It doesn’t matter if you’re creating a masterful kitchen on an unlimited budget or if you´re upgrading little by little as your means allow – pick a decorating theme and stick to it.

First decide what style best reflects your personality and lifestyle. For example if you have children and often use your kitchen for hurried pre school breakfasts and quick family dinners you will not use the same design as if were a young executive hosting business parties around a kitchen island dispensing martinis and cocktails to guests propped up on bar stools.

Think also about the general theme of the rest of the house or apartment. Does it have clean lines and white tile floors or rustic unfinished wood and parquet? Does it have black leather sofas or hand carved hardwood with rich upholstery? Are you going for Asian minimalism, antique opulence, Euro chic, or country cottage?

In the following series of articles I will present 10 design ideas to help you choose your kitchen theme and select your ideal kitchen bar stools.

The kitchen themes:

1. New York Loft – A brief sketch of loft style, use of open space, use of height and color ideas plus suggested kitchen stools and where to buy them.
2. Boston Pub – A brief description of Boston Pub style, use of rich woods, textures and fabrics, and suggestions where to buy the best kitchen stools to mimic a Boston pub.
3. Thai Teak – A brief outline of teak wood products, and teak care. Also some recommended outlets to buy the best of this South East Asian look.
4. Rattan Garden – A brief article to help you decide where to buy the best stools and what items to blend with rattan furniture to compliment the garden style look in your kitchen.
5. French Provincial – A brief description of the kinds of stools available for a French provincial look that will bring out the creamy café o lait look of any kitchen.
6. Ultra Modern Funky – A brief outline of some of the funkiest modern bar stool and decor ideas that will be sure keep your family and guests entertained around the kitchen counter.
7. Chrome and all that Jazz – A brief description of what kind of pieces to choose from to jazz up your kitchen counter or barstools in modern or retro looks.
8. American Country Comfort – A brief look at what this style is about and how to achieve a cozy, warm kitchen where the whole town will want to come and sip coco atop your stools.
9. Zen Tranquility – A brief summary of what makes Zen so popular, how to achieve this tranquil look in your kitchen and where to buy authentic bar stools that start their life in peace.
10. Chinese Tao – A brief description of what is Tao and how to achieve a masterful Chinese theme using authentic antiques or reproductions to stun your family and guests with real Chinese Kitchen stools.

Want to make your kitchen authentic Chinese Tao? Then why not order direct from Y&T Chinese Furniture Co. They manufacture solid wood reproductions of bar stools from Tibet, China, Japan and Korea. Add red fabric seat cushions, a replica Ming dynasty vase, some tiny tea cups and you’re done! Check out Y&T Chinese Antique Furniture:

(86) 13901116656 (English)
(8610) 6150 2772 (Chinese)
Fax (8610) 6150 2773
1999-2007 107# Li Er SI, Zhang Jia Wan, Tongzhou,  Beijing, China  101113

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Another great option for kitchen bar stools within the Chinese Antique theme is Green Tea Design. Green Tea is also the sole distributor for the Mizuya Kitchen line.

Their wooden barstools are based on Chinese farmers’ stools, made from solid elm (and reclaimed wood salvaged from Korean farmhouses), then varnished with black or red lacquer but keeping the beauty of the wood grain. Some of their pieces are left unfinished, or finished with only a small amount of wax or varnish, so as not to hide the delicate, natural wood grain motif. Some have bold finishes in symbolic colors of red or black. Black Yin for earth, water, North, and even numbers. Red for Yang: life, sky, fire, South, and odd numbers.

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The Real Chinese Stool Deal!

Lily’s Antiques and Hualun Antiques have real antiques and amazingly authentic reproductions. Since 1998 they are one of the largest dealers in Beijing, with 200 employees and 15,000 square meter exhibition center full of unique pieces.

Here’s what you can expect:

They purchase and restore antique furniture, including original Chinese stools, collected from China’s countryside. They focus mostly on walnut from Shanxi, Shandong and Gansu provinces. They have a 7,000 square meter workshop for restoring the antiques and making replicas. When making replicas, they will accept orders for custom sizes if you need a counter stool of a specific height.

If you need some other authentic Chinese pieces to add to your bar or kitchen ambiance, Hualun Antiques has porcelain, pottery, bronze and wood sculpture.
They will arrange transportation service and providing an antique certificate for each piece.

