Guide  /  Bar Settings

How to Build the Perfect Outdoor Bar Setting

Get the height right, get the spacing right, and buy materials that survive the summer. The rest is easy.

Outdoor Furniture Ideas  ·  7 min read

A good bar setting sits people at eye level and keeps the footprint tight. Height and spacing do most of the work.

Most outdoor bar settings fail on two things people never check in the showroom: the height and the fit. The stools arrive too tall for the table, or the whole setup swallows a corner it was never going to fit. A bar setting is one of the easiest ways to add casual seating to an alfresco, deck or balcony, but only if the measurements are right before you buy. This guide covers the heights in metric, the spacing that keeps it comfortable, and the materials that hold up outdoors, so the setting you pick still works at year five. If you already know you want a full table setup, our outdoor dining and bar sets range is the place to start.

No. 01

Bar height vs counter height: get the numbers right

This is where most people go wrong. A bar stool is not one size. There are two common heights, and each pairs with a different table. Match them incorrectly and you either can't cross your legs under the table or you're perched a head above it. The fix is simple: pick the table height first, then buy stools to suit.

The rule that makes it foolproof: leave 25 to 30cm between the top of the stool seat and the underside of the tabletop. That gap is what your legs live in. Here is how the two standard outdoor bar table and stools combinations work out.

Buying the table and stools as a matched set removes the guesswork, which is why most people should. If you are pairing pieces yourself, measure the table you already own and work back from the 25 to 30cm gap. And check whether your stools have a footrest at the right height, because at bar height your feet do not reach the floor and that rail is the difference between comfortable and not.

Counter height on the left, bar height on the right. The seat-to-table gap stays the same. The whole setting just moves up.

No. 02

Space and spacing: will it actually fit

A bar setting reads as compact because it is tall and narrow, but people still need room to sit, swivel and slide out. Get the spacing wrong and guests knock stools together every time they stand up. These are the numbers to plan around before you commit to a size.

• Allow 60cm of table width per stool. That is enough elbow room to sit side by side without clashing. A 120cm bar table seats two comfortably, four at a squeeze.
• Leave 30cm of clear floor behind each stool. This is the space to get on and off. Push a bar setting hard against a wall or rail and you lose it.
• Give the whole setting roughly a 2 metre square footprint for a four-stool round table with room to move. A two-stool setup against a wall can work in well under half that.

Small spaces are where a bar setting genuinely earns its place. On a narrow balcony, a slim two-stool bar table tucked against the rail turns dead space into somewhere to eat breakfast or have a drink, without the bulk of a full dining setting. If that is your situation, our balcony furniture for small spaces is built around exactly this kind of tight footprint.

A pair of bar stools against the rail shows just how little space outdoor bar seating can use — perfect for narrow balconies where a dining set simply won’t fit.

Shop Outdoor Bar Furniture

No. 03

Materials that survive Australian conditions

A bar setting lives outdoors, usually uncovered, often near a pool or an open kitchen. It cops UV, rain, spills and heat, and the tabletop takes more abuse than a dining table because drinks and food land on it constantly. This is where cheaper options typically fail. The material decides how it ages, so choose that before you choose the look.

• Powder-coated aluminium frames. Rust-proof, lightweight enough to move, and stable in wind when the base is weighted. The frame material to look for, especially in coastal and poolside spots where steel corrodes and cheap coatings bubble.
• UV-stabilised polypropylene. The resin used in brands like Nardi outdoor furniture has the colour moulded right through, so it does not need painting, will not rust, and shrugs off chlorine and salt. It also wipes clean, which matters on a bar.
• Ceramic or HPL tabletops. Both resist scratches, heat and stains, so a hot pan or a spilt drink leaves no mark. A far more practical bar surface than glass, which shows every smudge, or untreated timber, which stains.
• Batyline sling or rope seats. Quick-drying, they do not hold water after rain, and they need no cushions to be comfortable. Ideal for a setting that stays outside year-round.

Two things to steer clear of. Untreated timber looks the part for a season, then greys, splits and asks for a sand and oil every year. Woven synthetic wicker on a bar setting traps water, dust and food in the weave and starts to look tired fast, so it is a poor pick for a surface that gets used hard. For a bar you actually entertain around, aluminium and resin do the job with almost no maintenance.

“Pick the height first, the material second, and the colour last. Do it in that order and the setting works for a decade.”

No. 04

Pulling the setting together

Once the table and stools are sorted, a few extras turn a bar into a spot people actually gather at. Keep it simple and practical, not cluttered.

• Shade. A bar setting in full afternoon sun gets used far less than one that is shaded. A cantilever umbrella or a spot under an eave or pergola keeps it usable through summer.
• Light. A bar earns its keep after dark. Festoon lighting overhead or a nearby wall light is what carries the space into the evening.
• Positioning. Set it near the kitchen or BBQ so you are not carrying drinks and plates across the yard. Flow beats looks here.
• Storage. A weatherproof cart or a compact cabinet nearby keeps glassware and bottles to hand without crowding the table.

Buy the setting once, in materials made for the conditions, and it stays looking sharp long after a cheaper version would have been dragged to the kerb. That is the whole point of getting the height, the fit and the material right up front.