What is the height of your breakfast bar (counter top)?

[luvflorida]

If you have a breakfast bar in your house, how tall is it, how long is it and what height stools do you use for it?

We were looking at a model home yesterday and loved everything about it. It had an open floor plan with a breakfast bar separating the kitchen from the living room area. It seemed to be an abnormally tall breakfast bar, though.

We went back this afternoon and measured it. It is 47 1/2 inches tall and 9 feet in length. I am only 5 feet tall, so it REALLY seemed high to me. We did some research online and it seems that the standard height for breakfast bars is around 42", and standard stool height is 30". In order to get stools to properly fit a bar height of almost 48", we would have to get extra tall stools (36").

The breakfast bar has a sink and counter tops on the opposite side (they face the living room), so we're figuring the bar is tall so that the sink is hidden from view. Still, it seems much too tall to sit at comfortably? The model home was unfurnished, so there were no stools at the bar. Does anyone have a breakfast bar as tall as 47"-48"? Do you like it? Do you use 36" stools?

We also thought maybe it was built to just put stuff on, or lean on while conversing with family and friends. However, the wall below the counter top is not flush with the counter. It was made to put stools underneath. The dishwasher is also on the side of the bar where the sink is, and it's built high up. You don't have to bend over to load the dishwasher. There is a large area next to the bar where a kitchen table and chairs would go, and there is a formal dining room.

Does anyone here have a house with one of these very tall and very long breakfast bars, and one with the sink and counters on the opposite side?

ETA: edited title

 

[DVC-Don]

Funny as I read the title here I just happened to have a tape measure on my desk here and I'm around the corner from the breakfast bar.

Counter top is 36" and stool seats are 24" off the floor. Ours is just a continuation of the other counters.

 

[formill]

The dishwasher up high would be GREAT....we saw that once in a store and my husband wanted to do that in our house but I would have had to lose counter space to do that......so we opted to put it in like "normal". We have an island with the one side being higher where you sit and it is 40 inches from the floor and the stools are 24 inches from floor but I found they were too short so they have really thick cushions that add 2 inches to height. I would think as long as you have bar stools that are high enough it would be fine- since all the bar stools have a bar on them to put your feet on- if you have kids or elderly they may find the stools hard to get up on..... 47 1/2 inches sure does seem taller than average.....

 

[bfeller]

We have had two houses that had the high breakfast bar and we put the higher stools under them. Both houses also had the sink on the other side. My thought it that it was meant to hide the countertop on that side. I don't remember how long the countertop was but know that it was very long and it served as the divider to the family room and to the kitchen breakfast area.

I have also had a breakfast bar that was really part of an island in the kitchen. That was lower and we had the lower stools for that. Personally, it was easier for my kids to sit at this bar because it was easier to get on the stool. Of course they were kids and it didn't stop them from climbing up on the taller ones either. LOL

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Currently, the height is stupid. I have something similiar. Now granted the placement in the kitchen is not usable, I do not know what they were thinking with this design. It was also a model home, built 2008.

OK, I measured it and it is 45" and I am 5' 3". I do not like the height and will never use it as a breakfast bar. They did not give enough room for the kitchen table and stools.

Now if you have the area for the stools you will probably use it but it sounds like it will bug you.

 

[Daisy&Max]

So I'm guessing I'm the only one who opened this wondering why you wanted to know how tall my granola bar was. Okay, I believe I need more caffeine...or to go back to bed.

Daisy

 

[mom2travel]

Ours is 44" and we have tall chairs from pottery barn to sit on - works great and we use it all the time, for the kids and when we entertain. The counters on the other side of the "bar" are normal counter height, and our sink, dishwasher and some cabinets are there. The tall chairs we bought are the same design as the ones at our kitchen table. Our tall counter/breakfast bar is very long and wraps around sort of an "L" shape, and is maybe 18" deep or so. A friend who lives around the corner has a similar layout, but their high counter is only about 6" deep - totally useless imo

 

[Carly_Roach]

So I'm guessing I'm the only one who opened this wondering why you wanted to know how tall my granola bar was. Okay, I believe I need more caffeine...or to go back to bed.

Daisy

No, you're not the only one. I saw the subject line and thought, "Hmm...I guess my breakfast bar is about an inch tall. Maybe an inch and 1/2. Why is she asking?"

