A couple of weeks ago I did something that I never do. Made an impulse home decor purchase. I was actually a little scared I had messed up since it wasn’t over analyzed and rolled around in my head for several months. But, it turned out great! Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf? Hopefully! If you missed the reveal on my Instagram, I’d like to formally introduce you to our new leather and wood kitchen counter stools!
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Our Previous Counter Stools
To jog your memory, here are our previous counter stools. They were great and served us well for over eight years. The metal was so great for young kids with messy fingers because they easily wiped clean. I had just been craving a change. After that long I certainly feel like I got my money’s worth.
Our New Counter Stools
What drove my desire to change the stools was me wanting more warmth in the kitchen. I did a quick search for stools and these woven leather and wood stools immediately caught my eye. When I saw they were on sale I quickly added them to my cart. P.S. They also come in other colors.
Prior to the new stools and island pendants (you can read more about the pendants in this post) there was a lot of silver metal in our kitchen. Silver appliances, pendants, stools, knobs, faucet, pot filler. Swapping out the lights and now the stools gave me that warmer feel I was looking for. To me it’s a lot more interesting having less of the one dominant metal. I will tell you it’s driving me nuts that I didn’t spend more time styling with better greens and flowers!! I was just so excited when they came in that I started snapping photos without thinking too much. Gosh, that just seems to be a theme lately!
Counter or Bar Height?
There were a lot on questions on Instagram asking if these were counter or bar height. The stools come in both heights and I went with counter height. Our kitchen island opening is 32 inches. In order to be able to sit with your legs comfortably under the opening, counter height (24.5 inches) was the perfect size for us.
Three Stools or Four Stools?
Now, in my excitement to order the stools I didn’t take into consideration how much room I would need to easily pull the stools in and out. I purchased four because quick math told me they would all fit. They do with about an inch and a half space between each other. I noticed that if you’re not careful it’s easy to bang them on each other sliding them back in. And, if you want to sit down you have to pull the stool all the way out to get your legs in due to the other stools being so close to it. Functionally it makes most sense to go with three. I’m just a little bummed about loosing a fourth seat even though we don’t need it.
So, what would you do? Stick with three stools or squeeze in the fourth?
Sources
- Wood and leather counter stools
- Metal counter stools
- Island pendants
- Nook chandelier (see my Instagram stories for how to make it hang longer here)
- Nook sconces
- White cabinet color – Sherwin-Williams Snowbound
- Black island color – unknown
- Countertops – Silestone Lyra
- Cabinet knobs
- Cabinet pulls
- Vintage rug – similar here
Shop the Look
Well I had to comment, because I had this same dilemma. I prefer four stools, I feel like it looks like one is missing with only three. I think you have enough room from your photo’s. I hope this helps. I have the world market round top wooden and metal ones, the swivel style. Anyway I don’t push them under my island too far, I leave them pulled out a bit. Good luck!
Hi Tracy! Thank you so much for your comment! That’s all I can see when looking at the three myself. I think I’m going to try four for a while and see how it goes.
Oooh Shelley! I love these! They add such warmth!
For daily function the 3 are the best easier to get in or out. But also for function I would keep the fourth. Place it somewhere handy and be able to pull another up when you need it. You always need another spot.