When you get up in the morning for breakfast, eating at the dining room table may seem a little too formal. For this meal, and for casual sit-downs to enjoy a snack or a cup of coffee, a breakfast nook can be ideal.

The kitchen has become more of a focal point of the home, and you may be able to incorporate a nook into the new design if you renovate this area. However, it may also be possible to set up a cozy seating area in an existing part of the kitchen or a nearby room.

One option is to set the breakfast nook aside in its own space. Becky Harris, writing for the home design site Houzz, says you can outfit a bay or other semi-enclosed area with benches and a table.

Other breakfast nooks can be set up in the open. You may be able to create a booth using a partition wall so that the seating area is separated from the kitchen but still part of the room as a whole. Other options include installing seating to fill a corner of the room or designing a nook to incorporate a window seat or kitchen island.

Even if space is limited in the kitchen, you may be able to make it work. Pedestal tables can be tucked away in many tight spaces, and you only need to add a couple of chairs around them to make it a comfortable dining area.

See if you might be able to set up the nook in a place with a view. The home improvement site HomeAdvisor says it can be relaxing to start your day with a view out onto the neighborhood, visiting wildlife in your backyard, or other pleasant scenes.

If the breakfast nook won't benefit from natural light in the morning, you may want to update your electrical lighting. Leah James, writing for SFGate, says a pendant light, chandelier, or other hanging light can be perfect for the space. Make sure it is suspended about 30 to 34 inches above the table so you won't bump into it when getting up.

Decide what kind of seating is most appropriate for the space. Stoney Creek Furniture, a Canadian business, says small round tables and stools will take up the least amount of space. If you have more room, bench seating may work better.

The latter type of seating has the added benefit of opening up some more storage space. Bench seats can be designed to open up to hold items, and floor level drawers can also be installed. Taller banquette seating may be able to support cabinetry or shelves.

A breakfast nook can be a good place to experiment with styles and decoration. Harris says warm colors, personal items such as photographs or drawings, or even chalkboard paint can make the space more appealing. Mixing the sizes and textures of decorative items can also yield beautiful results.

While you can also choose to make the nook complement the rest of your kitchen, some subtle touches can make it stand out on its own. Stoney Creek Furniture says it is a good place to paint an accent wall or mix styles, such as pairing a wooden table with steel chairs.

Don't forget that the breakfast nook should be a convenient place to relax in the morning. James suggests limiting the amount of items stored on the table, since these can make it more difficult to put down reading material, cups and saucers, and other items. A simple vase or bowl of fruit bowl can be sufficient.