Contact Lily’s Antiques and Hualun Antiques:
Gaobeidian warehouse 8610-65729746/Gaobeidian showroom 8610-85792458
Songzhuang factory 8610-69592824

Chinese Wooden Stools

Chinese Antique Furniture

I have saved the BEST for last….Chinese Antique Furniture Inc is one of those places that if you can’t find your perfect Chinese Tao barstool or dream kitchen accessories with them then what you want doesn’t exist!

Chinese Antique Furniture is an exporter of antique, reproduction, and ancient Chinese furniture. They specialize in collecting, refurbishing and reproducing antique pieces from all over mainland China, Tibet, Korea and Mongolia. They accept custom orders or will reproduce a kitchen stool or piece of furniture based on a photograph of what you desire.

Although the company is located near Hangzhou, China, their staff speaks and writes English and they operate in modern offices.

Chinese Antique Furniture Inc
Yonghe Industy Zone, Shangyu, Zhejiang, China
Tel: 0086-575-82931166
E-mail: linda@eastfurniture.com

Simple. That’s it. It can be wood, dark or light, chrome or black and white.

The only rule with Zen is SIMPLE!

Some good choices can be found at Gingko Furniture.

Gingko kitchen bar stools are well-designed and affordably priced. All their designs are based on Asian aesthetic forms with contemporary twists. Some of the inspirations have come from imperial palaces such as the way the edges of the stools curve upwards like Asian temple rooftops. Their entire collection is made of solid wood, kiln-dried and handcrafted by old world techniques. Since every piece is an original, individual workmanship and the grain of the wood causes slight variations among items. Each stool is hand finished using a 9-step process with multiple coats of hand-rubbed lacquers. 

When a stool is born under the tender care of artisans’ hands, and not in a factory, the task of mounting a tranquil kitchen space is simpler. The stools arrive with the calm touch of their makers. All you do is unpack some ZEN!

With stools around the counter, you might have space for a chair or two, since you will likely have little else in the room – unless you have a few twisting lucky bamboo plants and some auspicious white stones and teeny rake.

The following stools are made of solid wood and are some excellent choices in counter stools and chairs for all your Zen decorative needs:

1. Chelsea Stool -Counter Stool – $175, standard stool and $195, counter stool
   Walnut
2. Chelsea Bench – $490
   Walnut
3. Horseshoe Chair -$360
   This piece looks like a Chinese antique! Actually it’s a traditional design slightly modified for comfort.
   Solid Elm Wood in java or black.
4. Three-legged Stool
5. Mirror Garden Stool
   These look like Chinese temple drums.

6. Zen Bench -$230 and $390
   This is a single plank of elm with gently angled legs and gracious seat curves. It is available in two lengths: 1. Zen Bench 42 inch length for $230. 2. Zen Bench 52 inch length for $390. Solid elm wood.


Zen Counter Stool

7. Zen Counter Stool – $155
8. Zen Stool – $130
   There’s nothing simpler!
9. Zen Bar Stool – $175



Wabi Sabi Bench

10. Ox Stool – $110
    Thick legs…yes, like an ox!
11. Wabi Sabi Bench – $175
    The name says it all. If it’s possible for Zen to be funky, this would be it!
12. Lily Chair
13. Indigo Chair
14. Xian Chair
15. Xian Bar Stool – $325
    This is a new interpretation of an old Chinese classic, also in elm with a rush seat. Available in Java or Natural and finished in Black Stain.
16. Rio Chair – $180
    The Rio is light and airy, although still java or natural colored elm wood, with an upholstered tan chenille seat. I would say it’s a contemplation seat!

Whitewood and oak, unfinished pine and a patchwork quilt nearby. That’s what American country comfort is all about; a fireplace, an oven with fresh warm bread, an open kitchen with enough wood stools around the counter to accommodate the town.

For a comfy barstool try:

1. Country Oak Swivel Bar Stool – based on an early American design in solid oak, with turned legs, wheatsheaf style back and a wood seat that may be custom padded. It’s a sturdy, classic colonial piece that nostalgically reproduces the comforts of homes in simpler times. These swivel barstools are at the heart of cozy American country style available through ivg Stores.
2. Country Pine High Kitchen Stool
   High kitchen stool with no back made of solid beech and your choice of finish: waxed, lacquered or painted, and there’s no assembly required. This is an inexpensive choice, at under $50 each, if you want to accommodate the whole town around your counter.

The Shakers created many simple yet practical styles of high stools that were originally intended as work chairs when they sat their looms weaving or ironing at high tables. Based on the Shaker’s simple design, light weight, yet sturdy construction, a company called S. Timberlake has designed some excellent ladder-back counter stools for daily use at your kitchen counter.



