If the main home activities center around the kitchen, or if you love casual entertaining, bar stools add to that open casual atmosphere, inviting people to stay and chat awhile, as the cook is occupied. Cushioning your bar stools will make them that much more comfortable for everyone.
Cushions for metal bar stools can be purchased at any department store or home center. They traditionally have ties that attach to the back of the stool, or some have a non-slip rubber surface on the bottom of the cushion. There are also other ones that have an elastic band that fits around the underside of the stool seat, or ties with a draw string. This type of cover/cushion is for those stools without backs. Leather bar stool cushions may be more expensive but are very durable and easy to maintain with consistent effort. Many families with small children eating meals prefer the vinyl which is easy to wipe up and stays virtually spot-free.
If you really want to go all out and love crafting, you can make your own cheap outdoor bar stool cushions, with the help of the perfect fabric, some batting cut to fit, and a sewing machine. The above materials, of course, are readily available at a fabric store or craft outlet. The cushions with back ties are the easiest to make, and can be filled with poly-fill, or a form-fit piece of latex or foam. If you have wooden backless stools, simply place cut-to-fit batting or foam on the seat, and place fabric over the seat, using decorative tacks to tuck under and pull taut. Place a tack about every inch around underside of the seat. An easy way to keep fabric cover centered is to place second tack opposite the first, third next to the first, fourth next to the second, and so on, moving across and around the bottom of the seat.
Whichever route you take, you are sure to enjoy your warm kitchen’s atmosphere for years to come.
