Since you already mention that the counter height dining would be mainly used by friends and family, consider this. Are all your friends and family as tall as you and your husband? I doubt it!

Many people find counter height seats an issue to get in and out of, or sit on comfortably, for an extended period of time. If you want your guests to be comfortable and inclined to relax for a good while, I would advise against counter height dining table and chairs.

A few years ago, when this trend was popular, it seemed every other dining ensemble featured counter height furniture. If you look now, you'll see that it has lost it's popularity and it isn't that common as it was. I believe this is because many people found that the taller furniture pieces weren't that comfortable for relaxed formal dining.

"Are all your friends and family as tall as you and your husband? I doubt it! "

Chuckled at this... because, although my answer would be "no", it is not as you would assume.

I am the shortest at 5'11"... my family and a good number of my friends are TALLER!

Many shorter people, especially those with bad knees, love the height as they are easier to get in - and especially, OUT - of!

I say, your house, your choice!
And enjoy.

DH finds the height a bonus, I do not. I mentioned height because I assume it would be asked. :)

He likes that his feet sit on the floor naturally, instead of having to jut his legs out or crack his knees on the underside of the table. I dislike having to use the chair support/stabilizer as a footrest, but as someone living with a torn knee ligament - really appreciate that I can just "drop off" the chair and don't actually have to "get up". :)

Most of our male guests are about my height, or somewhere between me and DH. Most of our female guests are maybe 5'7 ish or shorter. So it totally varies!

It will ultimately be our choice, for sure. But I've never used counter height seating for more than a 10 minute try on at the store. Just as I find any product reviews helpful - at least as food for thought - so I appreciate the experiences of people who have lived with this kind of set up for a while.

We have bar stools that I believe are the same height of the counter height ones. I am 5'4" and do not like to sit on them for any length of time....though the seats are padded, it is hard on my fanny (lol) and my legs go to sleep..even with my feet on the cross bar. They are easy to sit down on and to get up from, but not comfortable for sitting ....Ours swivel, which the ones you are thinking of probably do not. But basically it is up to you.

We're about the same height as you: DH is 6'3"; I'm 5'11". We raised all our counters to 39" and the counter bar is about 3" taller than that. Our kitchen table is a pub table (tall) with tall chairs and we have bar height stools at the counter. We love the height (so much more comfortable for us) and other much shorter people have commented that they like it too. (My aunt is about 5'2" and has said a few times she really likes it.) My kids are in middle school and many of their friends are much shorter than them. Those friends have no trouble at the counter or table, or using the 39" vanity w/vessel sink in the powder room. I will say for some shorter people that it's harder to scoot the pub chairs in after sitting down, but everyone seems to manage fine.

So... that's just one family's experience, but for us the higher counters, inc. the eating counter, have worked great. (We use our counter for every weekday breakfast and most lunches.)

Wow and I thought we were tall. I'm only 5'9" my DH around 6'2". My sons will all be taller like my brothers (6'4" range). It sounds like tall furniture works for you. Altho I have to admit I had this crazy picture in my mind of the shorter guests being sent to sit "with the little people" at the kiddie table. It made me laugh.

Well, my daughter (2.5 y/o) does have a table & chairs in her playroom we could bring down! :)

The set we're looking at does not swivel. It also has "built in" padding, instead of solid wood seats that you can add your own pads too. I'm not 100% sold on that.

We did taller counters in our bathroom, and did little things like raising the install height of towel bars, mirrors, etc. And had the plumbing for shower heads run at about 8' so we have ample clearance. Thought about raising kitchen counters but chose not to.

All that thought, and what did I forget? I had my closet clothes bars done standard. I buy "talls" and they run a few inches longer. So now my pants crumple on the floor. Grr...

Well we use our peninsula to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner when it is just me and my daughter. She's only 2 so we use a FP seat that is like a high chair seat, but can put on any type chair.

I'm not comfortable letting her sit that high without being strapped in. Still too impulsive and just wants to jump down etc. Hearing you have a 2.5 y/o it doesn't sound like a good choice with counter height. You also have to help them up/down.

I don't mind sitting there for shorter quick meals, but if I had visitors and we were all sitting and chatting it would be more comfortable to sit at a regular table. It works fine for eat/run type thing, but sitting and lingering isn't exactly the most comfortable.

Can you try it out by going to a restaurant that has counter seating and see how it feels to you? Maybe eat in the bar area if there isn't a counter seating eating area.

I never liked sitting at those tables at Applebee's and always requested NOT to be seated at the high tables. We are in the process of looking for a new kitchen dining table and am aggravated that there are more counter height ones than normal ones. I find them uncomfortable after a while. I want my feet on the floor when I'm sitting at a table.

I have found over time the pressure points encourage hemorrhoids and a nerve spasm in my feet. My counter height eating is done informally in my kitchen. It is here I have my lap top. I would not recommend it.

I'm 5'6". I don't mind the counter height breakfast bar and chairs for a quick snack, but I wouldn't want to sit down for a formal meal at that height.

For starters, maybe it's just me, but since I can't sit on the seat and have my feet touch the floor at the same time on a tall seat, I can't pull the chair close enough to the table to be comfortable. Sometimes just climbing up into the chair is an ungraceful proceeding. Then either my legs dangle or I prop them on a rung of the chair, which may or may not be at a comfortable height for me. Then I have to slide out of the chair--one time I was sitting in a tall chair with a fabric covered seat and I was wearing a skirt and the chair fabric kind of grabbed on to my skirt fabric . . . let's just say I showed a lot more leg than I'm comfortable with.

