Wooden Bar Stools

Shopping for furniture that is suitable for your home isn’t always an easy task. I can definitely relate to such a scenario. You always have to try to balance between practicality and aesthetics. Given that there are so many choices in the market, it is easy to become overwhelmed and confused from the buying process. Just from browsing through the numerous retail shops and online shops will give you an idea of the variety available.

Looking for just the right set of wooden bar stools is no exception. After a quick glance through your home, you might realize that the kitchen island, kitchen counter or breakfast bar might be in need of one or more bar stools. You might be even struggling to decide whether you should go for a wooden bar stool or metal bar stool.

In this hub, I’ll try to provide some brief outline on the different options you are likely to encounter during your search. There are of course ideal characteristics that you should keep in mind regardless of the type of wooden bar stool you choose, which I’ll discuss as well.

When you are choosing a piece of furniture for the purpose of sitting, one of the most essential determining factors is that it should be comfortable. There is no point in buying a chair or stool that has an incredible design, making it pleasing to the eyes but completely impractical as a seat. Of course, if your intention is to only display the furniture like an artwork and not to be used, then there is no issues.

Wooden bar stools can come with or without upholstery. The material of the padding cover is primarily either leather or fabric. The former is generally more expensive than the latter, but it does have the advantage of being more durable and hence lasting longer, need replacement less frequently. Also, people tend to find it easier to clean spills and stains off leather than fabric.

Another feature of seats that can affect the comfort you experience is its surface area. This of course depends on the size of the person sitting on the seat. Checking on the recommended maximum load of the stools is definitely important and not to be overlooked.

You might also want to consider the aesthetic appeal of the seat. One component to look at is its shape. You can get mainly round seats and square seats. The shape can also play a role in the sitting comfort level. There is a subcategory called wooden saddle bar stools whose seats are curved downward as supposed to being flat. Some people find these to be more comfortable and more ergonomic (hence better for the lower back).

An additional feature you can choose for the seat is the ability to swivel around. Quite a number of people prefer swivel wooden bar stools because they find it useful that they can turn around 360 degrees whilst sitting.

This is yet another factor that can contribute to comfort. A bar stool with a back built in as part of the stool does provide support so you won’t end up slouching too much and over-straining your back. However, if you know you won’t sit for long periods of time and feel that this is not such an issue, then backless wooden bar stools are an alternative. Since they don’t have the backs, they do use up less space.

If you do want backs with your wooden bar stool, you then need to decide on the design. The common options include:

• Solid backs – these are frequently accompanied with upholstery that is the same as the seat itself.
• Ladder back – this basically refers to vertical rails running between the frame of the back.
• Spindle back – similar principle to the ladder back design except that the rails run horizontally.
  

This is something you wouldn’t want to get wrong. If you choose a wooden kitchen bar stools that are too tall or too short, you will not be comfortable sitting on it at your kitchen counter. For example, if the counter is too low comparatively to your tall wooden bar stools, you'll end up slouching too much, straining your upper back and shoulders trying to reach the food/drinks on the counter. The two most common bar stool heights on the market are 24 inches and 30 inches. The former is suitable to be used at kitchen counters and the latter for bars. There are of course other heights available as well. However, to be accurate, you should take measurements of your bar or counter.