How Much Space Is Needed for Bar Stools?

Bar Space

• Providing each person at a bar stool with adequate space at the bar for eating or drinking is critical to having properly spaced bar stools. If you have too little room, people will bump elbows, but too much space between stools means that you did not take advantage of the amount of room available to put the maximum number of stools at the bar. According to "Designing Commercial Interiors" by Christine M. Pirotrowski, 28 inches in front of each stool is needed at the bar.

Floor Space

• The floor space is the amount of room the actual bar stool will take up. Average-sized bar stools will require two square feet of floor space. This will accommodate the space in front of the bar each stool requires when in use. For planning the rest of the room around a home bar with stools, do not place other furnishings closer than two feet near the bar to avoid competing with the stools for floor space.

Stool Height

• The height of the stools will be directly related to the height of the bar. There should be 10 to 12 inches between the seat of the stool and the top of the bar. This allows an adult to comfortably sit in the stool and rest his arms on the bar. For bars at the traditional 42 inch-height, use 30-inch bar stools. If you are pairing bar stools with a home counter for a breakfast bar, use 24-inch-high stools to fit under a standard kitchen counter that is 36 inches high.

Stool Distances

• The space between stools for storage should be three inches between each bar stool. This ensures that the stools will not rub against each other in storage, which could cause scratches on the material. The stools can be pulled farther apart from each other when in use for the comfort of those seated in them. For storage and use, there should be at least 12 inches between the edge of the bar and the back wall of the bar for knee space and to keep the bar stools completely under the bar when not in use.