Seating your family at the counter as you prepare a delicious meal or entertaining friends on game day in your kitchen is always enjoyable. In recent years the kitchen has become more of a communal space that includes conversing, eating and taking part in the culinary experience of the cook.
Bar stools and counter height stools are an important element to consider when planning your kitchen area. Depending on your lifestyle and decorative style, choosing the perfect counter stool doesn’t have to be such a challenge. Use these ideas to pick chairs that truly reflect you and you home’s hospitality.
Assessing your decor style when choosing counter height stools:
There are so many great styles of stools to choose from. Remember when bar stools used to be hard, round, and only came in a few colors? Long gone are those days and now stools are just as comfortable as your formal dining chairs or they can resemble a rustic mountain home like these stools from Wiley Design as you can see below.
Decide if you want your stools to mimic the casual or formal style of your kitchen. Remember to look at the impact your kitchen has on the rest of your interiors. For open floor plan homes try and choose chairs that mimic the coloring in your adjacent rooms countertop, flooring, and any textiles in furniture or window treatments.
Adding casual style to your kitchen counter with rattan counter stools:
For many homes that are transitional style or have an eclectic mix of traditional and modern accents, it’s nice to add texture to your kitchen counter. These stylish rattan counter stools from Lamps Plus marry the best of both the natural fiber world with the modern. The natural rattan and Havana bycast leather blend beautifully in your interiors and come in a seat height of 26”. The rattan wrapped back makes it durable yet still light enough to easily pull out from the counter.
Set of 2 Boston Havana Leather Rattan 26" Counter Stools
Connecting your seating to your lifestyle:
Every home is different and so should your choice of bar stool seating. If you entertain frequently and have a large kitchen consider high back upholstered chairs that will remain comfortable for guests. While if your home has children and teenagers and your kitchen is always a fast-paced room, opt for simplified seating with durable surfaces and skip the upholstery!
Remember to consider the weight of the chairs for moving in and out to protect your kitchen wall from being scratched and helping your guest at the same time.
Choosing the perfect counter stools can be challenging but using the tips should give you a head start.
Remember to measure your countertop height from the floor to the top of the counter. Use this measurement to ensure your barstool seat height is approx. 10”-12” below the top of the countertop.
Measurement differ depending on the style of stool but use this as a general guideline. These stools from Koo de Kir above don’t have upholstery so measuring the seat height can be easier. If all else fails, sample them in your home to ensure a perfect height fit.
You will love how you just added a new seating area in your kitchen that you and your guests will love.
Image credits: KannCept Design, Inc., Wiley Design LLC, Koo de Kir