Sit in Judgment

Posted by Rory, Contributing Editor

If you've seen the excellent Waiting for Guffman, perhaps you, too, have had the lyrics "working, making, some from selling, some for keeping" stuck in your head. They're from the song about a stool factory that put the town, Blaine, Missouri, on the map. For years now, when I've gotten a little busy with work, I've sung this and done a little pretend-sawing dance for my friend Tom -- to crack him up, yes, but also to get him to feel for my plight. Now the joke's on me, since I've ordered some stools, and some are for selling (i.e., returning for cash-money) and some are for keeping.

I ordered them for our freshly renovated kitchen, which now has a "peninsula" built specifically for a.) drinking coffee and doing the crossword in the morning and b.) sitting and chatting with the person
who's cooking dinner at night and c.) eating said dinner.

At first, we perused a website called Bartsools & Barstools, which, despite its Waiting for Guffmanly/law-firm-on-The-Simpsons name, is a shockingly comprehensive site. But I was fixated on the kind of stools that are found in high school science labs, or the kind that my dad used to have around his machine shop. First, I found this one, from Design Within Reach:

Then, after I was defibrillated and had an emergency IV to treat the sticker shock, I found this version on a vast school-supplies site (trophy case, anyone?) ...

... and ordered two of them. They swivel up and down for an adjustable height, which seems just about perfect. But then, when they were in transit, the Sundance catalog came and I found this stool. (The 27-inch height is key here -- Design Within [So-Called] Reach offers these now, too, but in a 30-inch height that would be too close to the counter.)

So now we have four stools we really love, but only a sensible spot for two of them. Care to vote on which style you think looks best?

Option 1: Sundance

Option 2: Safco

(Don't pay attention to price. I'll go long-buck for the more expensive ones if they're the clear winners, especially considering how cheap I am in every other part of my life.)

Comments

[katie]

My personal choice is the safeco ones. Love those old school stools.

I'd say if you want a contrast of line and shape, go for the Safeco ones. The curves break up the straight lines of your kitchen.

If you want to keep the lines of your kitchen the same, go for the streamlined Sundance ones.

Both choices are pretty great though! And I love that you sing the the stools song from Waiting For Guffman. I'll occasionally do that myself!

[michelle]

Safco - they give a little "oomph" to the kitchen. The Sundance match too much...

[queue_t]

The sundance ones, just seem more in line with the cabinets and other kitchen items. I would pick those.

[Jessica]

Sundance, definitely.

[RoMa]

Definitely the Sundance ones. The Safco look too small in the space.

[Marcey]

I think they both work in your space. I'm for comfort and I think you will know when you sit on them for a while which you prefer. My money is on Safco

[Erin]

I vote for Safco. I also saw stools like these with a slipcovered cushion on top - it looked pretty cool and would add a lot of comfort.

[Cortney]

Safco all the way...

[Kath]

My vote is for the sundance stools. Beautiful shape, and more dramatic in this space in my humble opinion. Good luck deciding : )

[Gabrielle]

Safco all the way! They lend a softness to the space that looks like it would work well, given the very straight lines of the cabinetry. I don't even like the Sundance ones a little bit.

[erinn]

My vote is for the stools from School Outfitters. I think the curved legs offset the very 'straight' lines of the cabinets. Both nice choices!

[Sharon]

Safco. Lends a little curve to a curveless area.

BTW, I don't think either will be comfortable for long stretches. ;-)

[chez shoes]

I vote for the Safco. I think they have a lot more personality and give the space some added character.

[Mel]

Has to be the Sundance - the others are great, but don't suit your space nearly as well.

[Wendy]

I think the lines of the Sundance stools match your cabinets, so I pick those.

[Betty]

The Sundance ones. The lines and look are much cleaner.