How to Decorate With Bar Stools

A vintage bar stool will fit right in with a 1950s theme.

Bar stools around a bar, kitchen island or high table create an informal place for family and friends to gather. When choosing bar stools it is important to consider their relationship with the surrounding décor. The correct bar stools not only will be comfortable, they also will be a well-integrated design component. It is possible to use bar stools as an impetus for how to decorate the rest of a room.

Instructions

1. Develop a theme for the space where the bar stools will go. The theme depends on your personal taste. It is possible to develop a theme around a specific culture, art genre, architectural style, time in history or geographical area. Examples of cultural themes include Japanese, Mexican or Indian. Examples of art genre themes include art deco or modern. Historical themes include Victorian, the Old West or 1950s America. An architectural style could be anything from country cottage to Gothic cathedral. The desert or rainforest are examples of geographical themes. The bar, table or kitchen island also need to correlate.

2. Buy or refinish bar stools to fit within this theme. For example, if you chose a '50s theme, purchase vintage diner stools with padded seats and chrome trim and legs. If you chose a Victorian theme, choose stools with a Windsor chair-style back. For lovers of the minimalist qualities of modernism, a wide range of simple, sleek bar stools are available, especially from commercial suppliers. Unfinished wood bar stools allow you to paint or stain the stool to fit your theme. If your theme, for example, is a rustic country cottage, paint the stool with floral borders along the rim and legs. Another option is to refurbish used stools from a yard sale or secondhand store.

3. Decorate the surrounding area based on the theme to create a cohesive, complete space. Consider wall treatment, ornaments, flooring, lighting, window treatment and artwork. If you chose an Indian theme, for example, paint the wall with a bright color, like red, orange or turquoise, decorate with statues of Indian gods such as Ganesha or Shiva, hang a shelf to display Indian spices, and use luxurious Indian silk curtains on the windows. If you chose a Western theme, line a wall with barn boards or paint a wall border of cacti, cow skulls or barbed wire. You can also use galvanized barn light fixtures and hang antique saddlery and prints of Western landscapes on the walls for decoration.

References

• interior-design-it-yourself: Interior Design Themes and Styles
• The Key Bunch: Decorate your home Indian style
• SearchWarp: Create a Cowboy Western Theme Room In 6 Easy Steps