The top five things you should know about starting a kitchen renovation So, you’ve decided…
What is a breakfast station?
A breakfast station, or sometimes known as a breakfast pantry, is often a space dedicated to the first meal of the day. Often located away from the main cooking area of a kitchen, a breakfast station is a combination of cupboard, larder and often features an area for making tea and coffee, along with hosting other small appliances such as a toaster.
A breakfast station is a great way of having everything you need for a busy family breakfast all in one place. Normally concealed behind doors such as pocket, bi fold or normal cupboard doors, the doors are opened up to reveal everything you need.
Each breakfast station is fully customisable, but you’ll generally find items for making hot drinks, a toaster – which sometimes is on a pull-out shelf to make using it easy – along with cereal containers, crockery, and other breakfast items such as condiments.
As they typically host small appliances, concealed plug sockets will be installed at the back of the cupboard so that they can be used in situ without the need to pull them out and plug them in.
Why are breakfast stations such a useful addition?
Having a breakfast station located away from the main prep and cooking areas means that family members, young and old, can come and make their breakfast or hot drink without getting in the way of whatever is going on in the main kitchen area.
What other things might I need to consider when designing a breakfast station?
If space allows, it is always a good idea to have a work surface available within the cupboard. This provides space to pour out cereal, butter toast or pour drinks without having to access other areas of the kitchen.
If you are lucky enough to have a big kitchen, then having an in-built prep sink with a Quooker tap (which allows you to do without with a kettle) can make life easier so that you don’t have to walk to use the sink and fill up a kettle.
It is also worth thinking about what additional breakfast items you might need to store in your breakfast station. Items such as jars, bottles and tins can be stored on the inside of the cupboard doors (if standard cupboard doors). You’ll need to consider the weight and height of the items you want to store; for example, a spice rack design won’t cut the mustard if you want a bespoke space for your cereal containers. Lighter racking or baskets are ideal for cereal and bread while sturdy oak shelving is a good option for holding the weight of jars and tins.