Island seating is one of the most used spots in a Dubai villa: breakfast before school, homework while dinner cooks, coffee with a guest who does not want to go through to the majlis. It is also where furniture most often turns out to be the wrong height, because “bar stool” is used loosely for two quite different things. The fix is a tape measure and four numbers.
Counter height or bar height?
The key measurement is the gap between the seat and the counter above it: 25–30 cm. So measure the counter and subtract.
- Counter height, 90–92 cm: the usual kitchen worktop and island. It needs counter stools with a seat height of about 62–66 cm.
- Bar height, 105–110 cm: a raised bar or a breakfast ledge above the worktop. It needs bar stools of about 75–80 cm.
- Table height, 74–76 cm: an ordinary dining table, for which you want a dining chair at 45–48 cm, not a stool.
Measure to the underside of the counter if it has a thick stone edge, a mitred apron or a frame beneath it, because that is what your knees meet. A 4 cm stone top with a 6 cm apron can take away the leg room a correct-height stool was supposed to give you.
How many stools fit
- 60 cm per stool for compact, backless stools.
- 65–70 cm for stools with backs.
- 70–75 cm for stools with arms or a swivel, which need room to turn.
- About 30 cm from the end of the counter to the outer edge of the last stool, so nobody sits on the corner.
A 240 cm island therefore seats three comfortably on stools with backs, or four compact backless stools. Cramming in one more than the counter can take is the most common mistake after the wrong height.
Knee room: the overhang
The counter needs to overhang the island base by at least 25 cm for people to sit at it, and 30–35 cm for someone to eat a meal comfortably. Stone worktops can only overhang so far unsupported; beyond roughly 30 cm, most stone fabricators will add concealed steel supports, so the overhang needs deciding when the island is designed, not when the stools arrive. Our luxury kitchen design guide covers the island itself.
Footrests: the detail that decides comfort
Feet that dangle make any stool uncomfortable within minutes. The footrest should sit about 43–48 cm below the seat, roughly the height of a normal chair seat from the floor, so the knees bend naturally. On a counter stool that puts it about 18–22 cm off the floor; on a bar stool, about 30 cm. A metal kick plate on a timber footrest stops shoes wearing through the finish within a year.
Backs, arms and swivels
- A low back makes a stool comfortable for more than ten minutes and is worth having wherever people eat or work.
- Backless stools tuck completely under the counter, which suits a narrow kitchen or occasional perching.
- Arms are comfortable but must clear the underside of the counter when the stool is pushed in, and they need wider spacing.
- Swivels make getting on and off easier, particularly where the stools sit close to a wall or a walkway, but allow the extra width.
Seat width of 40–50 cm and depth of 40–45 cm suit most adults. Adjustable gas-lift stools solve the question of children's heights, but a fixed-height stool with a good footrest is usually the more elegant and durable choice.
Coverings that survive a kitchen
Kitchen and bar stools meet oil, sauces, juice and wet swimwear, so choose coverings that wipe clean: protected leather, a good faux leather, or a performance fabric that can be cleaned with water. Avoid pale linens and loose weaves near a hob. Upholstered seats with removable pads, or a timber seat with a tie-on cushion, make cleaning easier still. At a home bar, as in the photograph above, the stools can be richer: a textured weave or velvet in a colour picked from the joinery, because they see less spillage than a family island.
Matching stools to the rest of the room
In open-plan villas the island stools are seen alongside the dining chairs, so it often pays to have them made as a family: the same frame profile and timber, the same fabric or a coordinated one, at the two different heights. Stools can be made alongside a made-to-measure dining set in the same six to ten weeks. See the dining page for chairs we make.
Seating an island or a bar?
Send the counter height, its length and the overhang. We will tell you how many stools fit, draw them to the right height, and match them to your dining chairs if you wish.
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