Stool Height Guide: Perfect Fit for Australian Bench Spaces

Choosing the right stool height for your kitchen bench, bar area, or dining nook sounds simple-but if you’ve ever ordered a stunning stool online only to discover it’s awkwardly tall or uncomfortably short, you’ll know how frustrating (and expensive) it can be. A perfectly sized stool doesn’t just look great-it changes the way you use and enjoy your space. Whether you’re after a classic Windsor stool, an elegant Seina marble stool, a cosy Bergamo boucle bench, or a sleek contemporary option like the Verona stool, the right height ensures comfort, posture support and seamless everyday living.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know to get the perfect fit for Australian bench spaces.

Understanding Common Bench Heights in Australia

Before choosing seating, you need to know what you’re working with. In Australia, there are three common counter heights:

• Standard dining table height: 70–75cm

• Kitchen bench or counter height: 90–95cm

• Bar height: 100–110cm

Once you measure your bench, determining your ideal stool height becomes easier. As a general rule, you’ll want between 20–30cm between the top of the stool seat and the underside of the bench. This spacing gives your legs room while keeping your posture natural-not hunched, not stretched.

This is where many Australians get caught out: kitchen benches are often higher than international standards, meaning imported stools (or stools bought quickly without measuring) can sit too low. Whether you’re pairing a timber Windsor stool with a farmhouse-style kitchen or adding a sleek Trento bench to a modern home, measuring first ensures a perfect fit.

Choosing the Right Stool Type for Your Space

Once you know the height, the next decision is stool style. Functionality plays a huge part-not every stool suits every lifestyle.

Backless Stools (e.g., Seina Marble Stool) -  Backless stools work beautifully when you want a minimalist style and an uncluttered visual line. A Seina marble stool is perfect for luxe interiors where form meets sculpture. These stools are ideal for quick meals, coffee breaks and entertaining - and they can be tucked under the bench when not in use, making them perfect for smaller kitchens or apartments.

Stools with Backs (e.g., Verona Stool) -  If your kitchen bench is used as a full-time dining space, workstation, or kids’ homework zone, a supportive chair-style option like the Verona stool offers comfort for longer seating periods. These stools add character to a space and help create a defined casual dining atmosphere.

Benches (e.g., Trento Bench & Bergamo Boucle Bench) - Benches come into play when you want flexibility and comfort. A Trento bench suits contemporary kitchens or entry hall seating, while the soft texture of a Bergamo boucle bench brings a cosy, European-inspired feel. Benches are great for families with children because they can seat more people and offer a more relaxed style.

Key Considerations When Selecting Stool Height

Getting the right stool height isn’t just about matching your bench. There are a few practical elements to consider:

1. Seat Cushioning and Upholstery - Soft upholstery-like boucle, padded leather, or cushioned fabric-compresses slightly under weight. A Bergamo boucle bench or upholstered Verona stool may feel lower once sat on compared to a firm marble or timber stool.

2. Footrest Placement - A comfortable seating posture requires somewhere for your feet. For taller stools like bar-height versions, ensure there’s a built-in footrest or a separate ledge. A Windsor stool with a timber stretcher or metal foot ring often feels more supportive than stools without one.

3. Seat Width and Stability -  Stools that are too tall relative to a narrow seat feel unstable-especially for children or elderly users. Heavier stools like the Seina marble stool offer natural stability, whereas lighter options may need a non-slip base or thoughtful placement.

4. Clearance for Movement -  Your knees shouldn’t touch the underside of the bench, and there should be enough room to shift comfortably. The 20–30cm rule is a lifesaver here.

Styling Tips for Australian Kitchens & Homes

Once you’ve matched height and function, it’s time to style your stools beautifully.

• Match tones-but don’t over-match. A timber Windsor stool looks stunning with natural stone benches, while a marble stool creates contrast against timber cabinetry.

• Consider texture variety. A boucle bench paired near marble stools creates beautiful layered warmth - the Bergamo boucle bench softens stone-heavy or modern minimalist spaces.

• Odd numbers for balance. In most Australian homes, three stools at a kitchen island creates visual balance and practical spacing. For shorter counters, two stools is better than forcing three.

• Mix materials thoughtfully. The organic feel of rattan, timber or boucle pairs well with polished finishes like marble or brushed metal. A Verona stool in velvet or fabric can elevate an otherwise simple kitchen into something stylish and intentional.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many homeowners rush stool buying because it feels like a finishing detail-until it isn’t. Avoid these common errors:

• Choosing based on aesthetics only -  A gorgeous stool that sits too high becomes uncomfortable quickly.

• Assuming all benches are the same height -  Measure-never guess.

• Ordering stools before cabinetry is installed -  Bench heights can shift slightly due to flooring or material thickness.

