By far one of my most popular posts and highly pinned images, is my parents breakfast nook in their Vermont farmhouse. I am often asked questions about it, so I’ve updated my blog post from a year ago with more facts, sources, and dimensions for those of you who are interested in maybe adding a nook to your own home! Here it is…
A few posts back I shared a tour of my parents vermont farmhouse . It continues to be a work in progress. Since my last visit a pergola and some outdoor benches built by my dad have been added, but the most exciting new addition is the cantilevered table in the breakfast nook. Temporarily, there was a small table and four rather uncomfortable metal chairs.
My parents enjoying some laughs in the nook… The Summer House sign was purchased several years ago at Pottery Barn
Waiting for inspiration to hit!
The idea was to have a booth with a table but the question was, what kind of table? My parents have always had a white painted kitchen table. Very nice, but not always practical. The knots would eventually bleed through, certain foods would stain it, and newspaper would make an inky mess. I came up with the idea of a metal topped table. The more it gets used, it will develop a lovely patina and better yet, be indestructible! While we were discussing this over dinner at our favorite Vermont pizza restaurant, christo’s , it occurred to me that the booth table we were sitting at was held up by a cantilevered bracket (and yes, I did crawl under the table to measure the bracket). No awkward table legs to fuss around and bump your knees on! Brilliant!
A quick google search turned up tablebases.com and my dad ordered the commercial grade large cantilevered table base. It comes in black only, so of course my mom painted it white. My dad had to cut out the wall and spray foam insulation to attach the bracket…a 3 hour project.
A bit of a mess…
The metal top turned out to be a bit of a hunt for my folks. They used two ¾” pieces of plywood with a smooth finish top for the table base. The first metal workers quoted a price of about $1000 which nearly gave my poor dad a heart attack! Next they went to their local welders who do a lot of auto metal work, monarch sheet metal. The quote to put a piece of 24″ gauge stainless steel onto the existing plywood base was $143. Sold!
The question I get asked most is what are the dimensions? The nook itself is 6′ wide by 4.6′ deep. The table is 31″ wide and 54″ deep. The benches my dad built are 19″ high by 20.75″ deep and 55″ long. There is no storage in them…my mom said she doesn’t want to accumulate more stuff!
Vintage pendant light is from Green Peak Elements in Manchester, Vermont
Here’s an interesting fact about the nook. When my parents were designing the house, my dad thought the windows would be too low and raised them during the planning stage. Lo and behold, now they were too high and you would not be able to see out the windows when seated. And that is how that little step up came to be. It was a happy accident that makes the nook even more of a special spot and really makes the table to appear to be floating!
One of my favorite spots for taking in the view is the nook. There are even binoculars on the lazy susan! This is how it looks today.
I absolutely love the floating table. My mom and I accessorized it with some items she already owned. It is the perfect spot to eat a meal while gazing out at the field and mountains. This is now the most coveted spot in the farmhouse!
One of my most favorite houses ever!
Mine too! 🙂
I’ve said this before, I love your parents’ farmhouse and this breakfast nook in particular so I’m not at all surprised that others love it too. You’re right about the step, it does add that extra special detail, and the coziness of it while being able to take in the views… I would never leave! 🙂
My parents were there all summer and fall and will be back to catch some Christmas cheer in early December but winters are long in Vermont and they are happy to be back at their little Florida cottage especially during mud season in March and April! 🙂