Breakfast Bar Stools: Height, Overhang and Choosing the Right Stool

A breakfast bar is a section of worktop designed for sitting at, usually on a kitchen island or peninsula, sometimes along a wall. It is built for short, informal meals rather than a full dinner, which is why it is narrower than a table and why the stools matter more than the chairs at a dining table would.

Breakfast bars come in three common forms. A worktop-height bar is simply the island or peninsula worktop extended on the seating side, at 89 to 92 cm (35 to 36 in). A raised breakfast bar sits on an upstand above the worktop, usually at 99 to 106 cm (39 to 41.7 in), and hides the washing-up from the seats. A wall-mounted bar is a deep shelf fixed to a wall or window, at whatever height it was fitted. Each takes a different stool, so identify yours before you shop.

Measure from the floor to the underside of the breakfast bar and take off 23 to 26 cm (9 to 10 in): that is the seat height you need. A worktop-height breakfast bar of 89 to 92 cm (35 to 36 in) takes a 66 cm (26 in) counter stool; a raised breakfast bar of 99 to 102 cm (39 to 40 in) takes a 76 cm (30 in) bar stool.

Raised breakfast bars are the ones most often built outside these ranges, at 103 to 106 cm (40.5 to 41.7 in), and a wall-mounted bar can be at almost any height. For those, a standard stool is always slightly wrong, and a custom seat height fits better. Enter your breakfast bar's height below to see which seat height fits.

Allow 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) of overhang, the depth of worktop that projects past the cabinets, so your knees fit underneath. 25 cm (10 in) is the minimum for quick breakfasts. Worktop-height bars need the deeper end of that range, because you sit lower and closer; raised bars manage with 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in).

If your breakfast bar has little or no overhang, sitting side-on is the only option and a stool with a backrest will feel cramped; a backless stool that you can turn on is the better choice. Wall-mounted bars need the same depth as any other: a shelf narrower than 30 cm (12 in) is a place to rest a cup, not to eat. Our guide to kitchen island overhang explains the figures in detail.

Divide the length of the seating side by 55 cm (21.5 in) and round down; use 60 cm (23.5 in) for stools with armrests. A 120 cm (4 ft) breakfast bar seats two, 180 cm (6 ft) seats three and 240 cm (8 ft) seats four. Slim backless stools can be squeezed to 50 cm (19.5 in) each for short sits.

Keep the centre of the last stool at least 27.5 cm (11 in) from the end of the bar, or 37.5 cm (15 in) where a wall closes it, so nobody is sitting half off the worktop. Leave at least 90 cm (35.5 in) of clear floor behind the worktop edge, and 110 cm (43 in) if people walk behind seated guests. Our guides to how many stools fit and bar stool spacing cover every length.

Choose backless stools if the breakfast bar is mostly for coffee and quick breakfasts, if it is short, or if the kitchen is tight: they slide fully under the worktop when nobody is sitting. Choose a backrest if the bar is where you eat full meals, work on a laptop or sit for longer than about 20 minutes.

Most breakfast bars end up used for more than breakfast, so a low backrest is often the sensible middle way: it supports the lower back and still sits below the worktop edge. Eva in oak and Svea in steel are our backless stools, with 38 cm (15 in) seats; Ebba and Freja have low backrests. Our guide to backless vs back bar stools compares them.

Choose slim, backless stools with small seats, and keep the count to what the bar really needs. At a small breakfast bar, two backless stools that disappear under the worktop keep the kitchen open; two stools with full backs at the same bar can make it feel crowded.

A light frame helps as much as a small seat: a slim steel stool reads as a line, where a heavy timber stool reads as a mass. Svea in steel is our lightest-looking stool; Eva in solid oak is the warmest. Both come in 66 and 76 cm (26 and 30 in) seat heights and are delivered fully assembled. See bar stools for small kitchen islands for more options.