I’m not sure how it happens, but somehow, slowly, as we design kitchens and add furniture and look at magazines and get ideas, we end up with bar stools that look fabulous and are chic and cool and modern and we forget what a stool was all about when we were kids.
We forget about the folding kitchen stool in grandma’s kitchen that she’d pull out while she made a pie and we’d sit on spellbound watching her. Then we grew up and started working and bought our pies from a deli or grocery store and delegated folding kitchen stools to the realms of oblivion along with plaid aprons and wooden rolling pins.
Kitchen Utility Stools
But it’s never too late to give our kids a surprise (hopefully before we become grandparents) and show them just how fun kitchen utility stools can be to stand on so that little hands can reach sudsy water and help (or pretend to help) wash dishes, or to pull up to the counter when their friends drop by to eat dripping Popsicle.
Kitchen Stools for sleepy Sunday Mornings (What?)
The great thing is that kitchen bar stools that are practical for the kids don’t have to be tasteless vinyl or plain metal folding things that you want to hide. Wooden kitchen stools also fold and have natural wood seats to match modern décor. They don’t have to be an eyesore just because the little ones can kick them or dribble ice-cream all over them or stand on them to reach a box of cereal without waking you up Sunday morning.
A kitchen step stool, funny as it may sound, may actually help you get more sleep if the kids don’t have to get you up at 6:00 to serve them some coco puffs before they watch cartoons. And don’t underestimate the value of a kitchen island with stools where your young ones can snack and feel relaxed, and make a mess, without getting scolded for messing up the dinning area or living room just before guests arrive.
Step Stools for the Height Challenged
There are kitchen stools that will be very practical even if you don’t have children, but happen to be a little height challenged. Kitchen step stools, which also fold like the other utility stools, can allow you to reach the topmost kitchen shelf without calling for help. And they’re pretty safe because they usually have rubber runners on the steps so you don’t slip and the legs have rubber suction cups on the tips so the stool won’t swoosh out from under you.
Warm Fizzy Stool Memories
Stools that expand or fold or convert into steps aren’t just for grannies’ kitchens of days gone by. How wonderful it would be if your children (and their children) have warm fuzzy memories of spending time with you in the kitchen, sitting, kneeling, crouching, slouching or standing on your modern kitchen barstools sharing time with YOU because they can be right alongside whatever you do.
Sit on them, fold them and step on them
Whether you’re about to update your kitchen island with stools, jazz up your existing counter with chromed swivel kitchen bar stools or want that perfect retro kitchen stool, you’ll find zillions to choose from, even some that fold and kids can step on.
Where to begin?
1. Kitchen Counter Stools
These stools easily pull up to any style counter and are great for quick breakfasts on the run.
2. Step stools
These are versatile pieces that sit at counter-height, but below have another fold-out utility stool to make hard-to-reach places reachable. Most of them have sturdy legs and molded step treads for stability on the part you can stand on, while the chair part often has a retro style vinyl or leather padded seat.
3. Wooden stools
From utility unfinished pine to cherry, oak or cedar.
4. Folding stools
Surprise! They are not all made of metal with ugly hinges. Some are solid hardwood with padded seats and backs, the same rich look you’d expect from classic oak kitchen stools, but with folding capability for easy storage. Now it’s easy to accommodate visitors to your breakfast counter, bar or spread around a room or patio for extra casual seating.
5. Kitchen island stool
Depending on your kitchen island design you can choose low wooden bar stools especially if the island is cart style. If you have a stainless steel or marble top island you may prefer some modern kitchen stools in chrome or black leathers. If your kitchen is small and you have a drop leaf kitchen island that doubles as work table you may want to maximize your work space with a set of backless kitchen stools.
6. Wrought iron stools
Choose from swivel barstools to stationary seating. Tricia makes some great models in a choice of 18, 26 or 30 inch seat heights, and lots of upholstery choices in wild retro fun colors or classic stylish tones.
7. Country kitchen stools
For country with a twist of Mediterranean French country, try a Hills of Provence counter stool, hand-carved and finished in antique white.
8. Contemporary counter stools
One suggestion is the Silvi Bar Stool, a funky minimalist design made of polypropylene – light but strong, durable enough for commercial and outdoor use, and stackable for easy storage.
9. Italian kitchen stools
An Odette Bar Stool might be the touch of modern Italy you’re after. It’s a blend of elegance and ultra modern with a chrome frame, pyramid-like base and a seat made from one curved piece of wood, finished in a zebra pattern.
10. Gas Lift and Adjustable kitchen stools
Pod Bar Stools with chrome base, steel frame, molded curves and shiny construction, could be in a modern art gallery or in your kitchen. They come in vibrant red, yellow, blue or crisp black and white.
11. Kitchen Boston Bar Stool
If they’re made for commercial use, odds are they’ll survive the kids. They have a heavy base but a sleek ‘S’ shaped 360 degree swivel seat, low-set backrest and gas-lift.
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