 

[golfgal]

The dishwasher up high would be GREAT....we saw that once in a store and my husband wanted to do that in our house but I would have had to lose counter space to do that......so we opted to put it in like "normal". We have an island with the one side being higher where you sit and it is 40 inches from the floor and the stools are 24 inches from floor but I found they were too short so they have really thick cushions that add 2 inches to height. I would think as long as you have bar stools that are high enough it would be fine- since all the bar stools have a bar on them to put your feet on- if you have kids or elderly they may find the stools hard to get up on..... 47 1/2 inches sure does seem taller than average.....

My Dad has a high dishwasher and it is GREAT!! Their's is on the end of their cabinets and they have 3 long drawers under the dishwasher that are great for storing cookie sheets, etc. and on top of the DW they have a glass front cabinet. It is a great set up.

As for the breakfast bar, the higher ones seem to be in vogue now. My BIL has one and they found some funky hydraulic chairs at IKEA that take care of the issue (they have little kids). Just make sure if you get bar stools that there is a bar to rest your feet on that is comfortable or you will find that sitting in those high chairs is really uncomfortable. We had a breakfast bar in our house 2 houses ago and I LOVED it but it was normal counter height. Oh, and get at least one more stool then you have family members since there always seems to be extras (at least at our house).

 

[disneymarie]

Funny as I read the title here I just happened to have a tape measure on my desk here and I'm around the corner from the breakfast bar.

Counter top is 36" and stool seats are 24" off the floor. Ours is just a continuation of the other counters.

Ours is also normal counter top/stove/dishwashe height. THe stools are 24" high. We use this L shape area off the back wall for all the kitchen activity. Under it on one side we have more cabinet space, the over hang is where we have the stools.

I had this feature put in when we built the house. No dining room, open kitchen and that is where the table is.

 

[MAKmom]

If you have a breakfast bar in your house, how tall is it, how long is it and what height stools do you use for it?

We were looking at a model home yesterday and loved everything about it. It had an open floor plan with a breakfast bar separating the kitchen from the living room area. It seemed to be an abnormally tall breakfast bar, though.

We went back this afternoon and measured it. It is 47 1/2 inches tall and 9 feet in length. I am only 5 feet tall, so it REALLY seemed high to me. We did some research online and it seems that the standard height for breakfast bars is around 42", and standard stool height is 30". In order to get stools to properly fit a bar height of almost 48", we would have to get extra tall stools (36").

The breakfast bar has a sink and counter tops on the opposite side (they face the living room), so we're figuring the bar is tall so that the sink is hidden from view. Still, it seems much too tall to sit at comfortably? The model home was unfurnished, so there were no stools at the bar. Does anyone have a breakfast bar as tall as 47"-48"? Do you like it? Do you use 36" stools?

We also thought maybe it was built to just put stuff on, or lean on while conversing with family and friends. However, the wall below the counter top is not flush with the counter. It was made to put stools underneath. The dishwasher is also on the side of the bar where the sink is, and it's built high up. You don't have to bend over to load the dishwasher. There is a large area next to the bar where a kitchen table and chairs would go, and there is a formal dining room.

Does anyone here have a house with one of these very tall and very long breakfast bars, and one with the sink and counters on the opposite side?

How much over hang does the bar have? You need about 10" of over hang to use it with stools. If it is sitting on a half wall the top would need to be about 16" wide to sit at comfortably. If it is smaller than that it is not meant to sit at.

 

[krcit]

So I'm guessing I'm the only one who opened this wondering why you wanted to know how tall my granola bar was. Okay, I believe I need more caffeine...or to go back to bed.

Daisy

I thought the exact same thing!! I'm a blonde though, what's your excuse

 

[luvflorida]

Now if you have the area for the stools you will probably use it but it sounds like it will bug you.

There is a ton of room for the stools, but I'm not sure how many times I'm going to want to climb and claw my way up to sit at the bar.

My Dad has a high dishwasher and it is GREAT!! Their's is on the end of their cabinets and they have 3 long drawers under the dishwasher that are great for storing cookie sheets, etc. and on top of the DW they have a glass front cabinet. It is a great set up.

