Wednesday, August 29

Bar Stool Dilema

More big news on the kitchen front! Or at least big plans. :) We are about to finish up the drawers and my parents are coming up this weekend  to help us... pour the countertops! So exciting! We're even hoping to squeeze in a little painting while the concrete cures. I've been doing some planning today and started thinking about the new bar area and especially the bar stools we'll need. And I've got a question for you. :)


 Here is the bar area so far. The countertop will overhang farther than the plywood is now (about 10" total) and is marked by the blue tape on the floor. So this kind of gives you an idea of how much space there is. So on to the question...



What kind of bar stools should I use??? My original thought was to do simple, backless saddle seat stools. I really like this style because of the simple, clean lines and the shallow depth that will take up less floor space.


 But, being me, I would rather DIY something a little cheaper. :) I've had my eye on these stool plans by Ana White for quite a while (all the plans I'm linking today are by Ana White). I think I could pretty easily adjust these plans to make a longer saddle seat.


Or I could do the same thing with stools in this this style instead. But I think I like the one above a little better because it doesn't look as heavy.


And here is one more style of simple, backless stools for your consideration. A little more modern than the first option, a little lighter-weight than the second.


But after thinking reviewing all the backless options, I started wondering if something different would be better for our current lifestyle (a.k.a. a toddling Baby B). So my other idea is to do something with a back on it like this.


These would especially be great because we have a booster seat we could strap on so Baby B could sit up at the countertop (which we can't do with a backless stool). But there are a few things that worry me, too. For one thing, these chairs look heavier overall and would stick up higher than the countertop which might make things feel more closed off. But my biggest concern is that they have a deeper seat, meaning they would take up more floor space. You can kind of see in the picture up near the beginning that there isn't a ton of space between the bar and the place the floor transitions to the living room. I'm just worried about if it's enough room for the chairs to pull out a comfortable distance without having to jump the transition in the floor. There is enough room for it to be possible, but I don't know if it's enough to be comfortable. But anyway, here are the DIY options for stools with backs....

I actually like this one a lot. More than I expected to like a backed chair after having my heart set on a saddle seat. :) I like that it is still simple, and I think the 2x4s will make it really sturdy. And I could probably make the back a little lower so it wouldn't reach too high (maybe stop after the second rung instead of going up to 3). I also realized I could make the seat a little narrower on a stool with a back, but again I want to make sure it will be comfortable (and I also don't know how deep a seat needs to be for Baby B's booster to work on it).


I also found this one that has some promise. If you can look past the finish... which is not my style AT ALL. And the scrolly things on the legs. But I like the unique shape of the back on this one and that the back is a little shorter.


 So those are my options (for now, I'm open to other ideas) and the question is....
Which one should I choose???

 Let's hear it. What do you like, what do you hate, which one would you pick if you were me? Any better suggestions? Help a sister out!

2 comments:

  1. I like the leg shape of the first DIY stool (blue) and like the back of the last stool you showed. The legs give the feeling of the saddle seat stool without necessarily having a saddle seat. The square within a square looks like unique while the other backs are more traditional.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooo, you mean like mix the legs of the first one with the back of the last one? That could work... Those are my favorite parts too, actually!

      Delete

Subscribe