These stools stand the test of time and use and even abuse in commercial settings as is evidenced by this little story: The Timberlake people sold a set of stools to a restaurant client in Portland, Maine in the early ’80′s. Years later the restaurant owners invited the Timberlake people for diner. The original stools had acquired an aged, worn patina, but were just as good as new!

The Shaker kitchen and bar stools for kitchen counters are typically 36 inches high and bar height counters are 42 inches for bar height, but they will custom make any highchair height you desire…well, within reason!

The bands on the seats, called “Shaker tape,” are 100% cotton canvas, so the seats are comfy and also easy to clean. You certainly couldn’t say these were cheap bar stools but they are built to a quality that is well worth paying for.

3. Canterbury Shaker Weaver’s Stool – Item #: CAN5X
   Finished in dark cherry with dark blue and beige Shaker Tape
4. Enfield Shaker Weaver’s Stool – Item# ENF5X
   Custom butternut/raffia Shaker Tape with Minwax Ebony stain
5. Shawl Bar Stool – Item#: SBR5X
   This is one stool that you build yourself,so to speak, by choosing a back design, a seat weave and the type of wood. Choose from maple, early American dark, natural or cherry.
   In 1975, the Shaker furniture catalog had only 8 chairs total. Today they have a catalogue consisting of a hundred and eighty items, in maple and cherry woods. Many of their items are built-to-order so are not in their catalogue. Their motto is to build furniture that’s “functional” rather than “standard.”
6. South Union Counter Stool – Item# SUN5X
   The first of these counter stools we made over thirty years ago, reproduced from a model South Union, Kentucky high stool. Nowadays, the only difference is a slightly wider seat and using graduated slats, a feature typical of northern community seats.
   (For selecting your American Country Comfort Custom Counter Stool, go to: stimberlake.com)

Go Crazy! From barnyard animals to tiger and zebra patterned counter stools, or neon bright to chrome to the max.

Here some FUNKY stool ideas:

1. The Opla Sgabello folding bar stool from Ozzio by Gaetano Poratelli and Studio Pizeta can be just what you need to take boring out of your kitchen! These modern designs will convert your kitchen into a place where anything can happen. They combine folding stool functionality with funky style. The seats are made from Vitrex available and come in your choice of 16 cool colors, or choose leather in 21 stunning hues. There are also wood and cowhide. The folding frames have gentle curves in embossed or satin painted finishes or chrome and nickel. Mix and match bar stools for a dash of eccentric.
2. Napoleon Height Adjustable Bar Stool
   This funky stool has a gas lift and comes in black, green, yellow and red with five legs under the brightly padded swivel, leatherette seat. It has a gas lift and swivel seat.
3. Pas Height adjustable Bar Stool
   Electric seat colors, totally adjustable and 5 legs to make it just a little different than your average stool.
4. Sam Gas Lift Bar Stool – kitchen Breakfast Stool
   The Sam counter stool is a commercial grade bar stool for kitchens with heavy use. Italian by design with unusual square padded leather seat and backrest. This is one very Cool Stool! The chrome steel base and stem are ultra strong yet take up very little space at the kitchen breakfast counter. It comes in black, ivory and brown.
5. Slim Bar Stool
   This is a winner in the crazy, funky, cool department!
   It’s handmade by an Italian designer from Plexiglas and the seat is shaped like a person.

6. Alfonso Kitchen Stool
   This stool is not just quirky in general style, but in specific: it has a translucent seat, made of acrylic, that comes in red, electric blue, lilac, smoke and florescent yellow! These stools have a way making a dark kitchen area appear lighter and brighter.
7. Cenzo Kitchen stool
   Fun, fun, fun! Again a translucent acrylic, 360 degree rotating, bar stool seat mounted on a chrome stem. Features a gas-lift for adjustable height and comes in the best colors: bright red, smoke and florescent yellow.

This theme is almost the exact opposite of the New York Loft style. There is not much chrome or white in this more traditional theme. It focuses on the richness of heavy, dark wood, deep cherry tones and leather padded bar stool seats. Often the Boston Pub style is related to sports themes with a mishmash of posters on the walls or even a hint of what your favorite Irish pub has – lots of trinkets and maybe even a large frame with your favorite photos of friends and family.

For an updated version of the traditional Boston or Irish Pub look, try some kitchen stools from AMISCO, Canada. The KEANU Adjustable Bar Stool puts a contemporary twist on the Boston look. It´s sturdy too, so if you have children it may be the perfect kitchen stool addition. If you want a touch of the Boston style but can’t alter your entire kitchen counter and kitchen stools, give this a try.

