pain.
- And our son who basically lives in basketball shorts, really really dislikes the cold metal chairs.
- And they both generally did not like how it looked!
Whew! Well alrighty then.
With that information tucked away. I told myself if I wanted to move forward with this breakfast nook refresh I would have to earn the money for at least the table and chairs. This was honestly to help me stay motivated as I was just starting my decluttering journey.
And it worked. Solely by selling items I no longer wanted or needed on Facebook Marketplace (including my old breakfast nook table and chairs), I made enough to replace them!
This is the temporary set up we have in our breakfast nook since selling the table and chairs that were there. The table is from my office and the chairs are from our formal dining room.
The only thing that is up in the air is the dining bench. I did not make enough money to replace that as well. So I need to keep an eye out for a good deal.
Breakfast Nook Refresh Plans and Mood Board
So here is the mood board for the look I'm going for. A little rustic with the chunky table but also refined with the gold lighting fixture and black vintage bamboo sideboard. I want this space to have the same neutral and warm vibe just like our family room for a cohesive look.
Now this refresh is on a Target budget ok LOL. So this mood board is not exactly the pieces I'm going to end up with but they have the look I'm going for. I'll share some affordable table and chair options in an upcoming post.
Table - Unlike the previous table, I'm looking for a more traditional style pedestal table in a warm wood tone. The round shape however I do want to keep.
Chairs - I'm definitely teaming black Windsor chairs. They will tie in nicely with the black appliances and black accents in our family room. Plus they pair beautifully with the warm wood table.
Bench - An upholstered bench at the dining table is a must-have in our house. (Yes we always ask for a booth at restaurants LOL.) I haven't sourced one yet, but I do want a piece that's armless, simple design, in a muted neutral color to balance out the black chairs.
Coffee Bar - Now this is the one thing I'm nervous about y'all! I'm going to paint it black. A white coffee station has not worked out well. After years of use, the white paint is now dingy and stained.
Lighting - Although I've never formally shared it on the blog, we updated the lighting in our breakfast nook back in 2018. The lantern style still works for me, so I will be keeping it.
Decorative accessories - My ultimate goal is to keep this area fairly simple. By minimally styling the shelves above the coffee bar with a muted color palette. The small painting and small rug will bring in some color, as will the greenery.
Admittedly I'm a little nervous becuase I don't want the breakfast nook to feel "heavy" once I've added all the black accents.
But, I'm also looking forward to the challenge of creating a space that still feels light and bright, even with the black accents.
So what do you think, are you a fan of the plan?
Be sure to check back next week. I will be sharing the first step in this refresh. Updating the coffee bar with black paint. Or better yet sign up for my newsletter and you'll get notified of new posts, right in your inbox!
Kim says
A game changer! How thoughtful to include kiddos in the planning (well, at last the questioning part!). Recently, I began using Heirloom Traditions Paint to change dark end tables into a lighter color. Wonderful paint - with no odor! They will even send a free sample - just pay postage.
Linda P. says
Hi Kim! Thanks for the paint tip. I’ll be sure to check it out. I actually always get my family’s input when changing things up. But... my opinion does weigh a tiny bit more 😄