Outdoor Bar Stools

The drinks are poured, the table is set, and everyone is standing because there is nowhere to sit. Outdoor bar stools are the fix, tall enough for a bar table and built to live outside.

Our outdoor stools are built for that job. They handle sun, rain and plenty of use, in the hardwearing finishes you see in cafes and commercial use, styled for a courtyard rather than a venue. Early Settler has been helping Australian families get these spaces right since 1985.

UV-stabilised polypropylene is the best material for outdoor bar stools in most Australian homes. It is UV resistant, will not rust, and wipes clean with warm soapy water. Our in-house design team chose it across most of the range because the colour holds through a full summer of direct sun.

Each of the weather-resistant materials worth considering earns its keep differently:

• UV-stabilised polypropylene – Lightweight, seamless and easy to shift, it suits balconies and courtyards where stools need to stack away between uses.
• Powder-coated aluminium – This metal option sits heavier underfoot, so it stays put on a breezy day, and the baked-on finish shrugs off chips and salt air.
• Timber – Teak and other hardwoods look lovely outdoors but need oiling once or twice a year, or they will silver off and dry out.

Leave 25 to 30cm between the stool seat and the underside of your table. That gap is what stops knees hitting timber halfway through lunch.

Measure from the ground to the underside of the table, not the top. Then subtract 25 to 30cm to find your ideal seat height. A standard high-top outdoor bar table usually calls for a stool seat around 65 to 75cm.

Every stool lists its seat height in the specifications tab, and any adjustable options show their full range there too.

Choose a back if people will sit through a whole meal. An outdoor bar chair with a back and arms holds you comfortably for hours. The Em Weave Bar Stool is a good example.

Go backless or low-backed on balconies and other tight spots. Stools that tuck fully under the table free up walking room.

Swivel seats suit conversation-led setups. Back height and seat depth are personal, though. Sit on the outdoor seating in any of our 50+ Australian stores before you commit.

Polypropylene stools handle rain, frost and full sun without covers. Left in unbroken sun year after year, any colour will soften eventually. Stools kept under a pergola or eave last longer.

Salt air is the harder test near the coast. Weather-resistant moulded designs like the Jesi Bar Stool have no screws or joins to rust or trap water.

Wind is worth planning for on an exposed deck. Stackable designs come inside in a couple of minutes. Every stool carries a minimum 12-month warranty because we expect it to live outside.

Allow about 60cm of table width per stool, measured centre to centre. A 120cm table seats two comfortably. Stretch to 180cm and you fit three.

Buying stools and outdoor bar tables together takes the height guesswork out of it. Our outdoor bar settings are built to work as a pair.

Mixing is fine too. Because our outdoor range also covers outdoor dining chairs and tables, sofa sets, cushions and lighting, you can pull a whole courtyard together without it looking like it came from four different shops.

Green is the colour our range returns to most. It works outdoors because it sits happily beside whatever is already growing nearby.

Beyond that, colour is the quickest way to set a mood. Most outdoor spaces land on one of four looks:

• Classic and coastal – White and taupe keep a space light and fresh, and neither dates.
• Quiet and modern – Black and grey draw sharper lines, especially against timber decking or render.
• Bright and playful – Yellow, orange, pink and red turn the stools into the feature of the space.
• Natural and grounded – Green and warm neutrals let the garden do the talking.

Indoors you can have upholstered seating, rattan and anything else you like. An outdoor space asks harder questions of its furniture, and the answer is rarely the cheapest one.

Good outdoor furniture should not mean choosing between something that lasts one summer and something priced like a teak showpiece. We sit deliberately in between.

Buy for the number of people you actually entertain, not the number you hope to. Then shop the range online, or come and sit on one at your nearest store.

No. Moulded polypropylene and powder-coated stools are shaped to be comfortable without padding. Add a cushion if you sit for long stretches, but choose a quick-drying outdoor fabric. Standard indoor cushions hold water and grow mould.

A bench seat or a standard-height outdoor dining setting both work. Just swap the table too. A dining chair sits roughly 20cm too low for a bar table, so changing only the seating leaves everyone reaching upward.

Measure only the usable span, skipping any section blocked by a post, sink or bracket. You also need at least 25cm of bench overhang for knees, so an island with no overhang cannot seat anyone comfortably.

Rarely. Polypropylene and powder-coated finishes are made for exposure. Covers earn their place in unbroken summer sun or salt air near the coast. Pick a breathable one, because a sealed cover traps moisture and causes more damage than the weather.

Check the ground first. Most outdoor wobble comes from uneven paving or decking rather than the stool. Shift it 30cm and test again. If the wobble follows the stool, tighten the footplates or add adhesive felt pads to level the legs.