With modern kitchens now serving a wide variety of functions in busy family homes, breakfast bars are an increasingly popular feature. Breakfast bars of all shapes and sizes have been integrated into our solid wood kitchens over the years: whether devised as part of an L-shaped worktop design; built as a standalone unit; or incorporated with a slender worktop overhang underneath which bar stools can be tucked.
Ensuring that the right weight-bearing mechanisms are in place is crucial when designing a breakfast bar, but legs need not be purely functional. Fortunately there are a wide range of supports available for your worktop, allowing you to select a style that suits your aesthetic:
Courtesy of Lumber Furniture
Hairpin Legs
With the boom of ‘modern industrial’ interior design trends, hairpin legs are now more prominent than ever. These metal supports are sleek and stylish and – thanks to their narrow prongs – prevent spaces from feeling overcrowded by furniture, even in kitchens of the most modest proportions.
Typically, hairpin legs are made from solid steel, and create a wonderfully rustic effect when paired with
wooden work surfaces.
Need some help choosing the right solid wood worktop for your kitchen? Our buyers guide to wooden worktops looks at some of the options available and is a great place to start your search!
Courtesy of Worktop Express
Round Chrome Legs
A polished chrome finish is highly versatile and well-suited to almost any kitchen design, thanks to the prevalence of chrome and stainless steel fittings. This cylindrical breakfast bar leg is aesthetically-pleasing and highly robust, providing all the necessary support for your flexible working-to-dining table top.
Tempted by this table leg? The featured chrome breakfast bar leg is 870mm tall and can be purchased from (our sister supplier).
Courtesy of Houzz
Book Shelf Supports
Though these supports are not legs – exactly – shelf-style mechanisms can give added reinforcement to slimline breakfast bars and overhanging worktop. These brackets are ideal for creating a multi-functional space, allowing bar stools can be easily tucked beneath the work surface (though please note that these kinds of supports are not suitable for larger, heavier worktops).
There are a variety of supports that can be easily fitted between the underside of your breakfast bar and the side of cabinets, providing an attractive and minimalist appearance.
Courtesy of Worktop Express
Solid Oak Breakfast Bar Legs
What could be sturdier than solid wood? The ideal choice for complementing our real wood kitchens, these square-edged breakfast bar supports are made entirely of oak, and are finished with wood oil to nourish the timber and help prevent it from drying out. These breakfast bar legs are the perfect match for a solid oak worktop.
If you are a fan of real oak breakfast bar legs, you can find them on the Worktop Express website; our sister brand also offers a painted option in Farrow & Ball’s popular New White shade.
One of our beautiful customer kitchens
Leg-Free Option
When creating a casual dining space, breakfast bar legs may not always be necessary – at least not if a sufficient area of your worktop is supported by cabinetry. We often see this style of breakfast bar featured as part of a kitchen island; this leaves wall-adjacent countertops free for food preparation, whilst the dining area remains clear of clutter. If this is your preferred choice for breakfast bars, do bear in mind that any overhang of more than 35cm should be supported by at least one additional leg or weight-bearing mechanism.
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Note: This guide was originally published on 9th September 2016 but was updated on 28th February 2018 to include additional information.
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