Our new kitchen barstools arrived and I could not be happier with this purchase! We have been talking about new barstools for quite some time….ever since I fell off our old one in the laundry room and thought “Yup. This is it. I’m breaking all my vertebra and going to die.” By the way…if you ever do fall off a barstool in a narrow space, you are guaranteed to hit about seven things going down. Thankfully I never am on top of the laundry as I should be and so there was a very large pile of dirty underwear to break my fall. The main casualty of my clumsiness was my black barstool which I couldn’t fix because bentwood is basically impossible to get back in place.
That being said – they no longer sold replacements and so I searched high and low for ones that would fit our needs. And here they ARE!!!
Ignore the fact that we need to tweak the island and do a whole bunch of touchups 🙂
Focus on the barstools. Those beautiful faux leather and metal barstools. Come.to.mama.
They completely fit the bill for our family. I wanted something wipeable, something lower (the overhang on our island is not very deep so we needed stools with backs and something lower for the kids), something that would ‘weather’ with our kids and lifestyle (we actually live in our house, go figure) and something that gives the space a little masculine homey vibe.
These were the perfect fit! Also – Jeremy sat down in one immediately after I assembled it and said “oh wow. This is the most comfortable stool I’ve ever sat it. It’s like hugging my butt.”
These butt-huggers are super affordable too. I got both for $145 – that’s only $74 a pop! Considering they look REALLY similar to these $279 versions, I consider that a win!
So the leather is faux which means that it is wipeable with a damp cloth. I know that my kids are gonna ‘weather’ these with little fingerprints and scratches so I am fully prepared for them to get more imperfect….but if that kind of thing bothers you, I would consider that before purchasing. I personally like that weathered leather look – it’s very New York loft to me (don’t know why but it is!) but I am gonna use a conditioner on these to prevent cracking. We have had a number of things that are faux leather in the past and they don’t last as long as real leather but if you use a conditioner on it (the same as for leather) then you can add a layer of protection against wear. Also – you never want it to be super dry or super hot with faux leather – this location in the middle of the kitchen is perfect for keeping them protected!
All that being said – the kids love having a stool here again. It’s especially nice now that the mini prep sink is gone and the whole island is real estate for snacking and perching and hanging with Mommy and Daddy 🙂
And I do recommend if you have little ones that stools with backs on them are much safer in general. My mom has small stools with no backs and my kids topple them over all the time. It’s very stressful to have to stand behind them when they want to sit at the island at her house (unfortunately that is the only option for her as the walkway is narrow!). I know if I had her set up it would be no-stools till the kids could handle it solo!
These ones have a larger base with the metal legs so we have had no problems (yet! knock on wood!) of kids toppling backwards.
AND they look sooo good next to the new island countertop. I know I still have to share all the details on our new island top….it’s from Home Depot – it’s quartz and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
So that is the simplest thing so far that we have done to switch things up in the kitchen. We still have a few more things on our list to do –
- finish the island (considering a different color)
- finish painting and caulking the new trimwork
- paint the window trim? considering this.
- relocate and switch out new pendants
- build new kitchen table
- change out large bay window
- organize the new pantry
- expand doorway to hall
And if you are looking for kitchen barstools – I did a bunch of hunting for the very best ones. Here are all the ones I found that are GORGEOUS. No matter what your style, I’m sure you can find something to fit your taste! And here is the link for mine if you want to shop 🙂
Did you ever consider expanding the overhang on the island? Or does the space not allow for it and a walkway? I never would have thought about putting barstools on my island since we don’t have an overhang, but it seems to work here!
I love these barstools! Our local HomeGoods had these same ones back in February and we got 4 of them for our island – I’m happy to report they take A TON of abuse from our 15 month old and 3 year old and still look brand new, so I think you will be happy with them too! I’ll try conditioning them as you suggested in hopes of keeping them in great condition even longer.
Have you talked about what leather conditioner you use and how often you do it? We recently purchased a leather couch and I’m unsure of what product to use and how often to condition. Thanks!
I love these posts and love hearing your thoughts behind each decision! Each layer is really adding so much. A couple questions, did you every consider more island counter overhang to get more stools in (obvs this is too late but I was just curious your thoughts on this)? I’m curious what you will be putting in place of the bay window? any ideas what pendants you will be using in here? thanks.
Katie, since you did not ask, i will offer my opinion on painting the island. Conservative and neutral: a darker grey than your wall color. Fun and young: a color you love. Teal, royal blue, kelly green, or whatever trips your trigger. I’d go with the second. It’s only paint and if you get tired of it you can change it again.
We did consider that (since we were changing the top we had the option)…but in the end, it would have created a narrower walkway between the edge of the island and the fridge. I wouldn’t be replacing the window with something different – the window is double paned and the seal was broken when we moved in so we would just need a new window 😉 And yes, stay tuned for the ideas that I have for the pendants!
xo – kb
We did consider the option but in the end, you are right – the space would have been too tight!
xo – kb
Tecnically, they are counterstools, not barstools, as you countertop is standard height and not bar height. 😉
Look comfortable! We just bought our first stools and went with ones similar to the world market but with metal legs and x from pier one. I totally looked at a bunch of your picks in our decision making, great taste! I don’t know how you manage with only two, my kids would be fighting over them all day long! Lol
Hi, these are $109.99 on Joss & Main! (for 2)
Your kitchen is gorgeous and along the lines of the direction that I’m going with my own. I’ve looked around a little on your site, but you have a place that lists all of your resources? Specifically I’m interested in the backsplash. 🙂