The thing nobody tells you about buying bar stools is to measure the worktop first. Counter height (90-92cm) and bar height (102-110cm) are different worlds, and a counter-height stool at a true bar is comically short. Once the height matches, it's about footrest position, backrest, and the swivel question.

The spec that does most of the work is seat-to-floor height. For a standard 90cm kitchen island or peninsula, look for a stool with a 65cm seat height (give or take 2cm). For a true bar at 105-110cm, look for 75-78cm seat height. Adjustable gas-lift stools cover both heights and suit households where the worktop changed since the last set of stools, and they're the safer buy for a renovation. The Range and Robert Dyas between them carry over 530 stools from £20 to £760; Furniture in Fashion stocks the leather-and-wood mid-bracket from £50 to £840, and Choice Furniture Superstore handles the longer-life solid-frame pieces above £75.

We compare bar stools across UK retailers daily by seat height, backrest, swivel, finish and material. The grid below filters by these specs so the stool you order matches the kitchen as much as the look. read more…