The JB711 Corner Bar is a bar set made of dark wood and rich seat tones. You can order either of these stools or bar sets online at: contemporary-furniture-store.com. They carry Eurostyle, Amisco, Adesso; Calligaris, LumiSource, Michelangelo Designs, Rossetto USA, Viva Trade and ROM.

Some sport stool models are available at Sports Mem and can be ordered online at: sports-mem.com

Here are some examples:

NHL Boston Bruins Padded Bar Stool

Official National Hockey League Bar Stool with chrome plated double rung base and adjustable levelers. The vinyl seat is of commercial grade and comes with the officially Licensed NHL Team Logo.

NHL Boston Bruins Padded Bar Stool with Back

A newer National Hockey League Bar Stool with Backrest and Officially Licensed NHL Team Logo

Vermouth Swivel Counter Stool

Bycast upholstered leather seat and backrest and full swivel motion. ByCast leather is a hybrid of real and manufactured materials. Price: $449.99

Patrick Swivel Counter Height Stool by Armen Art*

Traditional style, round leather seat in rich brown upholstery, espresso colored wood legs, 360 degree swivel, solid wood frame and a five year warranty. Available in bar and counter heights Price: $269.99
*Armen Art Inc. is an importer of Italian home furnishings in three main styles: contemporary, transitional, and traditional.

Lisbon Contoured Back Counter Stool with Leopard Print by Armen Art*

Leopard print stools in 2-tone microfiber, brown and leopard print with solid wood legs and frame in an espresso color finish. This armless stool with high padded back and 360-degree swivel is great for lounging because it’s incredibly comfortable due to the generous amount of padding and the tall curved backs. The seat is covered with easy-to-clean microfiber. Price: $329.99

]]> http://yourkitchenbarstools.com/kitchen-bar-stools-boston-pub-theme/feed/ 0 http://yourkitchenbarstools.com/kitchen-bar-stools-new-york-loft-theme/ http://yourkitchenbarstools.com/kitchen-bar-stools-new-york-loft-theme/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:05:37 +0000 nena http://yourkitchenbarstools.com/?p=15 1. New York Lofts & The Bar Stool

Loft living is on the rise, not just the traditional warehouse conversions but new lofts being built even in suburban areas in what are now loft-apartments. Loft Living is about space and creativity merging with urban expressionism and brushed with an international artistic flare. Lofts are a concept and they need not be in Manhattan.

Loft kitchen design ideas are all about airy lightness, white, vanilla and all things tall, but not necessarily about perfection. In loft kitchens there are often imperfect tin ceilings or exposed pipes. Where you place the kitchen cabinets is not so obvious, how to divide the space in often a task for architects and designers.

Yes, loft Kitchens can be difficult to decorate.

But here are a few suggestions:

1. Overall, use neutral colors.
2. Accentuate with only ONE strong color.
3. Make use of height with tall bar or counter stools and rectangular or kidney-shaped kitchen islands, preferably with rounded corners.
4. Accessorize the kitchen area minimally – chrome bar stools with vibrant color seat cushions, or colorful plastic molded seats (perhaps something by Eurostyle, Zuo Modern, Calligaris, LumiSource, Trica or Johnston Casuals).
5. Use open displays for your crystal wine goblets by hanging them from an overhead rack.
6. Add simple track lighting or a modern teardrop crystal candelabra and Voila!

Don’t overdo it.

Let’s go back to point 4. – chrome bar stools with vibrant color seat cushions:
Here are some top choices and where to get what you need:

1. Johnston Casuals Nova Adjustable Swivel Bar stool
   Celestial metal back, swivel seat, and adjustable height mechanism.
   Individually hand-made. Price: $485

2. Walker Edison Set of Retro Adjustable Bar stools in Purple
   360 degree swivel, adjustable seat height.
   Padded seat and contoured back.
   Chromed steel frame and wide base. Price: $150

3. Calligaris Jam Adjustable Stool
   Sleek chrome finish and an easy to adjust frame. Price: $572.26

4. LumiSource Acrylic Bar stool
   Clear acrylic bar stool, rotates 360 degrees on chrome stem, adjustable footrest.
   Only available in clear acrylic. Price: $139.99

5. Trica Quadro Adjustable Height Swivel Stool
   Sturdy back with fabric in the center.
   Choose from a variety of seat upholstery options and metal finishes. Price: $450

6. Eurostyle Fabia Adjustable Leatherette Seat Swivel Bar Stool
   Chrome finish steel base/ foot rest
   Swivel leatherette seat and gas lift mechanism. Price: $105.00

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