The sheer amount of diversity available in today's modern bar stool scene is surprising to many. The average shopper has a plethora of choices to make, including what material they want their stools made out of, then you have to decide what upholstery you want to use, assuming you want the seat covered and padded at all, and then you have to decide on which height is right for you. Today's kitchen stools come in heights ranging from 24 inches to 30 inches, with many models also coming in at 26 inches and 29 inches. Which type of kitchen stools is right for you? It all depends on the following factors.
How you use them
If you don't already own your own tape measure, you probably want to run out and get one. You need to measure from the floor up to the underneath side of whatever surface you plan on using your stools on. One mistake that many families make is that they only measure in on area, but then they plan on using their stools in multiple rooms. If you are hoping to use your stools at the bar, at the dining room table and then again in the living room when you have guests over, make sure you measure all three places and make your decision based on all three pieces of information.
Crunching the numbers
On average, a person needs about 10 inches for leg room, so if you are measuring for a surface that is 40 inches, a 30 inch bar stool would work perfectly. If you want to allow for a bit more room, you may want to get one slightly shorter to give members of your family a bit more space. This is especially important if you have a house full of large men who need more space than what others may need. You also need to take into account the height of the seat as well as the height of the legs. This is especially important if you have chosen a padded bar stool that features a seat with four or five extra inches of padding on it. If you have chosen an unpadded seat, than this won't be a problem.
While every home is different, in general, the average height for a counter top in most Western style homes is 36 inches and the average bar height is 40 inches. Don't take these numbers as gospel, however, the most important factor you need to look at is how and where you plan on using your stools. It is the folks who choose to use their stools in more than one place that often run into trouble, and don't forget to measure outside if you plan on moving your kitchen stools out onto your patio or balcony.
As you can see, choosing the right height on your kitchen stools is a fairly easy proposition. All you need is your trust tape measure and a good idea of how you will be using your stools once you have them in your home.
