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Barstool Tall Tales and Short history
One of the most common places to find a barstool, is (somewhat obviously) in a bar.
Before the advent of the yuppy bar or the sports bar, or even the speakeasy, there was the ubiquitous pub. Pub furniture is and was generally made of stout oak. This choice of material was mostly attributable to the roudy and often violent inhabitants.
Our commercial customers (including a few pub landlords) tell us that the sturdiest barstools are generally only expected to last less than six months in this type of establishment.
This statistic has less to do with the stool and much to do with the long standing tradition of bar brawls and the tendency of the user to fall off the barstool after a few too many.
Barstools were for work as well as play: Work benches and retail customer service counters can be manned standing up, or seated at a counter stool. After a few hours standing the value of a counter stool becomes self evident.
During the days of prohibition bar furniture became difficult to obtain. Manufacturers of traditional barstools found it diffcult to find their clandestine market, and the illegal speakeasy found it ill advised to reply to ads for bar furniture because they would often be traps laid by the police.
The advent of soda fountains provided a legitimate venue and more reliable market for the barstool manufacturers. And in the 50s and 60's as the concept of the soda fountain / burger bar exploaded into pop culture, it did so with a shiny new look. The American bar stool, with its chrome frame, round seat and bright colored faux leather upholstery opened the door to modern bar stool design.
Today modern barstools are far more varied and eclectic in their design, than ever before.
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| Zola Barstool | Ansel Barstool | Genoa Modern Barstool | Nina Barstool |
Designers draw their inspiration from wide and varied sources. The Bauhaus era has had a tremendous effect on all design, and barstools are no exception.
Contemporary designers are always looking for the design that will capture the interest and imagination of their audience. In doing so they have created barstools inspired by and even built from such things as: Tractor seats, Auto parts, Bicycle seats etc.
The range of materials too is tremendous. You can still find barstools in oak, and thousands of options in chrome but you can also get cast aluminum barstools, fibre glass, rattan, or even acrylic barstools.
For a tremendous range of barstools please see www.barbazar.com
