Never fear. If you thought today’s post might be about adventures in potty-training, it’s not. (Huge sigh of relief).

Nope, we have an actual shortage of seating in our kitchen at the moment, and it’s got me stumped over what to do about it.

That’s because I found some stools at Ross I wanted to replace our old red ones with, so I posted the red ones to our local swap and shop, and they sold immediately. But when I went back to Ross to buy the stools I’d spotted, they were gone. (Of course).

Which means that Shaun and I have been eating standing up around the kitchen island for the past 6 weeks. Never mind that we have a perfectly usable breakfast nook table. We are creatures of habit, and those extra 7 steps from the kitchen to the table at lunch time just seem like a whole lot of work. (Sad, I know).

{Also? I’m thinking that the second line of this post is probably feeling pretty lonely without his own little parenthetical aside at the end}

So, I’m on the hunt for replacement stools, but I’m having trouble finding anything that I love to go with the current ones around the island, so I’m thinking about selling those too, so everything can match.

Thing is, I should probably figure out what I want to buy before I sell any more stools so that we don’t all end up eating on the floor.

My criteria?

Something sturdy, relatively comfortable, and maybe a little funky that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (since I’ll be buying up to 7 of them) and preferably doesn’t swivel (I’d like to avoid as many “MAMAAAAA… her knee’s touching mine, and she won’t stop tuuuuurning” scenarios as I can in the future).

I took a quick peek around the internets and discovered that everything I reeeeeeally loved was way out of my price range (isn’t it always?). {There I go again}

But I did find a few options that might work, with a bit of tweaking…because that’s what I do.

Before I show them to you, though, here’s a refresher view from our current kitchen setup.

kitchen view

The cabinetry is traditional (although the color is clearly not), but the checkerboard floor is a bit retro, so I think that the space could really benefit from more modern seating to give it a bit of a twist.

(P.S. Just so we’re clear, the stools at the kitchen island are the ones we still have, although hopefully not for long; the red ones have since flown the coop).

And now for what I have in mind:

stool collage

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Obviously, Options 1, 3, and 5 are very similar (in fact, 3 and 5 are both the Carlisle stool from Target in different colors).

I would definitely paint Option 2 a funky color—probably a distressed mustard. I would probably do some kind of treatment to the dark legs of option 6 as well. I like the texture of the jute, but think the legs could stand a bit of pop.

Option 4 is all kinds of fun, but it’s considerably more expensive than the rest and…it swivels (grrr).

Another honorable mention that I’m sure I would get sick of but sure looks fun is this one.

orange retro max 

Groovy, no?

In some ways, I’m most drawn to Option 1’s shiny silver, probably because all of our appliances are stainless steel.

But, if I’m honest, I’m not sure that any of these options are money, if you know what I mean.

Full disclosure: these stools are just part of a kitchen mini-makeover that I have in mind (my husband is groaning) that involves changing the kitchen island color (to a coral or maybe even a much lighter color, adding knobs to the cabinetry, redoing the shade over the window in my Chiang Mai Dragon birthday fabric (from 1 year 1/2 ago; man! I’m slow sometimes), and finding a different lighting option (maybe a lighting/pot rack combo?) for over the island.

I’m sure I’ll be talking to you about all of those changes as they come to fruition.

But for now…(I bet you know what’s coming)…

Wanna weigh in on my stool conundrum?

Given what I’ve said about what I want, which option do you think would work best? Or, if your answer is none of the above, would DO you think would work best?

P.S. I’m aware that none of these stools have backs, and I have small children, but the older ones do really well with navigating stools at this point, and the twins will be equally savvy soon, so I’m not too worried about it.

P.P.S. The winner of the Younique Eye Collection is: ELLEN CASPER!!!

You’ll be hearing from Miranda soon! Enjoy your prize! 🙂

16 Comments

  1. luv luv luv the yellow ones! of course my kitchen is retro and has those exact pops of yellow color thru out, so I’m partial.

  2. I have two of the yellow stools from target. My son who is 8 loves to eat sitting at the bar. The seats are a bit wider so he has no trouble with sliding around (he has poor motor control). I also have the Carlisle chairs but in silver at the breakfast nook table.

  3. When you get the new ones, try to remind the kids several times that they don’t have backs. I made a similar switch and my poor sweet baby forgot and leaned back. He did a backflip and hit the floor. 🙁 I’m about to cry just remembering it.

  4. I like number 1 the most, the kitchen is very colorful as it is- muted colors yet colorful- I think the metallic silver stools will add a bit of jazz to the kitchen and compliment your appliances nicely

  5. I recommend not doing the rattan ones with kids (food in cracks and my kids peel that kind of stuff off).

  6. The kids will be happy with whatever you pick out. However, also think of times when you are entertaining adults. Some stools are horribly uncomfortable for adults. I REEEEEEEALLY loved saddle stools…until I sat on one. I’m sure they’re not all the same, but you won’t know until you have ADULT tushies try them out.

    You will hate the cutest stools in the world if they make people’s tushies unhappy at your next gathering!

  7. I like one and six. Ikea for one and maybe a pier one outlet for 6. do you all have a restore (habitat for humanity) in your area? I have grabbed some great buys at ours

  8. I love #1 and #3 but not sure how the yellow would look with the other colors of the room 🙂

  9. Because there is a lot going on in the room color and pattern-wise already, I think a potential place for the eye to rest a bit would be a plus. I think the best bet for that is option 1. Less can be more, allowing the places where we want to highlight “more” (funkiness, color, pattern, a collection) to shine all the, well, more. 😉

  10. I have had option 1 in RED for almost three years and they are great – durable, easy to clean, small and they stack!. My boys (3 & 1) really love them and have only had a handful of falls off of them – nothing serious!

    Option 6 looks hard to keep clean (lots of places for crumbs). Of option 1, 3 or 5, I probably would lean towards 1 for your kitchen. It would look nice if you painted your island a warm french grey (ie Ben Moore Rockport Gray HC -105 or Valley Forge Tan AC-35) . I think the silver with the grey would be a nice pairing.

  11. We have saddle stools like option 2 in our kitchen and I love them. They are comfortable and tuck under the counter top so they are not intrusive and don’t get in your way. My second favorite option is number 4, but that could be crazy with your little ones! 🙂

  12. I like several of these IKEA options (although I love IKEA in general when a lot of people do not). I always find their prices to be so reasonable too.

I love hearing from you guys!