Metal stools, wooden stools, indoor stools, outdoor stools, low stools and tall stools - there really is a stool for all seasons and all reasons, and these highly portable, highly versatile seats are an excellent investment for all kinds of premises.
First of all, where will your stools be placed? Indoor stools might be more likely to stay in one place, if they have a very clearly defined role - for example, bar stools rarely stray too far from the bar, or beyond any nearby poseur tables.
Outdoor stools, on the other hand, might be more likely to get carried or even dragged to any part of your terrace or beer garden, and often their construction is designed to cope even more robustly with this kind of treatment.
The material they are made out of depends partly on function, and partly on aesthetic: metal stools for bistros and contemporary bar settings, wooden stools for more traditional pubs, and so on.
Leather stools are a stylish and comfortable option, while most other designs can be enhanced with the addition of an upholstered and padded seat in your choice of fabric.
Of course the height of a stool is important - we've all been in the situation where the only seat available at a low coffee table was a bar stool - and getting your numbers right can help to avoid any uncomfortable mismatches.
Tall stools belong not only at tall tables such as poseur tables, but also at the bar, or at counter-style areas designed for solo dining or as are often seen in the windows of coffee shops.
Low stools, on the other hand, are hugely versatile, not only alongside low coffee tables or for children to use, but as a very easily portable option to pull up an extra seat to a table and accommodate a larger group of people, without taking up as much space as a full chair would do.
Finally, look at the legs - four-legged stools are built to be stable and sturdy, of course, but remember that three-legged stools will not wobble, no matter how uneven the surface on which they are placed, which makes the classic 'milking stool' design ideal for older premises with uneven floors.