It’s midnight. A clock chimes in the dark without waking the sleepy kitchen. Tucked safely under the marble counter are lazy pots and pans. All the clever knives and fickle forks are slumbering in their drawers beside the naughty spoons. Even the boisterous blender hasn’t a whirr left in its circuits. The microwave blinks but it can’t catch a single nighttime wave.

But not everyone’s snoozing in the sleepy kitchen. There are those who stretch their long smooth legs, wiggle their swivel seats and adjust themselves to be abreast with their shameless countertop lovers. And so it is that each counter stool leads a secret life, partly because their ancestors, the Barstool Clan, lived daring lives of adventure in bars and night clubs, under bright lights beside stages and amidst laughter, gossip and singing in their homeland, the Neighborhood Pub.

So, in the morning, while you and your family rush to butter your toast and fry your eggs and whip your cream and brew your coffee and squeeze yourselves cups of orange juice and read the daily paper and spill your spills on your counter and sit on what appear to be your normal stools, you probably won’t notice anything unusual. That’s because your exhausted counter stools are sleeping.

Now, converting and training a lethargic barstool into a lively daytime counter stool can be a challenge especially if they’re older models with a history of nightlife, but the newborns that arrive fresh from crates are much easier to train and adapt quickly to your kitchen life as well as to other kitchen-mates.

Their stature and pedigree are very important. Start by researching Modern Style Counter Stools and making sure that your stool will grow to be “counter stool height” and not “bar height”. Beware of a leather counter stool because their ancestry is closely linked to bars. The most adaptable and easiest to feed and clean are those sleek little fellows with vinyl, faux leather or leatherette seats. A folding counter stool can be a good counter companion, but remember they are very shy and often lock themselves in a closet. So think about how you want your counter stool to interact with the rest of the kitchen furniture.

Ask yourself if your counter stool will have to act, from time to time, as a “barstool” during cocktails and gatherings. This could corrupt a newborn, so you might want to get something secondhand, but if you decide to risk teaching your counter stool when it is okay to swivel and gas-lift itself and when to be stationary, look into a versatile chrome swivel counter stool or a backless counter stool.

In the next posts I will try to guide you through the difficult period of pre counter stool selection, purchase, and post purchase (without the blues). I will suggest some adaptable models that are doing well in other kitchen environments, although more are born daily, and help to steer you in the direction of where to get the easiest ones to train. It is my desire that your stool selection be a rewarding experience and that whatever one you select will develop into a well-adjusted counter stool that follows YOUR kitchen schedule and not its own.

28. Vittorio Counter Stool

Vittorio thinks he’s Italian. He has plush leather and sleek chrome. He doesn’t get along well with small household appliances and is often seen arguing with stoves, but he can be trained with patience. He has a long list of specs: Chrome frame, thick leather seat with contrasting stitching – black with white stitching or brown with yellow stitching, regenerated leather.

Size: 17”w x 18”d x 36”h

29. Fortuna Bar Counter Stool

Fortuna is a black and white deal with no hidden agenda. She’s made for a kitchen counter or a high table and has a chromed steel base with an ABS seat. She isn’t dull. She swivels and plays with her gas-lift, but you’ll love her because when she arrives she’s fully assembled. All about Fortuna: she’s available in black/chrome or white/chrome, has ABS seat, chromed steel base and foot rest, gas lift, swivel and fully assembled.

Her size: 16″w x 17″d x 25″-35″h

30. New York Counter Stool

New York is a classic with elegant proportions and postural support made of solid beech wood and ready to pull up to a counter.

Dimensions: Counter- 16″w x 17″d x 36″h x 24″/Bar- 16″w x 17″d x 41″h x 30″sh

Anguilla-Bar-Chair

31. Anguilla Bar Chair

She’s a chair but at 43 inches she loves to be at a kitchen counter. Her aluminum frame is sturdy and her UV protected synthetic weave makes her happy to be outdoors.

Size: Overall – 17.7”w x 16.5”d x 43”h/Seat height – 30”/Seat depth – 15.7”

32. Aria Counter Stool

She’s understated and minimalistic, rectilinear in form. Aria won’t dominate the house. She shyly blends into the background and keeps quiet which is why she can also be happy in a commercial place. Specs: Internal Structure- Steel tubes and sections, Internal Upholstery- Injection-molded polyurethane foam, Support Structure- Chrome plated steel sections, Cover-Slip cover with Velcro enclosures.

Dimensions: Counter: 17″w x 21″d x 36″h x 24″sh/ Bar: 17″w x 21″d x 42″h x 29.5″sh

33. Debra Counter Stool

Debra is a modern gal with a leather seat and wooden back. She comes in brown leather and Walnut or tan Leather and walnut.

Her dimensions: 17.25″w x 15.25″d x 38″h x 26″sh

34. Ripley Counter Stool

Ripley, believe it or not, is a counter stools style with Italian leather and a molded fiberglass frame. He has an injected CFS foam finish and a polished chromed steel frame.