As for the breakfast bar, the higher ones seem to be in vogue now. My BIL has one and they found some funky hydraulic chairs at IKEA that take care of the issue (they have little kids). Just make sure if you get bar stools that there is a bar to rest your feet on that is comfortable or you will find that sitting in those high chairs is really uncomfortable. We had a breakfast bar in our house 2 houses ago and I LOVED it but it was normal counter height. Oh, and get at least one more stool then you have family members since there always seems to be extras (at least at our house).

Yeah, I really liked the higher dishwasher. I don't remember if it had drawers underneath it, though. We have an island with a built-in stove at our other house with an extended counter in the front of it. The counter top/island is the same height as the kitchen counters, so I'm guessing it's 36" and I believe we have 24" stools at the counter. I know when we were living there, we used it all the time. This new house with the oversized bar, I'm not sure about!

How much over hang does the bar have? You need about 10" of over hang to use it with stools. If it is sitting on a half wall the top would need to be about 16" wide to sit at comfortably. If it is smaller than that it is not meant to sit at.

We're going back to the house today, so I'm going to measure the overhang. I think there was quite a bit of space, though. The kitchen bar is not part of any wall.


Another disadvantage I'm finding as far as taller stools, is the price. 34"-36" stools are more expensive than the shorter ones. Good quality, sturdy stools are VERY expensive!

And yes, for those of you who thought I was measuring my breakfast food this morning, I fixed my thread title! Ha! Ha!

 

[MAKmom]

There is a ton of room for the stools, but I'm not sure how many times I'm going to want to climb and claw my way up to sit at the bar.



Yeah, I really liked the higher dishwasher. I don't remember if it had drawers underneath it, though. We have an island with a built-in stove at our other house with an extended counter in the front of it. The counter top/island is the same height as the kitchen counters, so I'm guessing it's 36" and I believe we have 24" stools at the counter. I know when we were living there, we used it all the time. This new house with the oversized bar, I'm not sure about!



We're going back to the house today, so I'm going to measure the overhang. I think there was quite a bit of space, though. The kitchen bar is not part of any wall.


Another disadvantage I'm finding as far as taller stools, is the price. 34"-36" stools are more expensive than the shorter ones. Good quality, sturdy stools are VERY expensive!

And yes, for those of you who thought I was measuring my breakfast food this morning, I fixed my thread title! Ha! Ha!

What is the counter sitting on if not a half wall. Is it sitting on high cabinets

 

[luvflorida]

What is the counter sitting on if not a half wall. Is it sitting on high cabinets

It's built in the middle of the room as a free standing unit. On one side is the kitchen sink, cabinets and dishwasher. We're going back to the house later today, so I'll take some pictures of it and post them.

 

[luvflorida]

I took a few pictures of the breakfast bar this afternoon.

A front view. When standing beside the breakfast bar, my chin is only four or five inches above the top of the counter.

The edge of the counter comees out 10 inches, so there is plenty of room for stools, both at the counter and in back of the stools.

This is the other side. You can see that it is built up to hide the sink area.

Here you can see the placement of the dishwasher, which I like. There is one drawer beneath it.

I think it would look odd NOT to have stools at the breakfast bar, but it sure is hard finding the right ones! I haven't found any stores that carry 36" stools.

 

[Daisy&Max]

I'm glad I'm not the only one here that thought that! And no I'm not blonde. Does gray count?

Thanks for changing the title now I feel better. LOL

 

[golfgal]

Bed Bath and Beyond used to carry stools that height. Target occasionally has them as well. I would check websites as well as in the store as they often have things on the website they don't carry in the store.

 

[Sparx]

I took a few pictures of the breakfast bar this afternoon.

A front view. When standing beside the breakfast bar, my chin is only four or five inches above the top of the counter.

The edge of the counter comees out 10 inches, so there is plenty of room for stools, both at the counter and in back of the stools.

This is the other side. You can see that it is built up to hide the sink area.

Here you can see the placement of the dishwasher, which I like. There is one drawer beneath it.

I think it would look odd NOT to have stools at the breakfast bar, but it sure is hard finding the right ones! I haven't found any stores that carry 36" stools.

That tile and granite is beautiful!

 

[MAKmom]

Is this a model or the house you would buy?