• Spacing too tightly -  Allow at least 15cm between each stool for comfort and visual breathing room.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right stool height is a blend of measurement, lifestyle considerations, and interior style. Whether your space calls for the timeless appeal of a Windsor stool, the elegance of a Seina marble stool, the modern comfort of a Verona stool, or the cosy warmth of a Bergamo boucle bench or Trento bench, the right height ensures your seating looks intentional and feels effortless.

At the end of the day, furniture should make your home more liveable, functional, and beautiful - not complicated. A perfectly sized stool creates a welcoming space for conversations, morning coffees, family dinners, and late-night snacks.

For homeowners who appreciate thoughtful craftsmanship, style, and comfort, LaGrace Home offers designs made to complement Australian living - beautifully and effortlessly.

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Ways to Make Your Home a Wellness Zone: Create a Space That Heals and Inspires

In today’s fast-paced world, your home should be more than just a place to live — it should be your wellness zone, a space that supports your physical health, emotional balance, and mental peace. Transforming your home into a sanctuary of well-being doesn’t require major renovations. With mindful design, natural touches, and healthy routines, you can turn every corner into a place that nurtures you.

Image:MetaAi

1. Embrace Natural Light and Fresh Air

One of the easiest ways to create a wellness-inspired home is by maximizing natural light. Open curtains during the day and arrange furniture to take advantage of sunlight, which boosts mood and energy. Fresh air is equally important — open your windows often or use indoor plants like snake plants, peace lilies, or aloe vera to naturally purify the air.

2. Declutter for a Clear Mind

A cluttered home can create mental chaos. Start by decluttering each room, keeping only what adds value or joy to your life. Use smart storage solutions to maintain order. A tidy space reduces stress, improves focus, and helps you feel calmer and more in control.

3. Use Calming Colors and Natural Materials

Color influences mood more than we realize. Soft shades of green, blue, and beige promote tranquility, while natural materials like wood, bamboo, and linen enhance a sense of connection with nature. Incorporating these elements can help create a grounding, spa-like atmosphere at home.

Image:MetaAi

4. Designate a Mindful Corner

Create a small space dedicated to relaxation or mindfulness. It could be a cozy reading nook, yoga corner, or meditation area. Add candles, essential oils, and soft cushions to make it a soothing retreat for daily self-care rituals.

5. Invest in Sleep Wellness

Your bedroom should be your ultimate wellness zone. Choose breathable bedding, keep electronics out, and maintain a cool temperature for better sleep quality. Good sleep is the foundation of overall wellness.

Final Thoughts

Turning your home into a wellness zone is about intention — designing spaces that promote peace, comfort, and balance. By incorporating nature, simplicity, and mindfulness into your environment, you can create a home that truly supports your well-being from the inside out.

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Choosing the Right Fence for Your Home in Daytona Beach: A Contractor's Guide

Choosing the right fence for your home can transform not only the functionality of your property but also its aesthetic appeal. Whether you're looking for added security, privacy, or curb appeal, your fence is an important investment. For homeowners in Daytona Beach, this decision involves unique considerations such as weather resilience, local zoning laws, and your property's specific needs.

Here's a comprehensive guide from a professional fence contractor in Daytona Beach to help you make an informed choice.

Image:aaafence.com

What to Consider When Choosing a Fence

Before selecting materials or styles, take time to assess your specific needs. Below are key factors to keep in mind:

1. Purpose of the Fence

• Privacy: If privacy is your primary concern, consider tall, solid fences like wood or vinyl panels.
• Security: For maximum security, go for chain-link fencing with added height or ornamental wrought iron fences. 

• Curb Appeal: For enhancing your home's look, decorative fences such as aluminum, wrought iron, or picket styles are popular choices.
• Safety: Families with kids or pets usually prioritize fences with safe designs and secure gates.

  

2. Local Climate and Weather

Daytona Beach is known for its humid subtropical climate, salt air, and occasional extreme weather like hurricanes. This means you’ll need materials that can resist corrosion, moisture, and high winds. For instance:

• Vinyl Fences are low-maintenance and hold up well against humidity and salt exposure.

• Aluminum Fences are rust-resistant and durable.

• Pressure-Treated Wood performs well but requires upkeep to withstand moisture and pests.

3. Compliance with Local Regulations

Zoning laws and HOA (Homeowners’ Association) regulations in Daytona Beach often dictate the permissible fence height, materials, and even styles. A professional fence contractor in Daytona Beach can help you ensure that your fence meets all local codes.

4. Budget

Your budget will play a major role in your decision. While materials like wood are budget-friendly, options like wrought iron require a higher investment but offer longer durability and timeless appeal.

Popular Fence Types for Daytona Beach Homes

Here’s a quick rundown of fence options best suited for Daytona Beach homeowners:

1. Vinyl Fences

• Advantages: Weather-resistant, minimal maintenance, versatile styles, excellent for privacy.

