Table and Chairs

• Adding a table and chairs to a kitchen is the easiest way to create an eat-in kitchen. The table doesn't have to be big, but it should seat the members of the household comfortably. In small kitchens, try a petite bistro table with two chairs. The table should be big enough to allow a child to sit down for an after-school snack.
  
  

Banquette

• A kitchen with a built-in banquette in the corner or a booth in a nook is an eat-in kitchen that makes the most of limited space. Homeowners can integrate the dining feature into their decor with sleek stone benches or the vinyl seats of a retro diner. The family can slide into the space for a cup of coffee or a sit-down breakfast.
  
  

Kitchen Island

• Builders have introduced another eat-in kitchen option with the center island. If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the island is the heart of the kitchen. Adding a narrow extension to the island gives family members a place to sit down and have a meal. They can tuck their bar stools under the extension when they're finished.
  
  

Portable Furniture

• Portable furniture can make any kitchen an eat-in kitchen. Set up a gate-leg table in the kitchen for meals, and then fold it up and use it as a narrow counter surface on one side of the room. Homeowners can roll a wheeled counter-height island into the center of the kitchen for a meal and tuck it back into a corner when the meal is over.