Backless vs Backrest Kitchen Bar Stools

A common stumbling block when choosing a kitchen bar stool is whether to go for a backrest or a backless bar stool. While having a kitchen counter bar stool with a backrest offers plenty of support, you might not like the idea of the bar stool’s backrest being visible above the height of the countertop.

Below we’ve written a quick rundown of the benefits and considerations of each design to help you choose the right stool for your space.

Kitchen Bar Stool with Backrest

Elise Bar Stool from our leather Bar Stools range.

Pros

• Good lumbar support. When sitting in the same place for a while your body can often slump, so with a backrest, this can take off some of the stress on the back.
• Backrest bar stools feel more secure as you have a supporting surface at the back.

Cons

• The backrest may be seen above the height of the countertop. Dependent on the height of the backrest will depend on how much will be visible above your kitchen countertop. This is a purely aesthetic issue but should be taken into account.
• Kitchen bar stools with a backrest cannot be fully tucked under your counter or table. Therefore, the stools will be more visible and take up slightly more floor space.

Backless Bar Stool

Form Stainless Steel Bar Stool

Pros

• No visible backrest above the height of the countertop so you have nothing to break up the simple straight lines of the surface.
• Backless kitchen bar stools can be tucked under the counter or table so they’ll take up less floor space. This is ideal if you’re a little pushed for room.

Cons

• As there is no back support, when seated you’ll more likely to be leaning and resting on the surface in front of you.
• If you have younger children, backless stools offer less support when they are seated.

Still stuck for choice? Why not have the best of both worlds…

Kitchen Bar Stool with a Small Back Rest

Pros

• This style of stool offers some Lumbar support for the lower spine and for the lower back.
• A small backrest is not so visible above the height of the countertop.

Cons

• As the backrest is far smaller, it will not offer complete support for your back.
• Like a backless stool, a stool with a small backrest won’t offer full support for younger children.

So there we have it!

We hope we’ve given you some inspiration as to what stool will be right for your space. Now let’s choose the perfect seat! Head over to our website to full the full range of backless and backrest bar stools.  For more sizing and styling tricks, be sure to take a look at our Bar Stool Buying Guide.