• Considerations: Slightly higher upfront cost compared to wood but lasts much longer.

2. Aluminum Fences

• Advantages: Durable, rust-resistant, elegant, great for coastal properties.

• Considerations: Best for decorative purposes, as they’re not designed for maximum privacy or security.

3. Wood Fences

• Advantages: Customizable, affordable, classic aesthetic appeal.

• Considerations: Requires periodic staining or sealing to prevent moisture damage and pest infestation.

4. Chain-Link Fences

• Advantages: Cost-effective, durable, and great for security.

• Considerations: Limited in terms of privacy and aesthetic appeal.

5. Wrought Iron Fences

• Advantages: Timeless beauty, excellent security, and long-lasting with proper care.

• Considerations: Higher maintenance and upfront cost.

Working with the Right Contractor

Choosing the right fence is only part of the process. You need a reliable contractor to ensure proper installation and compliance with local requirements. An expert fence contractor in Daytona Beach will assess your property, help you make material and design selections, and handle installation with precision, giving you peace of mind.

Final Thoughts

A well-planned fence can enhance the safety, privacy, and overall value of your property, while boosting its aesthetic charm. By understanding your specific needs, local climate, and compliance factors, you can select a fence that’s perfect for your Daytona Beach home.

Need expert advice or professional installation? Reach out to a trusted fence contractor Daytona Beach to get started on your fencing project today.

Transform your home’s boundary into a functional and beautiful space with the perfect fence!

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Home Projects You Can Do Over a Long Weekend

For many working adults, it is hard to find a balance between life at work and life at home. Too often, tasks around the home can pile up until it becomes overwhelming to try to start them.  Whether it’s a chore like deep cleaning a room or a bigger project like painting the exterior of your home, completing work around the house can seem like a daunting task, especially amidst stress about work and other things in your life when you feel you should be spending your energy elsewhere. If you find it difficult to keep a good work/life balance, companies like HSI offer Health & Safety courses that can educate employees and create a more positive work environment, which allows for less stress outside of work. A long weekend off from work can be a great time to relax and spend time with family, but it can also be the perfect time to tackle any home renovations or projects you’ve been putting off. 

Image:pexels.com

Here are a few easy, at-home projects you can take on next time you find yourself with a few days off.  

Seal the Driveway

Many driveways get chipped and cracked with natural wear over time. Sealing your driveway can help to smooth these cracks out and make an asphalt driveway look as good as new. This is a fairly simple task and is completed by just one person, but it can take a few hours for each coat of sealant to dry, so it is a task that is best completed when you aren’t short on time. 

Deep Clean the Garage

Many people find cleaning out and organizing their garage to be a task that never gets checked off their to-do list. Garages can often become a space where things you don’t want in your house but don’t want to get rid of can pile up, making them a cluttered mess. If you find yourself in this category, consider spending your time deep cleaning away the grime that can pile up in a garage and creating storage space for any potential clutter. 

Rearrange Rooms

An easy way to switch up the look of your place with minimal work is by rearranging a room by moving the placement of furniture and other items. Studies show that rearranging a room can have surprising benefits, like boosting your mood and your levels of creativity and comfort. 

Install a New Faucet or Shower Head

A great and practical way to improve the functionality and appearance of your kitchen is by adding a new faucet to an old sink. Adding a detachable hose is a popular option, and can make doing dishes and cleaning the sink a breeze.

A great way to improve your shower experience is by replacing your shower head. Showerheads that allow you to customize the flow and pressure of water are an upgrade to your bathroom that can be both simple and inexpensive but can make a huge difference in your home. 

Update Walls

A day off is the perfect time to paint or add wallpaper to the walls of your home. If you don’t want to commit to a particular color or design long-term, try temporary wallpaper that can easily stick and peel off when you’re ready to make another change. 

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Pro’s and Con’s of Renovating v. Building a House

Buying a house comes with many decisions, but choosing to build a brand new home or purchase an older home that needs renovation will be one of the first. There are many pros and cons to both, so we’ve gone ahead and listed some of them here to make your decision a bit easier.

Renovating

Pros

One major benefit to renovating an older home is the personalization it can offer. A home that is outdated may need a lot of work, but allows you to make all the decisions to create a space that is the perfect fit for you and your family. This gives you the creativity to choose a design style that matches your taste, room to room.

Cost can be a huge factor in purchasing real estate, and buying an older home is much more cost efficient. With all the work you put in through renovations, you can easily earn your money back and even make a profit. Real estate is tricky and complicated, but with patience it can be a great way to make money through large and small renovations.

