We have lived in this house for nearly seven years now, and have made lots of changes over that time period. I’ve painted the kitchen cabinets, we installed hardwood floors, gave our fireplace an overhaul, removed our pond and had a paver patio installed, and painted almost every wall in the house at least once, including the exterior. But one thing that has remained unchanged in our home since the start – the barstools in our kitchen. And I really don’t like them. They’re a mix of wood, metal and have an upholstered seat – not my style. They have a curved piece of metal along the sides of the backrest that seem to be a magnet for me to whack my arm on when I’m walking by – bruising myself in the process. They just stick out too much and aren’t very pleasing to the eye. However, they are pretty comfortable, so I’ll give them snaps for that at least. But, in the hunt for the perfect barstool, I have yet to find anything that I couldn’t live without to replace them. This post contains some affiliate links.
There are so many options when it comes to barstools – upholstered, wood, metal. With a back or without? Swivel or no swivel? Arms or armless? I guess part of my indecision is that what I want, and what is practical, are two different things. I have kids, so we need to live in that reality, since I plan on actually allowing them to sit on the barstools. In a perfect world, I find myself drawn to barstools like these from my favorite Homearama house this year (although I somehow neglected to include this photo in the tour):
I like that they have a back on them, but it’s not overpowering. I love the upholstered look, with the great graphic print, and the nailhead detail. Most importantly, they look comfortable (although I don’t think they swivel). They’re gorgeous, but probably not the most kid-friendly. However, my kids are getting older, so is it possible to consider such a style? One other item to note is that this is a counter-height island, whereas mine is a bar height breakfast bar. I wish I had just a single flat surface like this instead of a two-tiered breakfast bar, as I think the options for counter-height stools are more stylish. But, it is what it is.
Leather Swivel
I mentioned that our current barstools swivel, which is one thing that I do like about them. These sharp looking leather swivel barstools with nailhead trim look sleek, stylish and comfortable. A winning trifecta. AND, the leather makes for super easy cleanup. They also come in brown and black.
Woven Texture
These woven barstools from Ballard Designs caught my eye for their pretty texture, and they also look pretty comfortable, with the padded seat. I also like that they will tuck nicely under the bar when you’re not sitting in them. Nothing for me to whack my arm on when I’m walking by – bonus.
Another elegant looking woven barstool here, with a pretty graphic print on the seat to go along with it. Lower arms, room to sit and be comfortable too.
Tufted Comfort
A comfortable, tufted barstool always catches my attention, and this pretty charcoal gray tufted barstool has a high class look to it. I would just have to make sure that I Scotchguard it before I allow my kids to sit there.
Speaking of tufted barstools, this is another beautiful upholstered barstool, but the tufting is actually on the back of the barstool. Again, some pretty nailhead trim takes this one up a notch in my book. I like the curved profile on this one too – since it will tuck in underneath the counter nicely.
Classic Lines
This pretty gray and white barstool with wood trim appeals to me from a symmetrical perspective (I love the striped lohttps://rstyle.me/n/crutmicb3sfok), as well as the mix of the gray with the lighter wood tones. That is a color combination I just can’t get enough of right now. Again, I’m starting to notice a common theme with the nailhead trim.
Backless Beauty
I love the idea of tucking my barstool underneath the breakfast bar, so there’s nothing sticking out or up in your line of sight. However, given the amount of time that we all spend sitting in these barstools, function needs to take precedence over form in this scenario. But these backless barstools with a fun are really sharp, don’t you think?
Do you have any favorites out of this group? Am I the only one who struggles with choosing barstools? I swear, it’s been on my list since we moved here, and yet, I can’t make up my mind. I guess it’s because barstools are something that I won’t replace again anytime soon.
What makes a good barstool in your experience?
