Here at Enhance My Kitchen, we’ve got a great range of bar stools, in all shapes and sizes, and all offering great style, quality and value. Although it might just seem like a case of choosing one that you like (or love!), there are a few things to take into consideration, so here is our Bar Stool Buying Guide to make sure that you’ll have years of comfort, sophistication and happiness with your purchase.
Where will it be?
Depending on the room that it will be located, there will be both practical and style factors to factor in when making your choice. Bar stools with back-rests are very comfortable, but take up more space than a simple seat; likewise arm-rests are luxurious but not so comfortable for elbows when eating. So, in a kitchen, consider the space around the breakfast bar island/peninsular, and whether those sitting on the stools will be eating or just drinking and relaxing.
The style, finish and colour could be chosen to match your existing furniture, appliances, flooring and wall paint schemes; could match accent colours in pictures, ornaments, wall-paper and textiles; or could be a deliberate contrast to create a fantastic feature and talking-point!
How high?
Many bar stools have a gas lift function which means that their height can be adjusted to fit many circumstances. This can be as low as a dining table chair, or as high as a commercial bar; and with the foot-rest you will always be comfortable.
For fixed height bar stools, you should be looking for a height of between 45 and 48cm to sit comfortably at a dining table, 65 to 70cm for a standard domestic breakfast bar height, and 75 to 80cm for commercial bars in restaurants and pubs.
How many?
It is sometimes hard to judge by eye how many bar stools can fit comfortably into a particular width, so here is a way of calculating it: Firstly you’ll need to take into consideration whether the bar is closed in by panels/units on each side, or open-sided. If it is closed in, then measure the width of the opening, take away 15cm, then see how many of the bar stools will fit by adding their width and 15cm in each instance. For example, if the opening is 240cm, and the bar stools are 66cm wide:
260 - 15 = 245 cm space
66 + 15 = 81cm per bar stool
3 x 81cm = 243cm needed for three bar stools
Therefore three bar stools will fit comfortably into the space.
For open-sided breakfast bars, you can perform a similar calculation, except to say that you can normally fit one more stool underneath if needed, so perhaps buy an extra one to keep if needed for a party or family visit.
