Bar stool height guide: counter vs bar

Measure your counter first

Measure from the floor to the top of the counter, island or bar top. Most kitchen counters and islands are about 91 to 94 cm (36–37 in) high, which calls for counter stools. A raised bar or a bar-height table is about 102 to 107 cm (40–42 in) high, which calls for bar stools. A dining table is about 76 cm (30 in) high and takes ordinary dining chairs. If your number falls between these, go by the gap rule below rather than the name of the stool.

The gap rule

Whatever the surface, the seat should sit 25 to 30 cm (10–12 in) below the counter top. Less than that and your knees hit the counter; more and the counter feels too high to eat or work at comfortably. If the counter has a thick edge or an apron, choose a seat toward the lower end so your knees still clear it. In the table, pair a lower counter with a lower seat and a higher counter with a higher seat. When you compare stools, look at the seat height, not the overall height: a stool with a back can be much taller overall and still have a counter-height seat.

When your counter is an unusual height

Not every counter is standard. Older kitchens, custom islands and bar carts can sit between the usual heights, so work backwards from your own number: subtract 25 to 30 cm from the counter height to get the seat height you need. A 99 cm (39 in) counter wants a seat of about 69 to 74 cm (27–29 in), between a counter stool and a bar stool; an 86 cm (34 in) counter wants a seat of about 56 to 61 cm (22–24 in). Then choose the stool whose seat height lands inside that window.

How many stools fit

Allow about 60 cm (24 in) per stool along the counter, measured from the centre of one seat to the centre of the next. Wider stools, stools with arms and swivel stools need a little more, closer to 66 to 76 cm (26–30 in), so people can turn and get off without bumping each other. Leave about 30 cm (12 in) between each end of the counter and the centre of the nearest stool.

1. Measure the counter length you want to seat along.
2. Subtract about 30 cm at each end, measured from the end of the counter to the centre of the first stool.
3. Divide what is left by 60 cm for standard stools, or by 66 to 76 cm for wide or swivel stools, and add one.
4. Round down: a 180 cm (71 in) island seats three standard stools comfortably.

Knee room and overhang

For people to sit close to the counter, it needs an overhang of about 25 to 30 cm (10–12 in) where the stools go. A shallow overhang pushes everyone back and makes a backless stool the only comfortable choice. If you are planning a new island, build the overhang in; if you are furnishing an existing one, measure it before you choose between backless and low-back stools.

Light over the island

Pendants over the island complete the seating area. Hang them so the bottom of each pendant sits about 76 to 91 cm (30–36 in) above the counter, and space two or three evenly along its length, so people on the stools can see each other and the counter is lit where they eat.

Backless or low-back

We carry both counter-height and bar-height stools, many of them backless and others with a low back, on metal or wood frames with leather, faux leather and fabric seats. Backless stools tuck fully under the overhang and keep sightlines open across the kitchen, which suits a small room and quick breakfasts. A low back supports you through longer meals and homework without blocking the view. Leather and faux leather wipe clean, the practical choice at a counter where people eat; fabric adds warmth but needs a little more care.

A footrest matters more than it looks

At counter and bar height your feet do not reach the floor, so a footrest or rung is what makes a stool comfortable for more than a few minutes. Check that the stool has one at a height that suits the people who will sit there, especially children, and that the rung is sturdy enough to take your weight as you climb on.