Decorating Ideas for Barstools

Space-age Stools

• Vintage barstools can sport a "space-age" look when the legs are long, skinny painted triangles of wood and the seats are thick wood lozenges smoothed and polished from cross-cuts of a tree trunk. Add a foot rest in aluminum that encircles the lower third of the legs and your mid-century piece will add a futuristic note in an eclectic kitchen.

Rough Cover

• Choose some battered bentwood barstools for a nautical-themed update. Use a glue gun and rough twine or very thin rope to wrap the stools completely. Wind the twine around each leg, gluing in place as you go. The top of the seat gets a spiral of rope glued flat from the center to the edge. If the stools will see heavy use, you may want to protect them with spray-on clear lacquer after the glue dries.

Perfectly Padded

• Surround a kitchen island or equip a breakfast bar with padded barstools for an elegant and relaxing upgrade of a common perch. Use a French toile fabric, which is a patterned polished cotton. French toile uses fine prints of monochromatic pastoral scenes, military battle scenes, farm and city scenes from the 18th and 19th centuries or chinoiserie. Use pewter tacks to outline the outside of the legs, the perimeter of the seat and the top of the foot rails. Don’t limit their use to a French country or French provincial kitchen. Padded stools will also work with more traditional or contemporary décor as long as you blend the upholstery fabric with the rest of the room.

Minimalist Modern

• Choose brushed aluminum for your barstools for a spare, modern design. Four legs set in a perfect square are joined by cross bars that serve as foot rests at the bottom. The seats are simple rectangles of aluminum, set on legs that curve down on either side for interest. Or opt for square seats that curve down onto the tops of the legs for a comfortable perch. Brushed aluminum in this basic style is versatile enough to go with many interiors, not just modern.