And somehow the taller table and chairs says to me "informal dining."

Love, love love my counter height table.

avesmor, I don't want to hijack this thread but would like to talk to you about torn ligament. Can't email you through your profile, but would you email me through mine?

As a short person (5'-2 last time I checked), I like the tall stools 'cause they make me feel tall for a change! But I agree that if you don't have high ceilings, they can swallow the space.

A friend of mine has one of these and loves it. But, she did say the height becomes a problem when she has guests over because she cant just pull up extra chairs. They would be too short.

Hmm... good points. And thanks to everyone for the opinions so far. It's so great to get considerations I wouldn't have thought of.

We have an eat-in kitchen for everyday meals. Or a couch & tv trays. :) We have counter height seating at our island, and it's comfortable to me, but it's also not the chairs that would be with a new set. It's also a different height. Only by about 2"... but it matters of height, 2" can make a big difference. We won't really dine formally in that room. I'm not a very formal person. It would be a large table tho, with leaves, more for casual entertaining.

We have 9' ceilings, and a recess for sideboard/hutch (so it wouldn't take up perimeter space). Our table there now (don't know the size offhand but it's from Pier 1, so whatever their standard is).

But after hearing so many "not comfortable to sit on for long" perspectives, I'm really doubting the built in cushions.

I'm 5' 6.5" with a BAD knee. DH is only 5'10". Most of my family is on the shorter side, men being only average like DH, and most of the women shorter than me. My MIL is barely 5'1.

We have a pub height table and LOVE it. It's not as high as the Applebees ones. My seats are not padded, and I don't have cushions on them. Tried cushions but everyone hated them! Everyone loves our table. At Christmas I used card tables & chairs to seat 15, and no one lingered as they do at the pub table.

I guess it's just a matter of preference. We really love ours and won't go back. We have only 8' ceilings and a small room, but it goes well in there. And mine has a butterfly to open out to seat 8; I have 2 standard size bar stools that I use as extra seating when needed.

BTW, since we all love pictures, here's the set we're looking at. Yumminess!

I have a couple of barstools at the end of my kitchen island that are tall. They are okay for short sits, but I don't like the fact that my feet either dangle in mid-air or I have to put them on the crossbars. I don't find the taller seating comfortable at all, and I'm 5'8".

What makes a chair comfortable isn't the padding or lack thereof. It's all about the shape of the seat and the shape of the back and the angle where the back of the chair meets the seat. I have a wood desk chair with a shaped seat that is far more comfortable than many padded chairs I've sat in.

And for dining chairs, another big factor is the height of the seat in combination with the height of the table.

If you want comfortable seating in your dining room, that will encourage people to linger after a meal, you really need to test the table and chairs together. I suspect that when people say a dining chair is comfortable, it isn't just the chair; it's also the way the chair and the table work together that makes the seat so comfortable. I'm sure it's possible to get a very comfortable counter height dining set, just as I know it is possible to get an uncomfortable regular table height dining set.

So whatever you get, I hope you can test sit it first.

That is a nice looking table and it sounds like you are really liking it. What's the stores return policy? I had my doubts as well and couldn't envision the table we chose in our room. The fact that we had 30 days to give it a try was a huge. Of course when I asked the sales person she failed to include the conditions of a return, ie a 15% restocking fee to return or only that same 30 day window to choose something new. Lesson learned? Do don't take the sales persons word for it, ask to see their return/exchange policy in writing. Luckily we found something else we can work with that will fit our space ok. Since pictures are being shared, this is the one we're returning. I still love the table, it too has the stored leaf and can sit 8, I wish it had worked out.

Chiming in... we have had a counter-height table for about 4 years now. I do not like it for the same reasons many have mentioned: #1--it is uncomfortable, my feet fall asleep, and I always want to move to more comfortable seating to linger. #2--it takes up much more space visually. We have the room for it, but it is bulky nonetheless.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Interesting to read so many "uncomfortable" reviews. This set would be considered a custom order, so any return would automatically require a 30% restocking fee. That's always a tough choice when ordering blind. 30% to not want something is not a good investment. :)

We've really been paying attention to how we sit, and often it's actually to the side of the chair (sitting on the chair at an angle), other than when we're actually eating. Counter height doesn't seem to lend itself to that very well.

Back to shopping... :)

Don't you love how you can come here for help/reviews?

I love my counter height dining because i have decorate my house and also all interior designing done by myself and choice so i love every thing in my house.

Here is a link that might be useful: EPDM Coatings

Add me to the 'I find them uncomfortable' group. We have a regular height kitchen table with 6 chairs and a counter height island that can seat an additional 6. Everyone prefers the kitchen table and the island is used for overflow sitting or when someone needs a larger workspace to read the paper or use the laptop and doesn't want to hog the table.

I love the look of the table you selected - my only suggestion is to make sure the table can accommodate the number of chairs you want. Since the table supports angle out that limits the placement of chairs.

Indeed it is! It's hard to find a real life population of people who own counter height dining. I don't think I know anyone...

(and it's equally hard to find friends who have opinions on drapes, or what color pillow to best accentuate the fireplace, or...)

We are empty nesters, which may make a difference. We love our permanent counter height table area. We chose counter height because we wanted to sit up higher to see the outdoor views better. Hubby and I seem to be eating more plated meals casually served in front of the television, we eat at 7pm, Bachelor and American Idol time LOL

Avesmor,

Did you end up buying the Woodland Ridge table in your picture? I'm interested in the same and would like to get your opinion.

Thanks.
Boris
abkaushansky@optonline.net