Restaurant bar and counter stools

325 stools fill this category, in metal and wood frames, with swivel seats, bucket backs, backless tops and a shelf of patio-listed pieces. Rail height comes first. Get the floor-to-bar number right and the rest is a question of how long guests stay and how much room each seat gets.

Measure the rail before anything else

Stand at the bar and measure up from the floor: 40 to 42 inches is bar height, and the seat under it should land near 29 to 31 inches. At 34 to 36 inches you have a counter, which pairs with stools of 24 to 26 inches. Seat heights on this page cluster at 31, 30 and 29 3/4 inches, so most of this shelf suits a bar. The counter stools page is the short one for lower rails.

Then count seats. Plan 24 to 30 inches per stool along the rail, middle to middle. Twenty feet of bar seats 8 to 10 guests, not the dozen you pictured on opening night.

Turn, lean or perch

Swivel comes on 82 of the 325 stools, which makes it the biggest choice after height. A turning seat lets a guest face the room or the bartender, and a fixed one stays where it was set. Padded backs are listed on 105 stools, bucket backs on 67 and arms on 27. Arms widen the seat, so the arm bar stools want a little extra room along the rail, and the swivel bar stools want elbow room all round.

Frames, seats and the weather

Metal frames lead with 205, then wood with 69. Resin appears on 13 stools, aluminum on 10 and steel on 7. Vinyl seats number 210 stools, while 118 have wood seats and 84 fabric. Upholstery options come with 178. Single stools start around $79 and run to $507. Start with metal bar stools or wood bar stools and let the frame set the finish.

Patio use is listed on 48 stools, with a single covered-patio-only piece among them, and 18 stack. The patio bar stools page pulls them together. Wood frames and upholstered seats don't belong outside: the weather fades, swells or rusts them, and the warranty doesn't cover that.

Next, the surface they pull up to

A stool is half of a pair. Look at bar-height tables next, and save both to Patio plans so the heights stay together. Counter-height and bar-height guests belong on separate lines, so write the seat height beside each stool you save.