So you have a cafe venue that you’re looking to furnish or upgrade and are considering buying bar stools. The advantages of bar stools over cafe chairs are well documented. Firstly they’re versatile and can be utilised in a number of ways including seating around dry bar tables or under benches, or of course at a bar itself. Secondly they also give you the opportunity to maximise your seating capacity better than standard chairs because they don’t take up so much space. Finally bar stools are a great way for cafes to define a modern casual look where people can come in and grab a coffee in a non-formal environment.
Now you know the advantages of bar stools, let’s take a look at 3 important things to consider when buying them.
Height
This is without doubt the number one factor you have to get right. Bar stools come in different sizes. Get it wrong and people will either be knocking their knees on the bar base, or alternatively they mightn’t be able to reach the bar comfortably. Just to confuse you more there are bar stools for different jobs. There are bench height bar stools, chair height bar stools, as well as commercial style full-scale bar stools, depending upon your needs. These start at 45cms for a chair height bar stool through to tall bar stools at 100cms plus. In order to get the right height you’ll need to leave between 25 and 30cms of space between the bar top and the seat. This gives sufficient space for people to sit comfortably.
Arm rests or not?
Although you might consider bar stools with arm rests to be more comfortable, the fact is that stools with armrests will take up more space so this is something you’ll need to consider. They won’t for instance tuck right in under counters and need to be pulled further away from the space. In other words if you’re considering comfort a top priority then think about stools with arm rests but if your main priority is optimising your floor space, then consider the wide variety or armless bar stools that are available.
Adjustable or static?
The final consideration (apart from the design of course) is whether you want adjustable or static bar stools. While adjustable stools give you the flexibility you need, they can be more expensive than static bar stools, plus there are more working parts that need on-going maintenance. Conversely static non-adjustable chairs may give you less scope for flexibility but they’re often cheaper and because there’s less that can go wrong, they tend to last longer.
So there you have it. 3 considerations you need to take into account when buying the right bar stool for your cafe. Here at Cafe Furniture Brisbane we have a wide variety of bar stools available in differing heights styles and designs. Why not take a look at our website or give us a call on 07 3205 1616 for more information. Alternatively if you’re in the Brendale area, why not pop into our showroom to take a look first hand.