Choosing the right seating for your kitchen with so many bar stool choices.
Bertoia Style Wire Side Chair Stools
Purchasing stools for your kitchen counter, island or breakfast bar might not be as straightforward as it would seem. Finding the right stools for a kitchen remodel can be a designer’s biggest challenge because there are quite a few variables one must consider. Should the stools match or coordinate with the kitchen chairs? Should the stools pick up on tones and materials from the more lasting design elements like the appliances or soft furnishings within the room? Will backed or backless stools look best with the rest of the space?
How many stools are needed to fit the needs of the client and proportionally work with the rest of the design? Should upholstered stools be used or does the client require something a little easier to care for? What height will work best? What is more important, how the stools look or how the stools feel? How does the style of décor in the kitchen flow with the rest of the home?
Finding the right stools for a kitchen remodel can be a designer’s biggest challenge because there are quite a few variables one must consider.
Here the bar stools are shown in the apple green accent colour
Even with all of the confusing things one must consider when selecting new kitchen stools, the good news is there has never been a better selection of kitchen stools to choose from.
Today you can find bar stools in a variety of heights, materials, styles and finishes and there are some really great designer and affordable designer replicas to choose from. Finding the right stool for your kitchen can entail a complicated selection process but when you find the stool that looks fantastic in your kitchen, it is a beautiful thing.
The good news is there has never been a better selection of kitchen stools to choose from.
Philippe Starck style Ghost stools add an open & airy element
So to answer some questions, should stools match or coordinate with your kitchen chairs? This is open to individual taste. I have clients who are matchy matchy and still manage to make a room look finished without looking coloured by numbers. I also have clients who would bristle at the same stool and chair style, perhaps feeling like they have been given one choice where they could have had two.
Maybe they favour a more eclectic look or perhaps other elements of the design have already been coordinated and a different style is needed to break up the matching elements a bit. It also depends upon the style stool and chair. If you are going with a heavier, upholstered chair, I generally don’t like the same in a stool, it can often look too bulky or formal.
If you have gone with a style like the Tolix chair and stool collection or even the Thonet stool and chair collection, these designs lend themselves well to coordinating and matching pieces. Perhaps it’s their simplicity and timeless design that makes them work so well paired together.
A style like the tolix chair and stool collection or even the thonet stool and chair collection lend themselves well to coordinating and matching pieces.
Contoured timber bar stools store neatly under counter
With today’s modern design, nothing looks sharper than picking up a material from your kitchen and mirroring it in a counter stool. Do you have high end stainless steel appliances? There are many beautiful bar stools that are constructed from stainless steel that will help pull in an element of your overall design.
Do you have high end, custom wood cabinetry? Try a counter stool in the same or similar finish or even painted wood bringing in an accent colour from the room. You can use the lines of your kitchen as inspiration to help you decide on the form of your bar stools. Is your room awash in sweeping curves and rounded edges? Pick a stool with a similarly rounded form and curved elements.
Is your kitchen filled with modern geometric forms and linear elements like hard corners, square or rectangular tiles or blocky light fixtures? If so, bar stools with angular elements like squared off foot rests and such will meld attractively.
Nothing looks sharper than picking up a material from your kitchen, like stainless steel and mirroring it in a counter stool.
The right stool can make or break the space
In the debate over backless or backed stools, it really depends on your space and other design elements. A client of mine ordered a beautiful slab of Italian marble for her kitchen. The piece itself was a natural work of art with thick green agate layers and veins of iridescent brown flowing through it. It was a one of a kind, truly spectacular piece that made for a stunning counter so it was no surprise that this client didn’t want the back of any stool, however beautiful, detracting from her pièce de résistance.
Other clients have small space issues where a backless stool looks less crowded in a busy kitchen that needs space for other things. Or perhaps three backed bar stools would fit in your breakfast bar but you have four kids and four backless stools fit the same space. Backed stools, especially if they do not have armrests also come in slimmer styles that are space conscious. If space is no concern, then pick a stool that appeals to your style and the desired feel of the room.
Whether you go with a backless stool, a backed stool or even a stool with arms largely depends upon space.
Thonet style bentwood bar stools painted white
Do you like artsy, woody, rustic or avante garde? Check out the Tolixstyle stool or even the Euro chic,Thonet bentwood designs. Do you like sleek, modern stools with the look of leather and brushed stainless stool? Relax House has a wide collection of inspire modern bar stools. I think fabric upholstered stools are beautiful but more practical for the pages of a design magazine than a real home.
No matter how tidy you are, fabric will wear and stain over time and expensive, custom upholstered stools generally have a short shelf life before home owners are ready to replace them. Even leather isn’t always kitchen friendly.
Some designers eschew the leather like upholsterys available (usually a premium vinyl fabric) but really, I love this material for the kitchen because it feels and looks really good but it is inexpensive and a breeze to wipe down.
Do you like artsy, woody, rustic or avante garde? Check out the tolix style stool or even the euro chic, Thonet bentwood designs.
Tolix style bar stools in galvanised steel
It is important that you like the look of the stool in your kitchen but it’s also a plus to have a comfortable stool. If comfort is high on your list, look for well-padded seat bottoms and if you are looking at metal, wood or stools constructed from other hard materials, look for a seat that is slightly contoured.
Good padding while comfortable will also help your stools wear longer. The key to finding the right bar stools and counter stools for your space is carefully consider what you want and what you need. After that, it’s simply a matter of finding the one that best represents your personal style and the desired look of your kitchen