I’ve had a lot of questions regarding the stools at our kitchen island. Mainly, do we like them and how kid-friendly are they? So, let’s talk stools.
They are the tabouret metal counter {24″} stools and I bought them on Overstock back in January. I think they’re listed at $79.99/pair now but I got mine at $74.99/pair along with a 7% coupon discount {FYI – Overstock regularly mails out 7% off coupons to registered customers} which brought them to $69.75/pair. I bought two pair. With shipping included, I paid $142.45 for the four stools.
I was looking for a stool with no back or a stool that swiveled to allow people sitting at the island to turn and converse with people in the adjoining family room. I wanted an industrial style. I first saw these stools on Urban Grace.
I’m not positive they are the exact same stool that Erika has in her kitchen but they look spot on to me. Once I saw her two-year-old daughter sitting on one, I figured if they worked for her they’d work for my older boys.
What can I say? I love them. They are about as industrial as you can get in a family-friendly home. I’m so happy I went for a backless stool as they tuck in under the island overhang nicely. They look tidy and allow foot traffic to pass by easily. I also like that they don’t impede the view from the kitchen to the family room and vice versa.
We don’t notice the hole in the seat while sitting. Maybe a larger person would? The cutout comes in handy when pulling the stools out to sit or sweep up crumbs. Just stick one hand through to grasp and lift the stool. Easy.
{That’s Layne and Everett fresh out of bed in their pj’s. Yes, Everett sometimes wears a hat to bed.} The boys are doing well on them. My kids are wiggle butts when it comes to sitting down and eating a meal. We are constantly telling them to sit down, sit still. The counter stools are a good lesson in learning though! If they move too much, they fall. So, they’re catching on that squirming around = slipping off. They’re old enough to catch themselves when they do slip {Layne is 7; Everett is 4} so no one is getting bumped or bruised. And it never fails…when Everett is dressed up in one of his cheap Batman or Spiderman costumes, the silky fabric causes him to slip more easily.
I don’t know how well the stools would work for younger kids {say, <3 years} but we’ll find out with Mabrey. An observant reader noticed that we only have 4 stools but 5 people in our family. When we designed the kitchen, we had no idea we would be adding to our family of four. A 9′ island with four stools was perfect. Well, our newest addition has kind of shaken things up a bit. While she’s little, we’ll just pull her highchair up to the end of the island. After that, I’m not sure. For most meals and snacks, it’s just me and the kids so we’d be fine during the day with HH at work. We’ll also have a dining table in the mudroom if we need it for family dinners and I do plan to buy an upholstered stool with a back for the desk area in the kitchen that we could pull up to the island too. We’ll have options. No one will be sitting/eating alone.
The stools have their drawbacks. For one, the metal is cold on the tush. Great on hot days but I’m guessing not-so-great on chilly winter mornings. We’ll just have to dress accordingly…hello flannel pajama pants.
The other con I’ve run into is that while the stools come with ‘non-marking foot glides’, they aren’t 100% scratch proof on wood floors. We encountered a problem when a house guest weighing >250 lbs sat on one of the stools {I later discovered that the weight limit for stools is 250 lbs} and left a small indentation on the floor at the island. From the weight, one of the foot glides was compressed so that a hard plastic piece in the middle of the foot came in contact with the wood floor. It left a knick in the floor. Totally not noticeable unless you’re the one cleaning the floor but it was disconcerting. I mean, really, who would post a sign on the stools stating ‘max weight limit 250 lbs’ or check guests’ weight at the front door?! Instead, I bought some self-adhering protective furniture pads and stuck them to the bottom of each stool leg. So far, so good. The same house guest has visited again and sat on the stools with no more indentations. Oh, and apparently exceeding the weight limit by a mere 10-20 lbs doesn’t mean your bar stools will crumple beneath the weight. Whew.
I guess if you have >250 lb’ers in your family or as regular house guests, then the 250 lb weigh limit is something to consider. Now you know.
All in all, I’m very satisfied with the stools. Especially for the price I paid…~$35/stool! Love the industrial look. They’re sturdy and don’t wobble. The metal is durable and easy to wipe down. I’d highly recommend them.
Any other questions/concerns that I didn’t address? Just leave ’em in the comments field and I’ll see what I can do.
images: all except #3 by Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 3) Erika McPherson Powell
budget decor, family life