Guidelines for Purchasing Bar Stools

I was working with my client’s, the Gordon’s, here recently. They purchased bar stools through our firm for the bar area off of their family room. As we discussed measurements, fabrics, etc., it occurred to me that it might be helpful to post some guidelines for purchasing bar stools on our blog:
Height: The standard rule in the industry is to allow 10-13 inches between the bar stool seat and the bottom of the bar or pub table. This will leave plenty of room for your legs.
Standard Heights: Bar stool height is commonly 29-31 inches from the floor to the seat. Pair this with a 41-43 inch bar or table height A counter stool is commonly 24-26 inches from the floor to the seat. Pair this stool with a 35-37 inch counter height
Width: The standard rule is 26-30 inches between the centers of each stool seat. This typically allows between 4 to 6 inches between each Stool
Counter Stool or Bar Stool: For counter heights above 38”, choose a barstool and for counter heights below 38” a counter stool will typically work.
Other things to consider when purchasing bar stools: Where will the stool go? In the case with my client we were putting the stools under a bar area against walls painted Chocolate Brown. I recommended a gold chenille fabric so the gold color would pop up against the brown wall. I also did not want for the frame to be too busy, since we had three bar stools in a fairly small area. If in doubt, less is typically more.
How often will the stools be used? We also used a fabric that will wear well since my clients have children. We are also going with a high back for back support. The seat cushion is boxed with a thicker foam than a slip seat to allow for more comfort.

Style? I tend to lean toward more simple designs if there are more than two in an area to keep the barstools from looking too busy. That may not always be the case, though, and so each space needs to be looked at to consider the frame style.