It is six o'clock on a Friday and the front bar is three deep. The dry bar by the door rocks whenever someone leans on it. In the bistro, a chair with a split seat faces the wall, and out the back last summer's stools have faded to two different greys. Good pub furniture prevents all of that.
This guide works through a pub zone by zone, using seven products from the bar stools, table and hospitality seating ranges.
Pub furniture by zone: what each area asks for
A pub is several rooms with different jobs. People perch at a dry bar for one drink, settle at the bar for an hour and sit down in the bistro for a meal. Buy for each zone.
| Zone | What it needs | Height to look for | In this guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front bar | Stools with backs on strong frames | Seats about 750mm | Denver Barstool: 750mm seat, 150kg |
| Dry bars | Heavy bases, levelling feet, easy-clean tops | Tables about 1,050mm | Marlo Bar base, SM France 600mm round top |
| Bistro | Wipe-clean chairs, tables for two or four | Tables about 720mm, seats about 480mm | Bistro Table Base, Florence Chair |
| Function room | Chairs that stack and link | Dining height | Kit chair: 26 to a trolley |
| Beer garden | Materials stated for outdoor use | Match the tables | Siesta Tom Bar 75, light-coloured tops |
Six of the seven are packs of two, so count in pairs: 12 stools along a bar is six packs.
Bar stools: with a back or without?
At the bar itself, people stay. A back makes an hour comfortable, and seat height decides whether knees fit under the counter. Most bars and dry bars sit around 1,050mm, which suits a seat about 750mm high. The bar stool height guide explains how to measure yours.
The Durafurn Denver Barstool - Vinyl Seat, pack of 2 ($607) has a powder coated steel frame, a black vinyl seat pad and a 750mm seat height. The backrest comes in Black Vinyl or four plywood finishes. Each stool has a 150kg safe working load and a 3-year warranty, and the stools stack for storage.
The trade-offs are size and setting. At 460mm wide and 580mm deep, it takes more floor than a backless stool, so allow about 600mm of bar per seat. Its page describes it as built for indoor commercial use, and assembly is required. Backless stools suit tight spaces and short visits, and they slide under a dry bar.
Dry bar tables and bar-height bases
Venues often build dry bars from a separate base and top, so a damaged top can be swapped.
The Marlo Bar Table Base, pack of 2 ($311) is cast iron with a black powder coated finish. It stands at a standard bar height of 1,050mm on a 560mm by 560mm star base. Adjustable feet keep it level on uneven surfaces. It takes tops from 600mm round to 700mm square.
A natural partner is the SM France 600 Dia Round, pack of 2 ($311). Each top is moulded in France with a 25mm edge and a jointless, wear resistant surface. Its page states that it resists heat and cigarette burns, is easy to clean, and suits indoor and outdoor commercial use. Colours are Black, Marble and White.
One pack of each makes two finished dry bars. A 600mm round suits drinks but is small for meals, so step up to a 700mm square for plates. Complete high tables are in the cafe and bar tables collection.
Bistro tables and chairs
The bistro is where furniture works hardest: full plates, hot dishes and chairs dragged in and out all night. The Bistro Table Base, pack of 2 ($301) is the dining-height counterpart to a bar base. It is cast iron in a black finish, 720mm high, with a top plate that has 8 fastening points. It takes square tops up to 800mm by 800mm and 15kg, and it is designed for indoor use.
That 15kg figure is the one to watch: weigh up any top against it before pairing. Square tops in 700mm and 800mm sizes are listed in table bases and tops. As a rule of thumb, a 700mm square suits two diners and an 800mm square seats four.
For seating, the Florence Chair - Vinyl Seat, pack of 2 ($542) has the timber look many pub dining rooms want. The frame is solid European beech, stained Chocolate or Natural, with a foam seat in Black or Chocolate vinyl. The seat is about 480mm high and the warranty is 3 years.
Vinyl wipes clean. The Florence has two limits: it is for indoor commercial use only, and its 120kg safe working load is lower than the 150kg of the stools here. Other styles are in the cafe and hospitality chairs collection.
Function rooms: chairs that stack and link
A function room might host a trivia night, a wake and a 21st in one week. Its chairs need to come out fast, sit in straight rows and pack away again.
The Kit Stackable Hospitality Chair (from $109) has a heavy duty plastic seat and back on a solid rod frame, in black or white. It stacks five high on the floor or up to 26 on a trolley, and the chairs link in rows. Its page lists a 120kg weight limit, BIFMA certification and a 5 year warranty.
The trade-off is comfort: a hard plastic seat suits a presentation night better than a three-hour seated dinner.
Beer gardens, floors and Australian conditions
An Australian beer garden gets hard sun, summer storms and the odd dropped schooner. Furniture belongs out there only if its page states outdoor use. The Denver stool, Florence chair and Bistro base are all listed for indoor use.
The Siesta Tom Bar 75, pack of 2 ($383) is made for the weather. It is polypropylene reinforced with glass fibre, UV stabilised so it will not fade, and suitable for indoor and outdoor commercial use. The backless seat sits at 750mm, each stool weighs 4kg with a 150kg safe working load, and the stools stack. Colours are Anthracite, Olive Green, Taupe and White.
Sun affects table tops too. The SM France page recommends light colours in direct sunlight, because dark colours become hot and fade over time. It adds that direct sun can make the edges bow. In a north or west-facing garden, choose White or Marble and keep tables under an umbrella.
Then look at what touches the floor. Both bases have adjustable feet for levelling, and the Bistro base and the Tom Bar list replaceable feet, so worn feet do not mean new furniture.
Each product page has a Delivery line naming the metro cities that product can be delivered to. Six of the seven here list Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, and the Kit chair adds Perth. Deliveries go to the ground-floor entrance, so plan who carries cast iron bases upstairs.
Pub furniture — frequently asked questions
What height should a pub bar stool be?
A pub bar stool usually needs a seat about 750mm high, which suits bars and dry bars around 1,050mm. Leave roughly 250mm to 300mm between the seat and the top of the bar.
What is a dry bar table?
A dry bar table is a bar-height table, usually about 1,050mm, set away from the service bar. Patrons stand or perch at it with drinks.
Can indoor pub furniture go in a beer garden?
Indoor pub furniture should stay inside unless its product page states outdoor use. In this guide, the Siesta Tom Bar 75 and the SM France tops are listed for outdoor use.
Is pub furniture sold individually or in packs?
Both: six of the seven products in this guide are packs of two, with one price covering both units, and the Kit chair is priced singly.
Shop the range
Start with the bar stools and cafe and bar tables collections, then add seating from cafe and hospitality chairs.
- Durafurn Denver Barstool - Vinyl Seat, pack of 2 ($607): two steel-framed indoor bar stools with backs and 750mm seats
- Marlo Bar Table Base, pack of 2 ($311): two cast iron bases for dry bars at 1,050mm bar height
- SM France 600 Dia Round, pack of 2 ($311): two heat-resistant 600mm round tops for indoor or outdoor dry bars
- Bistro Table Base, pack of 2 ($301): two cast iron dining-height bases for indoor tables up to 800mm square
- Florence Chair - Vinyl Seat, pack of 2 ($542): two beech dining chairs with wipe-clean vinyl seats for indoor bistros
- Kit Stackable Hospitality Chair (from $109): linking plastic chair for function rooms that stacks 26 to a trolley
- Siesta Tom Bar 75, pack of 2 ($383): two light, UV stabilised backless stools for beer gardens and dry bars
Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
