Joanna Gaines' kitchen corner is the perfect way to make dead space feel important, useful and beautiful

Kitchen corners are rife with decorating opportunities. While it can be tempting to leave an empty corner vacant, you would be surprised at how easy it is to decorate this unloved space and turn it into a beautiful and practical setup.

Above all, a kitchen should be a functional area that makes the best use of space, while ensuring it is elegant and sophisticated. It is also crucial to adapt this function depending on who will be using it. For interior designer Joanna Gaines's kitchen in her recently-designed Lake House home, the HGTV star wanted to curate a cozy seating area for informal and everyday dining as well as a great space to cook in.

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One of the big surprises in an open-plan kitchen can be just how little space you need to add to gain enough useable room for a dining area in your existing kitchen – often a mere matter of feet is all you need to fit a compact solution such as banquette or bistro-style seating.

Consider a corner kitchen seating arrangement when it’s important to fit as many friends or family members around a table as possible – a small circular table with two folding chairs is the perfect place to enjoy your morning coffee. One trick to borrow from this scheme is to use a table with a curved shape to make it easier for people to move in and out of their place.

‘People tend to congregate in the kitchen so giving them a place to perch, especially if positioned in front of an expansive window, is a wonderful way to make the most of an otherwise redundant corner,’ explains interior designer Fiona Duke.

When kitchens have expansive views of the garden, take inspiration from that and bring some of the colors inside. Joanna Gaines has done just that with the design of this mid-century kitchen space.

Choosing the woodwork and windows in a rich brown color helps to frame the garden views, while the veined marble on the walls beautifully mimics the branches on the trees. Be sure to consider what happens after dusk settles. Here, Gaines has introduced additional interest and color with pretty home decor ideas, such as orange coffee glasses and verdant foliage.

Whether you’re looking to create an intimate spot for two (similar to Gaines's) or for room to fit a table large enough for the extended family there is always a solution to suit your space.