From cushy sofas to plain wood stools, kitchen seating features perches of every description.
I’m always surprised by the number of multiple kitchen seating options I see in the same space: bar stools at a counter, chairs at a table, informal banquettes, plus every combination of these and more. Slipcovered chairs you might expect to find in a dining room are pulled into an all-white kitchen [top] to soften up the surfaces – important with white cabinets, large-scale glazed tile and a high-contrast, black enamel Lacanche range.
A busy suburban kitchen supports both a dining table (with wooden chairs) as well as wood-seat counter stools.
Aluminum-frame bar stools, with upholstered seats and backs, make this eating counter an especially comfortable place to sit and the neutral fabric blends well with the handsome lighting that dominates the room.
Darkly dramatic wood-frame bar stools, with upholstered seats and partially upholstered backs, coordinate with the colors of the counters and pro-style range.
A hint of Asia permeates this kitchen via rattan bar stools with upholstered seats and woven backs. Those blend nicely with the end-cut butcher block island top and armoire-style refrigerator panels.
Classic French bistro chairs of cane and polychrome woven vinyl are pulled up to a vintage French bistro table base built into the end of an island – one way to work in a beloved table style without having a separate table.
Old-fashioned, turned wood counter stools with upholstered seats move this kitchen eating counter a step beyond basic.
When in doubt about a bar stool, head over to Design Within Reach. You’re sure to find the answer you’re looking for there – these LEM Piston Stools in stainless are a sure bet since they’re an architect favorite with just the hint of a back. Stylish, yes. Comfortable? A matter for discussion.
Hard and harder can describe the surfaces in this black and white kitchen which is one of the few I’ve seen where hardware and lighting fixtures dominate the design to the point of creating a hardware look. In this case the Marais counter stools in galvanized steel add to the industrial aura.
Turning its back on the kitchen, this sofa sets the tone for a multipurpose room that seems more designed for couch potatoes rather than potato peeling. With the dining table treated much like a sofa table, the usual relationship between food preparation space and seating is clearly inverted. Still, there is an ample sink and cooktop in view and the attractive oak paneling and elaborate cabinetry wall with its limestone counter no doubt conceals a trove of all the culinary necessities. While the truly kitchen obsessed might find such an arrangement wanting, I must admit I find the function-be-damned attitude in this kitchen quite refreshing. It reminds me of the old saw: “you know what my wife makes for dinner? Reservations.”
these pictures all make me long for high ceilings! oh wait, i was supposed to be looking at the stools 😉
So, perhaps you’re where I am. Kitchen finished and you look around and think about all the other things that would be nice to have. I’m currently obsessed with storage.