Kitchen Help: Which Barstool Would You Choose?
We are still in construction-zone mode at my house!
Which means that Hannah and I are mostly living at my mom’s house. I think we could get by without the kitchen, it is just that I want her to be able to safely play – and our house isn’t suited for that these days.
The picture above is actually about a week ago, but that is the best I have right now (I have more on my good camera – this one is from my phone).
So you can see the beam that we put in – and if you look down you can see where the plumbing lines are. So, that will be our sink (a farmer’s sink) and then above that will be a counter that reaches through into the family room.
So I am on the search for a pair of great counter-height chairs.
Can I get your input?
I am going for a fresh, cottage look. The cabinets are white, and the countertop is a granite with a white base and brown and black specks and veins. Farmhouse sink… stainless steel…
So here are some options I am looking at for my chairs.
Which is your favorite???
1
This is definitely the most affordable option. I think with something like this we would need cushions since that hard edge hits you right on the back of your legs. Over time I think I would hate that!
2
Marlow Nailhead Counter Stool – Ballard Designs
I think these are really great and unique. But …maybe a little fancy for the feel I am going for? But if I saw them at your house I would ask about them.
3
Marguerite Barstool – Ballard Designs
What do you think about these? I really like how unique they are. And I am assuming that they swivel – which is a great feature for a bar stool.</p?
4
Here is what I like about this one… with this company you can usually customize your fabric choice – and I think these would be really great in a light stripe – a yellow and white stripe?
And I like how there is no back – so the sight line into the family room is unobstructed.
5
Vintage French Round Upholstered Barstool (Resoration Hardware)
This, I love too. I’m not sure if it is the perfect fit – but I can still love it.
How about a little poll?
Thank you for taking the time 🙂
I guess I usually choose practicality over style. You have some beautiful options! For me, I have chosen backless stools because kids can’t lean back and tip over backwards as easily, and stools with the fewest crevices and decorative ‘bumps’ possible to minimize the amount of dusting and and cleaning oatmeal and fingerprints I have to do. But we eat 2-3 times a day at our island, so it just can’t be a fancy space. For looks alone I love options 2 and 3! I’m excited to see your new kitchen!
My brother has the Ikea Ingolf, and it has held up pretty well. One thing that you may want to consider (if you haven’t already) is having to clean the cloth on the chairs. How easy would it be, and how long would they stay clean with Hannah’s little patty-paws?
That is my input, but I do love your selection of stools! I can see why you are having such a difficult time!
I think they are all nice but to me it would depend on what the overall look of your kitchen was.
Also, and this is big for me, I don’t like anything fabric covered unless it easily wiped clean. Eventually with kids things get horribly dirty and fabric is hard to clean and then never looks quite as nice.
Whatever you choose, get one with a back!
This is your future self speaking… “NO CLOTH in the kitchen while there are kids in the house. You’ll kick yourself if you go for “form” over “function” at this point in your life. The extra stress and work is just not worth it.
Number 2 to me is the most cottage looking.
These are some great choices but I know that my kids get things filthy… especially things that they are eating on! The first choice seems the most practical–no crevices and no fabric that will undoubtedly get something spilled on it.
I voted for the first one, because I like a simpler look and think with littler kids a back is important. Of course if your seat is wide enough, maybe that’s not such an issue. I also am not a fan of “spinning” ones. Too much temptation for littles. I agree it depends on your overall look, as “cottage” can mean several different things. If you selected the first one (which is probably one of the cheaper options, too 🙂 ), and you have lighter cabinets, I’d probably paint them some cool accent color or cream/white to blend better.
If you decided to go backless, I’d go for #3, for all of the customizing options.
Just realized the number is under the correlating picture, so I guess that would be 4, not a 3 for my second choice.
I’m going through the same thing right now, so I’m trying to dissect all the comments here. Your Ikea option is very attractive — it’s pretty and the price is right. I worry about the fabric on the nailhead stools — it can’t be removed easily (I don’t think …) and you’ve got toddling going on in your house. The Marguerites are beautiful, but the rush seats can get filthy with little ones; wait until a whole bowl of oatmeal gets spilled in there. I really like the Mallory stools — slipcovering them is genius, but one of your commenters said whatever you do, make sure they have backs … why? Falling children? Comfort for Grandpa? I like backless — I was thinking of finding something called a saddle stool (the Tibetan Barstool from Pottery Barn) because of its clean lines, but I need to study the cons on “backless.” And the last one: everything from Restoration is beautiful, but I always assume I can’t afford it and could find something that works cheaper somewhere else. Can you tell I overthink everything? Decisions are never my fave thing! Good luck — let us know which one you choose!
Sounds like there are some differences of opinion regarding the backs of stools. I have two stools with backs, and I wish I had backless ones. My kids are always leaning back on them and falling over, and their shirts get snagged on them all the time (sounds ridiculous, but it happens at least twice a week). Consider how much space you have in your kitchen. Mine is on the small side, and the stools make things a little cramped. I think saddle stools would be great in my kitchen since they are backless and shallow enough to fit all the way under the counter when not in use.
I love number two, but have to agree with others about the fabric. We have saddle seat style stools from Gardner Village and I LOVE them, very practical and they have the cottage look, depending on the color. 🙂 Good luck with you choice, your kitchen will be beautiful!
My favorite bar stools were the suspend it kind!! our kitchen was our favorite room in the house! We designed a BIG circular bar which had 10 seats. If interested I can send a picture of our bar but I am out of town. They were so nice and not in the way!!
Definitely Ikea. We have the chairs at our house, and we love them. Really, I had no idea how filthy a 2-year-old could get a chair in ONE meal–until recently. These clean up great. Plus, if your counter is 36 inches in height, the Ikea bar-height stools (the tallest ones) are the perfect height for little ones, plus they still work for adults.
And if you’re ambitious you can paint them a cute cottage-y color. I had a friend who painted hers, and they turned out great.
Can’t wait to see the new kitchen!