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

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)

Teak casual furniture can brighten and lighten a dark kitchen space or can be used in an outdoor setting. Teak furniture goes well with a splash of Thai, Indonesian or Malaysian fabric. Choose accent color schemes from rich-earthy to luminous-regal.

“Among timber, teak holds the place which the diamond maintains with precious stones and gold among metals.” -Lord Monteray, 1892

Give your indoor kitchen a touch of Thailand with a Barlow Tyrie – Equinox Backless Bar Stool that features a combination of steel, aluminum, and soft teak tones.

If you want a little Java in your kitchen stools get the real deal from Ascot Teak – a green international trading company from Java, Indonesia. They use only teak that is certified from Government controlled plantations. The secret to their beautiful kitchen bar stools and counter stools is due to the teak aging and proper Kiln-drying process. All their stools are water resistant and guaranteed not to rot or warp.

They also make custom make teak and rattan furniture if you have a design in mind or a special fabric to use in the upholstery.

The beauty of decorating with teak is that you can keep the natural honey colored look or leave it to fade to a silver grey color over time, or you can paint it any color to suite your décor. It’s very versatile and requires little care. Remember in Bangkok and all over South East Asia, the temples and palaces and stately manors of the wealthy were traditionally made of teak. Year after year, in the Asian monsoons and Typhoons, these buildings stand as beautiful as ever. Teak is really the diamond of woods.

Here are two of the best:

All teak stools are not equal

There are many grades of teak. Be careful of patchwork joinery. And please stay clear of teak that’s been logged illegally. One company from Costa Rica is Reforest Teak and their products are all part of an ecological reforestation program which includes a manufacturing facility which benefits the local community.

Teak Barstool Care

Some teak makers suggest retouching your teak occasionally with wax or oil, however Reforest Teak from Costa Rica don’t recommend using either. As teak ages naturally it changes color, which is part of its charm. It begins golden sand color and slowly turns silvery gray. The only reason you may want to use a little oil or wax is if your décor is based on the original golden hue. Otherwise, there’s no need to do anything other than wash with a mild cleaner diluted two to one.