Most kitchens now double as the place people sit, talk and eat, and stools make that work without adding a second table. Seldens carries counter and bar stools from Mercana, Lexington, Hooker Furniture, Stickley and Tommy Bahama Home in metal, wood, leather, fabric and rattan, sized for the dining room and the home bar alike.

Counter Height Versus Bar Height

This is the most common ordering mistake, and it is easy to avoid. Measure from the floor to the top of your surface. A standard kitchen counter is 36 inches and takes a counter stool with a 24 to 26 inch seat. A raised bar or pub top is closer to 42 inches and needs a 29 to 30 inch bar stool. What you are really after is 9 to 12 inches between the seat and the underside of the surface, enough for your legs without your knees hitting. An overhang alone does not make a counter a bar, so trust the tape measure, not the shape.

Swivels, Backs and Spacing Along the Counter

Allow 26 to 30 inches of counter length per stool, center to center, or whoever sits on the end ends up sideways. Swivel seats make it easier to get in and out of a tight run of cabinets. Backless stools tuck fully under and disappear when you need the sight line; a back is the better call if anyone lingers over coffee. Metal frames stand up to daily scuffing, and wood reads warmer next to a dining table in the same room.

Shop Counter and Bar Stools in Tacoma, Bellevue and Olympia

Bring your counter height with you and we will sit you at the right one. Our Tacoma, Bellevue and Olympia showrooms keep both heights on the floor side by side, which makes the difference obvious in a way a product page cannot. We deliver across Seattle and the South Sound, and you can see what is ready now in in stock and quick ship.