Jenny
15 Comments
Calypso in the Country
August 30, 2017 at 8:55 amAll pretty choices. I think I like 4 and 5 the best but I am going to swing over to look at your kitchen again to be sure. It took me forever to choose stools after we remodeled our kitchen. I ended up choosing very inexpensive rush seat backless ones so they would tuck under. My boys (and husband) can get pretty sloppy when they are making food so I thought that option would work for us. They are cute, so easy to move around and easy to clean but I still keep my eyes open for the “perfect stool” that I plan to buy someday. I would love to have a back on them just because we do sit at the island a lot. Good luck deciding on yours! You have great taste so I am sure you will choose something lovely!
Shelley
Jenny
August 30, 2017 at 10:50 pmThanks Shelley – I think the cost on some of them intimidates me, as I’m not going to drop big bucks on barstools. But, I don’t want super-cheap either, you know? There has to be a middle ground here somewhere!
Lynn
August 30, 2017 at 2:17 pmI’ve had to sit on a backless chair on occasion and have found it to be very uncomfortable after about 5 minutes. Turn your current stool around to the side, effectively removing the back, and try eating a meal….bet you slump after a few minutes when you aren’t concentrating on how to sit. The stools with backs are all lovely…and I really do think (perhaps because I’m older than you) that comfort is most important!
Jenny
August 30, 2017 at 10:45 pmThat’s kind of what I’m guessing Lynn. I love the look of a backless barstool, but I don’t think it will be comfortable in the long run. Comfort is a top priority!
Lauren@SimplyLKJ
August 30, 2017 at 4:04 pmWe just purchased new ones after years of having the same basic stools. So many options. The price for some is just crazy! We got a great deal on the farmhouse style ones we wanted at Target.
Jenny
August 30, 2017 at 10:46 pmThe prices on some of them are downright crazy! I think that’s also keeping me from making a decision. I don’t want to go too cheap, but I’m not going to drop thousands of dollars on barstools either. There has to be a happy medium!
Julie
August 30, 2017 at 6:19 pmI vote for stools with backs and easy to clean. My kids are grown, but they still get dirty hands on the stools. I don’t think swivel is necessary and in our house, people would just spin around to bug me, but maybe your kids are better behaved and if so, do you want to train ours for me? 😉
Jenny
August 30, 2017 at 10:48 pmI love all things that swivel, and I think the reason I even have that on the list is because our current ones swivel, and I like that. I also want a pair of swivel chairs for the basement after sitting in some super-comfy ones on vacation. So I love the swivel. But yes, the kids do whack into the counters with them, which drives me crazy. 😉
Carlee
August 30, 2017 at 8:10 pmSo happy to see this post. I have been searching for the perfect barstool for 6 months….good luck!
Jenny
August 30, 2017 at 10:43 pmAt least you’ve only been looking for six months vs. six years+ like me. 🙂
Debbie
August 31, 2017 at 7:39 amI am not a fan of stools with arms (they add too much weight to the stool), nor do I think swivel is necessary. I, too, am in the market for new counter stools. I’ve had practically every option over the years and currently am using my favorite… upholstered with backs and I LOVE them! The problem is they are difficult to keep clean and my cat loves them even more than I do. Enough said about that. I am on the hunt for a basic good-looking wood chair that can be cleaned easily and is not as tempting for my cat to lay on. Practicality and function over design and decor for me! (Maybe I can find one that fits them all!)
Tracy
August 31, 2017 at 11:19 amI like #3 and #4. I have ones like #3 and love them
Tracy
August 31, 2017 at 11:31 amI got mine at Homegoods
jill
September 1, 2017 at 8:35 pmFor barstools which can get heavy and cumbersome, the swivel helps getting in and out. That being said, we have the Ballard “Contstance” in black which we love (but don’t swivel) because they are lighter weight so easier to move in and out, and reasonable price (especially if you wait for one of their 20% off sales)
Stacy
September 2, 2017 at 1:56 pmI fell in love with these in the Ballard catalog. Classic & cute.
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/dayna-stools/furniture/dining-kitchen/barstools/413093