Is banquette seating replacing the kitchen island? Here's why this café-inspired look is trending in 2025

It's no secret that we're huge fans of kitchen islands at Ideal Home. A central spot to dine, socialise and cook in a kitchen, they've quickly become a must-have design feature. But there might be a new kid on the block and the question is, is banquette seating replacing the kitchen island?

Banquette seating ideas refer to a long, upholstered bench and is often fixed against a wall. It's the type of seating that you likely see more often in restaurants, but who's to say it doesn't have a place in your kitchen?

Favoured for it's comfort and laidback style, we've been seeing banquette seating pop up all over new kitchen designs and moodboards where kitchen island ideas used to feature. We've asked kitchen experts why banquette seating is a growing trend and why you should consider opting for it over an island - here's what they had to say.

Is banquette seating replacing the kitchen island?

Kitchen islands are a great addition to busy family homes as they form a space to unite people for cooking, dining and socialising. However, if you're faced with a small kitchen or an awkward layout then a kitchen island might not be feasible.

While breakfast bars are another popular alternative, banquette seating helps to further enhance a welcoming, cafe-inspired atmosphere with casual padded bench seating.

'Banquette seating has become an increasingly popular choice for family kitchens. The compact nature of its design offers a cosy communal feel, ideal for dining. Additionally, the bespoke nature of this style of seating allows for awkward spaces within the kitchen to be utilised, creating dining nooks without taking up precious floor space,' explains Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr.

But is banquette seating good enough to replace the kitchen island? Al doesn't think so.

'Although they aren’t replacing the kitchen island, they are offering homeowners a creative idea on how to use their spaces more efficiently, offering plenty of storage and a comfortable place for the whole family to gather and share meals and memories,' he explains.

Richard Davonport, managing director of Davonport, adds, 'What we’re seeing more of now is a blending of the two. An island for function, paired with built-in banquette seating for warmth and atmosphere. It’s about tailoring the kitchen to suit your lifestyle. For open-plan spaces, in particular, a banquette can help zone the room and offer that sense of quiet luxury without compromising on practicality.'

If a kitchen island doesn't quite suit your needs as a household or the space you have available, banquette seating and a separate dining table might be a better route. It's laidback, comfortable, space-saving and works as excellent storage.

Here's how it might work for your kitchen.

1. Add to a galley layout

Galley kitchen ideas are notoriously difficult to include seating in. The narrow layout isn't quite wide enough for an island and a dining table with four chairs can also take up too much space.

This is where a banquette works perfectly. Situated at the end of a galley kitchen, you can squeeze in a dining table with enough seating around it by building a bench against the wall. By making it the same depth as your kitchen cabinets, the banquette takes up the same amount of space and means you don't lose out on storage.

2. Add storage

Not only is banquette seating useful for saving space but it also works well as a hidden kitchen storage idea.

Ideal Home's Editor, Heather Young, built banquette seating into her busy family kitchen (shown above) for this exact reason. By working with a carpenter you can create seats that lift up, leaving tonnes of storage space inside.

It's a handy place for small appliance storage ideas as you can store items you don't use every day, like ice cream makers or food processors, inside the seating to prevent it from cluttering your main kitchen space.

3. Create a café-inspired nook

Aside from the practical reasons we love banquette seating, it also lends itself very well to a cosy café aesthetic. Dining or breaknast nooks are a small-space friendly alternative to kitchen islands or even full kitchen diner ideas and work well for casual dining.

Whether it's your morning coffee or a laidback date-night dinner, using banquette seating to replicate the interiors of your favourite bistros will inject some magic into your kitchen. Complete with a soft linen cafe curtain and wooden table for a rustic approach.

Shop banquette cushions

If you choose to go for banquette seating in your kitchen then good cushions are a must for comfortable dining. Upholstering is a popular choice for a more bespoke design but there are great affordable options on the high street too.

Are you tempted to switch to banquette seating?