Size: 21.5″w x 20″d x 36″h/15″sd x 25.5″sh/Footrest Height: 8″

35. Angelita Counter Stool

Angelita may be an angel but she doesn’t like to be alone. She must have a companion or she won’t come to your kitchen. She’s sexy and sassy with her clear acrylic seat and flaunts her chromed foot rest while she swivels about.

36. ONE Counter Stool

One is an only child. Cradled in his seat is an open network of die-cast aluminum channels and he’s a very confidant stool because he was created by an award-winning designer -Konstantin Grcic.

21. ARP Stool

Karim Rashid designed ARP for Pure Design of Canada in the early 1990′s. ARP is his creator’s baby, proud of his simple legs and sensuous wavy seat. ARP doesn’t mind if you change his color from natural to walnut but he keeps his chrome legs.

22. Midway Counter Chair

Midway isn’t crazy about her name but she makes up for it by being flexible. She likes to be in the kitchen or near the bar and she’s always streamlined with a dash of statuesque. She’s made of aluminum, has an anodized finish and has adjustable feet. She doesn’t like to live where there’s clutter. She’s a minimalist.

Size: 16”w x 16”d x 24”h

23. Stefie Counter Stool

Stefie isn’t stuffy. She’s light and has a transparent acrylic seat and a chromed steel frame. Stefie loves to be in a kitchen and she changes color from Clear/Chrome, Orange/Chrome to Red/Chrome.

24. Apollo Counter Stool

Apollo is a stable choice. Not overly padded, but with a sturdy curved tubular back that makes you feel safe. One thing Apollo is famous for is that his size is such that he clears the bottom of the countertop so he can hide a little when not needed. He likes to give you his technical info: Support Structure- Chrome plated steel tubes, swivel seat, Seat Structure- Beech pressed wood.

25. Bridgitte Counter Stool

Bridgitte isn’t frumpy she just doesn’t like to go out much. She loves to be a counter stool at your kitchen counter, your high bar table, or anywhere else in the home. Bridgitte’s leather is black, brown, or white.

She doesn’t want to give you her measurements, but here they are anyway: 16.75′w x 21″d x 36″h/15.5″sd x 21″sh/Footrest Height: 12″

26. Forrest Bar Counter Stool

Forrest is a country stool at heart, although he looks modern and swivels and has a gas lift. Really he’s a comfortable seat and is content to stay near the counter.

Size: 14″w x 17″d x 24″-34″h

27. Langley Aluminum Counter Chair

Here’s another hot head! Inspired by Philippe Starck and French design, Langley makes sure he’s noticed. He’s sturdy, stable and has undergone a heat treatment that makes him three times stronger than steel. His specs: Aluminum frame with anodized finish.

Dimensions: 20”w x 16”d x 37”h

You’ll want to choose some siblings right away – naturally two or three counter stools adjust better than one alone. For counter use, it may be worthwhile to select a genetic code of “extra tall”, but standard “bar height” is okay if you plan to allow your stools to saunter around the game room or cheer on the players around your pool table in the family room. Counter stool’s cousins, spectator stools, might also be a consideration. Just bear in mind that they are bred for fun and games.

Should you train an old Bar Stool or get a fresh Counter Stool?

That depends on you. Will the home atmosphere provide a stable environment for your bar stool to develop, and do you have the time and patience to train it? If you’re starting with a remodeled kitchen or refurbishing a previously unfinished basement I suggest going for a fledgling stool. There are many online delivery services that are quite painless for first timers.

Here are a list of stools that have been specifically bred as counter stools so training and adaptation will be easy:

1. Bertoia Wire Counter Stool

This modern counter stool is brilliantly designed. It is a quality reproduction of the original 1950s design by Harry Bertoia, an artist, sculptor, and jewelry maker. It is a strong piece and, due to its curvaceous shape, is comfy despite having been bent and welded from steel rods. It has a triple chrome plated steel frame and won’t complain even if you put it outdoors.

Specs: Made entirely by hand of chrome steel rods bent into a wire mesh, overall dimensions: 36″ H x 21″ W x 22″ D, Seat Height 24″, stain and weather resistant leatherette seat pad in black, white or red

2. Furgus Bar Counter Stool

This is a playful baby stool. It likes to adjust itself with its gas lift and loves to swivel completely around. It’s easily trained to sit at a high table or counter and is known for acting respectable when there are guests. It remains awake part of the night because it is, after all, part “bar stool”, but don’t worry too much. It awakens just after coffee and enjoys a hearty morning breakfast with the family.

Specs: Black/Chrome, White/Chrome, or Red/Chrome, leatherette seat; chromed steel base and footrest, gas lift and swivel, 14.5″w x 17.5″d x 26″-35″h x 23″-32″sh