I hate my kitchen island counter height stools. As I’ve gotten older my skin on my arms has become thin and I bruise and bleed easily. I’m constantly hitting my arms on the edges of the backs.
My kitchen is large with a large island. I presently have 4 stools, they are wood with high backs and a wooden seat which I have a seat cushion on. I think they also make the kitchen look country which I don’t like.
I would love to replace them. Has anyone gone from chairs with a back to no back at all? Or a mini height back? I don’t think I want leather or anything super modern. Nothing with sharp edges that I can knock my arms into.
Kitchen has maple cabinets and the island is granite.
Any ideas or companies you have ordered from that you like?
We bought 2 Alma adjustable bar stools just before the lockdown.
https://daniafurniture.com/products/alma-adjustable-counter-and-bar-stool
I know you don’t want fake leather, but we looked at and sat on so many wood ones and just did not see any that we’re comfortable. We eat at the counter every morning… love the comfort. We are very pleased. IMO, adjustable height is the way to go because what one person finds comfortable, another could consider a pain in the butt. 
We have these with a white seat, the backs are low profile. They are fake leather, but easy enough to recover the seat.
All in all they are pretty comfortable, but I will admit I don’t sit in them for hours at a time.
We have padded backless stools in our kitchen and I love them. Totally don’t miss the back. The ones we have are discontinued but they are something like this: https://www.wayfair.com/Charlton-Home–Mcgreevy-Saddle-Style-Counter-Height-25-Bar-Stool-X112544814-L59-K~W001433703.html?refid=GX440402142124-W001433703&device=c&ptid=902617261648&network=g&targetid=aud-354999624471:pla-902617261648&channel=GooglePLA&ireid=82679475&fdid=1817&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2p7_8dX66QIV24FaBR1nxAfPEAQYASABEgLzlvD_BwE
This is similar to what I have now and hate. https://www.potterybarn.com/products/aaron-barstool/?pkey=cbarstools&isx=0.0.1414
@BunsenBurner I think that Metal bottom is more modern than I want. My sister has a similar chair to that in suede that is very comfortable.
I admit I’m also someone who hates eating at a counter, my H loves it. I much prefer to have my feet on the floor. The stool has to have at least a rung for my feet.
My house is a non-traditional California ranch style. Non traditional in that it’s oriented to take advantage of ocean views so lots of windows. When you are inside you feel like you are outside.
Yes, we always had bar stools with backs and I went into decorating our new house with the expectation of getting something similar. My decorator convinced me that a back wasn’t necessary and we’d have a better look to our kitchen without as much going on around the island.
We also have a large kitchen and large island and have 4 of these stools tucked under the island overhang. I really like them and find them very comfortable. I don’t miss having a back at all and feel really stable on these because the seat is so big. They are 19" in diameter and the tops swivel. I can rest my feet on the rung and easily swing completely around. These are made to order in the US and can be made in any finish with any fabric.
@GRITS80 that is what I was thinking. The chairs I have now limit me using a good part of the island.
I have bar stools at my island. They have no backs and are very modern in design. The base is basically an S shape and is metal with a matte finish in white. The seat is natural maple. I bought them almost 30 years ago to use at the breakfast bar we had before gutting the whole kitchen and opening to family room addition.
They were getting grungy looking from years of feet on the base part so I took them into the garage and spray painted the bases. They look great again. And they are the perfect height for my island. They slide partly under the hangover so don’t take up much room at all.
It took a lot of searching to find them and the thought of looking for something as perfect as they are was daunting. I really dislike almost all bar stools. Hence the spray paint.
I have really enjoyed my barstools from Amisco., a Canadian company I believe. I purchased them from an online company that is not around anymore, but Costco has these which are similar to mine. I find them very comfortable and we usually sit at the counter for breakfast and lunch:
https://www.costco.com/rosco-26%22-swivel-barstool.product.100521543.html
Of course they make several different styles if you want to check out they catalog.
We have these stools on one side of our kitchen island–they’re great and very comfortable. We’ve had them for 16 years and they still look like new.
https://www.thosmoser.com/product/high-stool/
Love Thomas Moser furniture.
He was given an honorary degree at my kid’s college the year he graduated. He had taught there many years before. We went to a symposium that weekend where all the honorees were and his story was fascinating. .
We have 4 very simple wooden stools at our kitchen island. Love then … easy to get on/off, and they tuck nicely underneath the island counter overhang. (no cushioning - that could be an issue if you bruise easily.)
If we redecorate our kitchen someday, I’d also counter overhang to go “around the corner”. We end up at the island a lot with our friends for wine and appetizers.
Those Thomas Moser stools look very classic and classy. I wasn’t in the market for new stools but suddenly maybe I am!
Gorgeous! At $1,200 apiece, they better last and look good forever. ?
The Thomas Moser stools are gorgeous. My husband would faint if I told him I’m spending over $4000 on new stools. He Is happy with what we have.
Lots of great ideas. It opens up a lot more things to look at by taking out the need to have a back.
https://www.potterybarn.com/products/brenner-leather-counter-stool/ These might work except for the fact they estimate delivery to be late October! My H likes the price.
My current bar stools are plain pine and all wood. They have lasted and lasted and lasted (about 30 years old). I showed S the nicer ones and he said, “Why?” I guess we are likely to stick with what we currently have.
@mom60 For my area they show delivery next week. Might they be available in store for curbside pickup? Also, did you see you can get 20% off with the code FRIENDS?
The answer to “why” is “why not once every 30 years???” That is only if you really want a change. I like to change out easy to swap stuff every few years. Family heirlooms with sentimental value, no, but barstools-I’d be up for that. Ours are pretty old and on their last leg. Purchased at Target 12 years ago, I’d say they lived a good life. 
We will be in the market for some new barstools soon. Some of these examples are awesome, and we prefer stools that swivel, whether or not they have a back. Good thread.
I like those from Pottery Barn. It appears the legs spread out to a wider base than the seat - just keep that in mind as you are measuring and determining how much room you have.
I am another person who votes for no back. I think it keeps the lines of your kitchen more sleek and less cluttered looking. Less busy.
We got these three years ago and I really like them. Plain, no cushion, no back and inexpensive enough to replace if I decide I want something different. We tuck them under the island overhang. https://www.potterybarn.com/products/tibetan-barstool/?pkey=s%7Cstool%7C87