Backless Bar Stools

Backless bar stools are a handy additional to most seating areas. They are light weight and take up much less space than bar stools with backs. There are bar stools without backs that can fit into any type of decorating scheme. Generally they are into bar height or counter top height (24 inch bar stools) but they can also be found in children's sizes.

The history of bar stools is self evident from the name. These were the seats that allowed men to belly up to the bar. The Public Houses of Great Britain and Ireland had three types of seating arrangements. The first were cozy booths located around the perimeter. The second were table and chairs located in the centre area of the room. These first two types of seating arrangements were for groups and couples. If you were in the presence of a woman you would either sit in a booth or at a table. If you were with a group of 3 or more you would also sit at a booth or a table.

However, lots of men would come to the pub on their own. Perhaps they were traveling through the village or from a neighboring village. Others would venture to the pubs on their own knowing that they would surely meet friends and neighbors once they got there. These solo pub goers would tend to sit or stand at the bar in order to chat with the bartender. Bar stools were created for the men who went to the bars on their own.

Historically all bar stools had backs. These stools tended to be more comfortable than bar stools without backs. Backed bar stools also tended to provide increased stability to the potentially tipsy customer. The seat of these bar stool was identical to the seat on a normal bar chair. These seats were generally a wee bit smaller than 2 feet by 2 feet. The backs were approximately 14 inches high and were in a semi circular shape. The back of the bar stool tended to flare out at the top. These stools took up a fair bit of lateral space at the bar. Each bar stool needed 3.5 linear feet at the bar to be comfortable and to allow room to get on and off the stools.

Bar stools without backs tend to be much smaller and require less space at the bar. A good rule of thumb is that you can generally fit 4 backless bar stool comfortably in the same space that you could fit 3 bar stools with backs. The use of these stools allows for more seating in a small space. Backless bar stools are a great idea for small bars such as residential bars or kitchen counter bars. Seat only bar stools allow the stool to be tucked away under the bar when not in use.

Backless bar stools often tend to have smaller seats. The most common bar stool seat is a circular seat. The backless circular seat bar stool comes in two different varieties: static height or variable height bar stool. The static height bar stool can either be fixed or have a swivel seat. The static height bar stools are most commonly found in commercial establishments. Whereas the adjustable height bar stools are generally found in residential settings.

Another variation amongst backless bar stools is the height of the bar stool. As previously mentioned adult sized bar stools come in two different heights. The original height is a 30 inch bar stool. Up until 20 years ago all bar stools were a uniform height. In the early 1980s, a shorter 24 inch bar stool became more and more popular for residential use. This shorter type of stool became very popular as kitchen renovations started to included islands and eating counters. There are 24 inch backless barstools and 24 inch barstools with backs.

Including an eating counter into your kitchen renovation is a great idea. In the late 1960s and 1970s, kitchens made a transformation from mostly utilitarian or functional areas into family areas or generally living areas. This transformation was, of course, due to the changing perceptions about what is considered "woman's work". As it became more common for women to take jobs outside of the house, the household labor, including cooking and food preparation became more of a general family chore. As more members of the family worked together in the kitchen, the kitchen became more of a social area. Even members of the family that were not involved in kitchen prep were in the kitchen to chat with family members that were involved. Children began to set the table and clear the dishes and become involved in kitchen chores. As the family spent more time in the kitchen, the idea of what the kitchen should look like changed.

Kitchens began to incorporate different seating options. The kitchen bar or breakfast bar was part of that evolution. The kitchen bar is generally higher than normal counter height but lower than standard bar height. The 24 inch bar stool services the breakfast bar perfectly.

When choosing a bar stool for your home or business you must first choose the height of the stool. The height of the stool will depend upon your needs. Most of the shorter stools are found in residential settings. Nest you must choose between a backless bar stool or a bar stool that has a back. The next choice is whether the seat will swivel. Swivel bar stool or definitely the most convenient stool. They allow people to get on and off the stool without moving the legs of the stool. Swivel seat bar stools help prevent wear and tear on your floor beneath the stool. The last thing to decide is whether you would like the seat height to be adjustable. Since most bar heights are standard having an adjustable seat height bar stool is an unnecessary luxury. Adjustable seat bar stools are good for sitting at a drafting table or for artists work.

Another thing to consider when choosing a backless bar stool is what type of material is used in te construction. There are upholstered bar stools and hard seated bar stools. Both types have pros and cons. Of course, upholstered seat make the bar stools much more comfortable. However, hard seated stools are easier to clean. In commercial settings to is common to find leather bar stools. These stools provide the comfort of upholstery but the cleaning ease of a hard seated stool. Most of these stools have backs but there are some backless leather bar stools.

As you can see there is an enormous variety of different types of bar stools to choose from. Bar stools without backs are handy for using in small spaces such as kitchen bars. Backless bar stools can be used in conjunction with regular bar stools to make efficient use of space and to provide different seating options for your guests.