Replies

1. 
   TomT226 | Sep 09, 2003 01:27pm | #1

   Standard countertop height (not bar height) is 36". Bar stools come in 24 & 30" heights. A 24" is about right for an adult, and 30" is about right for a child.

2. 
   CloudHidden | Sep 09, 2003 05:25pm | #2

   If you want what is typically expected as a bar stool, you'll need a counter that is 6" above normal, i.e., 42" to the surface. You could probably cheat that an inch or so and still fit the standard stools.

3. 
   Ruby | Sep 09, 2003 05:31pm | #3

   Having lived for 30+ years in a kitchen with a 42" countertop with 29" "bar stools, where people look like chickens uncomfortably roosting when sitting up there, our next house, having the same design for the kitchen, will have a regular table height countertop.

   Those higher sizes were a solution to cover the working part of the kitchen once kitchen's quit being a lesser room of their own, hidden from the guests.

   Those higher countertops do have their place and maybe in your kitchen such will be right for you. Just give it plenty of thought.

   Need six really nice, heavy wood, backed, swivel 29"  bar stools, very comfortable if you could reach the ground with your feet, not have to rest them on a metal bar?:-)

4. 
   dIrishInMe | Sep 09, 2003 06:11pm | #4

   Often, a "breakfast bar" backs up to a regular height section of countertop.  In this case, the height of the breakfast bar may be dependant on outlets that must be installed above the blacksplash (assuming you have blacksplash) of the regular height length of countertop.  I think the NEC requires that gfci protected outlet every 4' and an outlet in a kitchen and on any countert top section >12" wide.  

   Not sure if that makes sense, or applies for your situation, but bottom line is you gotta plan for outlets.

   Matt
5. 
   WayneL5 | Sep 09, 2003 10:10pm | #5

   The Architectural Graphic Standards book recommends 36" counter height and 24" seat height for a counter at which one sits to eat.  I used those dimensions to build the eating counter in my kitchen, and they work fine.  Since 24" is a common height for purchased stools, it works out well.

6. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Sep 10, 2003 01:55am | #6

   I build furniture for a living, so things that seem easy to me might not be so easy for other folks, but here's my two cents.

   Set the countertop height at whatever makes sense for the rest of the room -- window sill heights, other counters, outlets, whatever.   Then set the seating height about 9" below the counter height.   Me, I find 9" is about right for adults; it lets the forearms rest comfortably on the table.   If you get an unusual seating height, buy wood stools that are a little tall and cut them down.  (If you're building a kitchen, you can surely trim the bottoms of four legs.  It ain't magic.)  

   The big issue with tall stools is the height of the footrest --- be it a separate footrest or stretchers between the legs.   Unlike a regular chair, where the weight of your legs rests on the floor, tall stools must take that weight to the footrest.  If the footrest is too far from the seat, the weight of your legs forms a pressure point behind your thighs, and the stool gets uncomfortable.   If the footrest is too high, you feel like a jockey with your knees tucked up under your chin.