With renovating an existing space, you can mitigate the up-front costs by going room by room. Start by updating the rooms that are most outdated first, such as the bathrooms. If you aren’t an experienced designer, a good piece to focus your design around is what everyone faces while in the space–a statement bathroom vanity of your choosing. With the focal point in place, the style will be more obvious and you’ll be able to match other fixtures and decor to tie the whole room together.

Lastly, older homes typically have a higher quality build. They tend to have better bones to start and can sustain renovations and projects without creating structural problems down the road. With an older home, you can usually be sure that the structure and foundation are solid and reliable.

Cons

One negative to renovating an older home is that fixtures may need to be replaced; it can be a lot of work, and you may need to outsource contractors and/or architects depending on how much work needs to be done. Fixtures such as water heater, kitchen appliances, and plumbing may all need to be replaced simply due to aging. This can set you back in your budget before you’ve even started the moving process.

Renovating is a lot of work and therefore can take a lot of time. If you have a short timeline and need a home that is move-in ready, renovating may not be the best option unless you find a home that you can live in while completing smaller projects. 

With all these projects and potential outsourcing, you may experience setbacks in your timeline and budget. Things like structural changes and electrical or plumbing work that could be required are time consuming and will require a professional for those who don’t have prior experience.

Building

Pros

One huge pro to building a new house is that everything is new! That may seem obvious, but having all new appliances and fixtures is a bonus that not all homeowners get and will definitely cut out initial maintenance that may occur with an older home.

Being move-in ready, a new home doesn’t require any physical labor. So if you’re busy and don’t have the time to put into home projects, building a new home may be the perfect fit for you and your lifestyle.

Location is another huge bonus to building a new home. As long as you can find land in a city or town that you love, you’ll get to be super selective when it comes to exactly where your new home will be located. This can be a big benefit, especially for those who have a family or want to start one because you’ll get to be picky with which neighborhood your kids will grow up in and where they will attend school.

Cons

Builders can be tricky to deal with and many times can and will cut corners to make things cheaper for them. This can cause problems down the road with things breaking and needing to be repaired or replaced.

Building new can also be extremely expensive and should mostly be considered by those who plan on building their forever home or have the budget for it. Obtaining a construction loan can also be difficult and can become an obstacle in your timeline right off the bat. It will be worth it to some, but others may not find building a new house necessary, or budget friendly.

Though building a home isn’t a lot of physical work, unless you’re the builder, it does come with a lot of decisions. You’ll have to choose the right builder and all the finishes, including flooring, tile, backsplashes, paint colors, etc. Or you can let the builder decide, but it may not match your exact style or preference. This means taking full creative freedom, or letting it go, and not meeting your future needs.

Conclusion

Take all these pros and cons into consideration and ultimately decide which is best for you and your family. This list is just a start and it is smart to do more research when making such a big life decision. Homeownership is stressful, but is a big part of life and you’ll want to take joy in whichever decision you end up making.

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How To Hire A House Painter

Most people feel that painting is an easy job and they can do it themselves, but often the results are not as professional as they want it to be. Ask any person who has undertaken a DIY painting of their home, if they would do it again or would they hire a professional painter, the predominant answer would be, hire a professional painter. The following points will help you do just that.

image:pixabay.com/photos/painter-painting-lackierer-3177366

Set up an initial meeting: You need to call professional contractors and ask them to visit your home. A good painting contractor will review your home completely and then provide an estimate based on the present condition of the house. You can also converse with them and get to know more about their company, the number of people working, the experience of the people who will do the job etc. You should also let the painter know what you require as this will help them provide an estimate of the cost. Most people feel that more the number of coats, the better the result. It is a misconception, the better the surface is prepared, the better the result, so make sure that the contractor speaks about treating imperfections and unevenness etc. Ask the contractor to provide an estimate on paper with details such as the type of paint and brand being used, the type of primer being used, the cost of labour etc. Additionally find out if the contractor has all the necessary licences to do the job. It is also important to find out if the painting crew has the necessary insurance.

Ask for references: A good contractor will not be averse to providing references, recently I had hired Triangle Painting and they provided a list of references and their website had a full gallery of past work. You can also check out past work of the contractor and see if the work is good. Not just references you should also check if the contractor is a member of any local groups or if they are in the BBB (Better Business Bureau) etc. If the contractor is listed in such groups you can be sure that the level of work and commitment will be good.

Guarantee on paper: Ask the painter to provide a guarantee that they will review and set right future peeling or flaking or fading of paint. They should do this for free or for a nominal fee. Some contractors may try to wriggle out of the proposition by saying that the paint has a warranty but you need to get the guarantee on paper because labour costs can be very high.

The paint: You have a choice of letting the contractor buy the paint or you can do so yourself. Choosing the paint on your own is the better option because you can select the best paints, the ones that are free from lead, the ones that breathe etc.

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