Bar Stools that Completely Tuck Under a Typical Overhang

Lots of people are looking for bar stools that are shallow enough to completely tuck under their countertop's typical 10" - 12" overhang. If this is your situation, you'll need to go with backless bar stools. This is the only style that's available with such a shallow depth - and with good cause! The average human couldn't possibly be comfortable when sitting on a 12" deep bar stool that has a back, even if the back is really small. As you can see in the to-scale drawing below, the 5'1" person trying to sit in the completely tuckable 12" deep stool simply can't fit their less-than-average-sized butt on this thing. The backrest is basically pushing them off the front of the seat. That same-size person fits perfectly on the 18" deep stool. Knowing this detail, thoughtful manufacturers make their stools with backrests in sizes that fit the "human scale," which means the depth of the seat will be about 16" or more. Add the thickness of the backrest, and you usually end up with a stool that has a total depth of 18" or more.

This is why you'll have to go backless if you need to fully tuck your stools under a 10" - 12" overhang. Furthermore, 90% of the backless stools with such a shallow depth will be what we call a saddle stool. We use this term to describe any backless bar stool with a shallow rectangular-shaped seat. Many of these stools (but not all) have a curved top that resembles the shape of a horse saddle. (Hence the name.) Because these stools don't have a backrest, you can sit beyond the rear edge of the seat, and it's actually quite comfortable.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us for more help. We're always eager to help you figure out your bar stool dilemma!