I believe that 24 inch bar stools are less than 10 years of age. I suppose these stools may have existed before, but they certainly were not prevalent. Historically most bar stools were of a standard height. The height was set based on fitting with old English style pub bars. I first started buying bar stools for different business ventures in the late eighties. These stools were all standardized. They were all of the same height, and for the most part made in a handful of designs. Now all different types of bar stools are manufactured and commercially available.

For the most part there are now two standard bar stool height: there are 24 inch bar stools and 30 inch bar stools. The higher 30" bar stools are found in commercial venues such as pubs, night clubs and restaurants. Both the 24 inch and 30 inch bar stools models are commonly found in residential settings. With hundreds of different models to choose from you can make your bar area as unique as you want.

During the 60s and 70s, the use of bars in private homes was generally limited to basement family rooms or possibly outside on the pool deck. The stools found around the pool tended to be made out chrome or resin. For obvious reasons, the stools needed to be water resistant. Bar stools found in the basement recreation rooms tended to be wooden with a swivel seat and a chair back. These stools were stained a dark natural walnut or oak color. All of these older style bar stools were primarily designed for use by fully grown adults.

Then about 15 years ago a revolution began in the kitchen. Kitchen renovations were becoming quite popular and very common. Kitchen renovation shows were popping up on TV. Lifestyle shows were being set in the kitchen. New glossy kitchen renovation chat rooms were being launched. It suddenly became self-evident: the kitchen was an integral and very important part, if not the most important room in the house. Today kitchens are still about function but they are also about lifestyle. The new kitchen reflects a redistribution of domestic labor. Husbands, wives, and children all contribute to meal preparation or clean up. Today's kitchen is about stainless appliances, cappuccino makers, and breakfast bars and breakfast bar stools. Breakfast bar stools are generally 24 inch bar stools.

The idea of the purpose of a kitchen changed radically. A kitchen wasn't just about making food or doing the dishes. A kitchen became a place to enjoy family time. This concept came to fruition just as we all realized a bigger kitchen with more counter space was needed if the food preparation and clean up was to be shared with other activities. The breakfast bar became the ideal place to read the paper or do homework.

The 24" bar stool developed out of necessity. The older style bar stools seemed to dominate the kitchen and the image of these bar stools seemed to bring up the connotation of drinking of alcohol. Another critical reason was that families wanted their children to be able to use the kitchen bar stools. The standard height stools were too high for children to use comfortably. After hundreds of years using a standard height stool, the world has quickly embraced the 24" bar stool.