Whether you’re renting out a spare room or have a portfolio of multiple properties under your belt, the last thing on your mind is liable to be kitchen design. Which is precisely why I’ve put together this quick and simple guide: to affordable, space-saving yet trendy kitchen seating.

Read on to discover seating for your rented kitchen units which both meets a tight budget and puts your property on your ideal tenants’ radar.

Bar stools are the hottest kitchen interior trend right now, and they’re not going anywhere fast. The ugly metal-and-plastic IKEA numbers of the late noughties are gone. In their place are a host of design-forward bar stools which marry the budgetary and space constraints of landlords with the renter’s desire for comfort and style.

In this guide, I’ll be bringing over three decades of professional experience in furniture and interior design to ensure you find the perfect breakfast bar stools for your next property.

Why bar stools are an essential upgrade for the modern kitchen

A lot has changed in the last ten years, and as the world changes the way we live has changed to accommodate it. As renting becomes increasingly the norm for a majority of millennials and Gen Z, the types of properties landlords have in their portfolio is becoming more diverse.

Equally, in the wake of the 2020s’ global pandemic, more people in the UK than ever before work from home at least some of the time—putting kitchen islands and worktops at the forefront of design.

Coupled with the above is the need for interior design which mirrors the space-saving, versatile style of East Asian homes. Think fold-away tables, stackable storage, and bar stools instead of clunky dining table and chairs.

The modern tenant, like the modern homeowner, wants a mixture of functionality and comfort in their homes. These desires now extend to the kitchen—where the breakfast bar has become more than just a place to eat, but also a place to work, host, relax and converse.

Bar stools cater to these needs. They are the centre of the Venn diagram between comfort and utility, style and function. Moreover, to the great benefit of landlords:

• Breakfast bars and stools are more affordable than a dining table and chairs
• Bar stools occupy space efficiently, making them ideal for smaller homes
• Wooden bar stools not only look timeless, they are designed to last a long time
• Because bar stools are trendy, they may increase the value of your property in the eyes of your prospective renters

Let’s take a look now at which bar stools are trending and why.

5 bar stool trends defining interior design in 2027

As a landlord in a competitive and ever-changing market, it’s important to stay abreast of the trends—not just in terms of location, but also design.

Crafting a home that feels contemporary and stylish is the surest way to attract the kind of careful, considerate, young-professional tenants you’re looking for. In the simplest terms, put effort into the design of your properties and you’ll soon see a return on the investment.

Here’s a look at the 5 key trends defining which bar stools are best in 2026/27 and beyond.

Kitchen design trend #1) Tactile materials

The sleek plastic futurism of the noughties is dead in the water. Unsurprisingly, buyers and renters alike are returning wholesale to the types of materials we’ve been building furniture from for as long as we can remember: natural woods and metals.

Tactility—the essence of responding to our sense of touch—refers in this case to the pleasant calming effect of touching wooden furniture and feeling its naturalness against our skin. This may all sound pretty obvious, but the deep human connection to wooden furniture is what’s kept Evelyn Lily Interiors in business since 1995.

Simply put, the best breakfast bar stools are ones incorporating wood into the design, because they bring a timeless desirability to your property.

Kitchen design trend #2) Comfort matters

The second key trend is comfort. Work-from-homers spend more time sitting at home than they did before. This means that the casual bar stool good for grabbing breakfast before the morning commute is no longer quite so suitable.

I’d recommend that in combination with a wood or metal frame, you should shop for bar stools that feature either a cushion and/or an ergonomically designed seat. You could also look for a stool with a back to it, though these will appear to occupy more space so are best used in bigger kitchens.

Textured comfort—from cushioned seats, woven rattan, and muted velvets, etc.—can also help to offset the colder surfaces of tiled benchtops and splashbacks.

Kitchen design trend #3) Soft silhouettes

Just like the plastic 2000s gave way to the warm and natural interiors of the 2020s, so too have the sheer, hard lines of 2010s industrial minimalism been replaced with much softer silhouettes.

Rounded seats, cylindrical legs and corkscrewed stands, cushions and curved backs are in, and they’re here to stay. Designers experimented with the more rigid lines of minimalism and found them wanting. Instead, tenants want to see kitchens which feel homely and inviting; they don’t want kitchens as lifeless as the lines in them.

Kitchen design trend #4) Work-from-home versatility

As I mentioned above, it’s well worth considering the likelihood that your tenants will work from home some, if not all of the week. Working from home may well mean that the kitchen island or worktop becomes a sort of part-time office. To cater to these types of tenants, bar stools which swivel are a must.

Adjustable bar stools not only provide extra comfort for extended periods of sitting, they also allow the sitter to move efficiently between hob and homework. Similarly, for tenant families, adjustable bar stools mean the seat height can be easily raised or lowered to accommodate both children and their parents.

Kitchen design trend #5) Natural warmth

Last but not least, one of the top trends defining bar stools for landlords in 2027 is the need for natural warmth. Just as wooden furniture bestows a pleasing, natural tactile sense to your property interiors, so too does the colour palettes of the pieces you choose to furnish them with.

Real wood furniture obviously brings the instinctive warmth of rich browns, yellows and reds to the kitchen, but these colours can be complimented by cream upholstery, deep velvet seat covers and rich neutral cushions. Together, they help to make a kitchen feel less technical and homier, or lived-in, without compromising style.

Conclusion: Bar stools are a landlord’s best friend

Kitting out a kitchen can be expensive. From boilers to refrigerators, ovens to washing machines, it’s understandable not to want to spend any more time thinking about furnishings. The addition of a bar stool, however, is the perfect counter to those expensive essentials.

Affordable, durable, versatile and effective at instilling a homely sense of style and comfort to any kitchen countertop or breakfast bar, the humble bar stool can turn a barebones kitchen into place your tenants will look forward to spending time.

There are many thousands of bar stools out there to choose from, but I don’t think the decision has to take that long. Just be sure to prioritise what’s trending (for the right reasons) and you’ll be fine. Look for wooden frames, comfy seats, adjustable heights and warm tones, and you’re in for a winner.