Measure for kitchen bar stools by taking three figures: the height from the floor to the underside of your worktop, the length of the seating side, and the clear floor depth behind the stools. Subtract 25cm to 30cm from the first figure to get your seat height. Divide the second by 60cm to 70cm to get the number of stools. Confirm the third is at least 90cm so people can walk past someone who is seated.<\/p>\n
Those three measurements settle almost every practical question about kitchen stools. Style, colour and material only matter once they are known, because a stool that fails on any of the three will not get used regardless of how well it suits the room.<\/p>\n
Most guides tell you to measure to the top of the worktop, which works only if the surface has a simple square edge. Measure instead to the underside of whatever your knees will meet. On a slab with a plain 30mm edge, that is 3cm below the top. On a worktop with a thick timber lipping, a decorative moulding or a panelled apron, it can be 10cm or more lower.<\/p>\n
Take the measurement at the seating side, not at the sink or the hob, and take it from the finished floor. If you are planning a new floor covering, add its thickness now. Thick porcelain tiles on adhesive, or engineered timber over an existing boarded floor, can raise the level by 2cm to 3cm and reduce your clearance by the same amount.<\/p>\n
Then subtract your clearance. Twenty five centimetres is snug and suits shorter household members. Thirty centimetres is generous and suits taller adults. Twenty seven is a sensible middle figure. So a worktop with its underside at 87cm gives a target seat height of about 60cm.<\/p>\n
One caution on upholstery: a thickly padded seat compresses under weight, often by 2cm or 3cm. If a stool’s stated seat height sits at the top of your acceptable range and the seat is soft, it will settle into the range once occupied. If it sits at the bottom, it may end up too low.<\/p>\n
Measure the full usable length of the side people will sit at. Then decide how much of it is genuinely usable. Exclude the last 30cm at any internal corner, because a stool there faces into the cabinet rather than the room. Exclude any section where a dishwasher door, an oven door or a bin drawer opens into the seating zone.<\/p>\n
Divide the remainder by 60cm per person for armless stools, or 70cm if the stools have arms or wide upholstered seats. Round down rather than up. Four stools crammed into a space that comfortably holds three will mean nobody sits comfortably, and in practice the fourth stool becomes a coat rest.<\/p>\n
It also helps to think in centres rather than widths. Measure the centre point of each intended stool position and check the spacing between centres. This accounts for the fact that stools are usually narrower at the base than at the seat, so two stools can look well spaced from above while their occupants sit shoulder to shoulder.<\/p>\n
This is the measurement most often skipped and the one most often regretted. Measure from the edge of the worktop to the nearest obstruction behind: a wall, a run of units, a tall cupboard, a doorway.<\/p>\n
From that figure, deduct the depth the stool projects when someone is sitting on it. A backless stool tucked under a 30cm overhang might project 20cm. A stool with a backrest projects more, often 40cm to 45cm, because the back stops it sliding under. An occupied stool projects further still, since the sitter leans back.<\/p>\n
What remains should be at least 90cm for a route that is only used occasionally, and closer to 110cm for a main thoroughfare through the kitchen. Below 75cm, someone will have to stand up every time another person passes, which is the fastest way to make a new kitchen feel cramped.<\/p>\n
When comparing stools, look for four figures rather than one. Seat height determines the fit under the worktop. Overall height matters if the stool has a back and sits beneath a wall unit or a window sill. Seat width and depth determine how many will fit along the run. Base diameter or footprint determines whether they can be pushed together.<\/p>\n
Watch for stools whose base is wider than their seat. A splayed four leg base can measure 45cm across the feet while the seat is only 35cm, which means the spacing is dictated by the floor rather than the seat. Round pedestal bases are usually the most space efficient in this respect.<\/p>\n
Swivel stools need a little extra allowance. As the seat turns, the sitter’s knees swing outward, so a swivel model in a tight row can catch its neighbour. Where space is genuinely tight, fixed seats behave more predictably.<\/p>\n
Numbers on a page are easy to misjudge, so translate them onto the floor. Mark each intended stool position with masking tape, using the base footprint rather than the seat, then walk the route behind them.<\/p>\n
For seat height, stack books or boxes to your calculated height and sit on them at the worktop. It looks absurd and it is genuinely informative, particularly for checking that the taller and shorter members of the household can both use the surface comfortably.<\/p>\n
If children will use the stools, check the footrest height as well as the seat. A child whose feet cannot reach a rail will fidget, and a stool with a rail set high and wrapping right around the base is far more usable. This matters more with taller stools, which is worth bearing in mind alongside our range of modern childrens chairs UK sale<\/a> for younger family members who are not yet ready for counter height seating.<\/p>\n Measuring to the top of the worktop rather than the underside is the most frequent error, and it usually costs 3cm to 8cm of clearance. Forgetting a planned floor finish is the second. Measuring only the total length of the island and dividing evenly, without excluding corners and appliance doors, is the third.<\/p>\n Assuming that a stool described as counter height will fit is another. That description is not standardised across the market, so always check the stated seat height in centimetres against your own calculation rather than relying on the label.<\/p>\n Finally, measuring only for stools and forgetting the room they sit in. In an open plan kitchen the stools are seen alongside the sofa and dining furniture, so the same tape measure exercise is worth extending to the pieces around them. You can shop modern furniture for the whole space at Furniture in Fashion<\/a>, where the modern bar stools UK sale<\/a> listings state seat height and base dimensions so you can check them against your figures. We offer free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes, and Returns are available up to 30 days.<\/p>\n To the underside of the surface or any overhang, moulding or apron beneath it. That is the point your knees will meet, and measuring to the top can overstate your clearance by several centimetres.<\/p>\n Between 25cm and 30cm. Around 27cm suits most adults, and softer padded seats will compress a little once occupied.<\/p>\n Allow 60cm per person for armless stools and 70cm where the stools have arms. Exclude corners and any section where appliance doors open, then round down.<\/p>\n At least 90cm of clear floor between an occupied stool and the nearest obstruction, and around 110cm where that route is a main path through the kitchen.<\/p>\n Yes. Tiles, engineered timber or thick vinyl can raise the floor by 2cm to 3cm, which reduces your worktop clearance by the same amount. Measure from the finished floor level or add the thickness before calculating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Measuring for kitchen bar stools comes down to three figures, and this guide explains how to take each one properly. The first is height, measured to the underside of the worktop rather than the top, with guidance on clearance, planned floor finishes and how padded…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":57053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[17,5503,4180,2732],"class_list":["post-57051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bar","tag-bar-stools","tag-kitchen-measuring","tag-kitchen-planning","tag-seat-height"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Common Measuring Mistakes<\/h3>\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n
Should I measure to the top or underside of the worktop?<\/h3>\n
How much clearance should there be between seat and worktop?<\/h3>\n
How do I calculate how many stools fit?<\/h3>\n
How much space is needed behind bar stools?<\/h3>\n
Does a new floor covering affect my measurements?<\/h3>\n