Alden Barstool

The Alden Barstool is a backless stool with a round upholstered cushion 42cm in diameter, set at a 66cm seat height. The legs are white metal and the seat is upholstered in a birch tone. It suits a kitchen bench rather than a raised bar.

Backless is the right choice more often than people expect at a kitchen island. A stool with a back has a front and has to be aimed; a backless one can be sat on from any side and pushes fully under the bench, which in a narrow galley is the difference between usable and permanently in the way.

The round cushion is what makes that work in practice. A square seat has a correct orientation whether or not it has a back, and the corners catch on the leg as it is pushed in; a circle has neither problem.

At 66cm the seat is bench height. Check it against your own benchtop rather than assuming, because the gap between the seat and the underside of the bench is what decides comfort, not the seat height on its own.