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Furnishing a hotel bar

Everything you need to specify a hotel bar: the seating heights that work together, how big tables need to be for drinks versus dining, and lighting that flatters the room. Then the products and the standards to make it happen.

Guide 1

Bar seating heights

Most uncomfortable bars fail on one number: the gap between the seat and the underside of the counter. Get the counter, stool and footrail heights working as a set and the rest follows.

  • Bar counter 1050–1100 mm with 750–780 mm stools
  • Counter-height (900 mm) bars need 650–700 mm stools
  • Keep 250–300 mm between seat top and counter underside
  • The lowered accessible section Approved Document M expects
Read the full guide
Side elevation comparing bar counter, counter-height and poseur table with matching stool seat heights Heights measured from finished floor to top surface / seat top 1050–1100 mm750–780gap 250–300footrail 200–250Bar counter900 mm650–700gap 250–300Counter height1050–1100 mm750–800gap 250–300Poseur table
Guide 2

Table sizes: casual drinks vs dining

A table that is perfect for two gin and tonics is too small for two plates. Choose sizes by what the table is for, then check the aisles between them.

  • Drinks-only: 600 mm round for two, 700 mm for three or four
  • Dining: allow about 600 mm of table edge per cover
  • Table-edge to table-edge of 1070–1520 mm where chairs back onto each other
  • Accessible routes of at least 1200 mm
Read the full guide
Plan view of typical table footprints for drinks-only and dining use, drawn to the same scaleDRINKS ONLY2600 mm round3–4700 mm round2600 mm squareDINING2700 mm square4900 mm round41200 × 750 mm61200 mm round61700 × 750 mm Drawn to scale. Allow 600 mm of table edge per dining cover.
Guide 3

Bar counter dimensions and layout

The guest side is about comfort and overhang; the staff side is a production line. The section through the bar that makes both work, and the lowered section the regulations expect.

  • Guest top 1050–1100 mm with a 250–300 mm overhang
  • Staff worktop 900–950 mm; service gap 900–1200 mm
  • Back bar 450–600 mm deep, working shelves within reach
  • Lowered accessible section to Approved Document M and BS 8300
Read the full guide
Section through a bar counter showing the guest side with overhang, footrail and stool, the counter top and bar front, the staff worktop, the service gap and the back bar Section, dimensions in mm. Guests on the left, staff on the right. Stool seat 750–780 Guest top 1050–1100 high 600–750 deep overall overhang 250–300 footrail 200–250 bar front (die) Staff worktop 900–950 ice well · speed rail glass wash · fridges service gap 900–1200 Back bar 450–600 deep working shelves 1000–1700 Lowered accessible section (not shown): top 760–860, at least 1500 wide, knee recess 700 high × 500 deep, usually at the end of the run.
Guide 4

Bar lighting basics

Bars are lit in layers: a low, warm ambient level, task light where staff work, and accent light that makes the back bar the focal point. All of it on dimmers.

  • Warm white, 2700 K or lower, for a hotel bar
  • Around 50–150 lux in seating areas, more on the counter
  • Back-bar lighting that shows labels, not glare
  • Emergency lighting to BS 5266 — a legal duty in licensed premises
Read the full guide
Section through a bar showing the three lighting layers: ambient cove lighting, task lighting under the counter, and accent lighting on the back bar and over tables 1 · AMBIENT — indirect cove / perimeter, dimmable, 2700 K 3 · ACCENT — back bar shelves under-counter task 2 · TASK — staff side, shielded 3 · ACCENT — pendants over tables Every layer on its own dimmable circuit so the room can shift from daytime to late evening.
Products to consider

Typical pieces for a hotel bar

Examples from our featured supplier's contract range. Every piece is available in a choice of fabrics and leathers to hotel fire-safety specification.

Contemporary bar stool

Bar stools

High stools with 750–780 mm seats for a 1050–1100 mm bar; low stools for counter height.

View on Forest Contract →
 Poseur table base

Poseur & high tables

Poseur bases at 1050–1100 mm and dining bases, paired with a 600–700 mm top.

View on Forest Contract →
 Banquette seating section drawing

Fixed banquette seating

Booths and runs built to your drawings — plain, fluted, buttoned or bolster backs.

View on Forest Contract →
 Buttoned tub chair

Low lounge seating

Tub chairs and sofas at 440–460 mm seat height for the softer end of the bar.

View on Forest Contract →

Browse the full bar furniture range, bar stools, table bases and table tops.

Bespoke banquette seating by Forest Contract
Featured supplier · bespoke fixed seating

Bar booths and banquettes made to your drawings

Forest Contract build bespoke fixed seating for hotel bars — a full build, or cushions to your own carcass — from CAD drawings, floor plans or a site visit. Trade only, made in Salford.

Request a brochure & quote See banquette options
Supplier & standards

Where to buy, and what the standards say

Featured supplier

Forest Contract

Bar furniture, bar stools, banquette seating, table bases and tops, fabrics and finishes. Commercial Interiors UK member, UK manufacturer.

Bar furniture range →Hotel and bar case studies →Get a quote →

Industry bodies

Trade and professional bodies for contract furnishing, architecture and lighting.

Commercial Interiors UK (formerly BCFA)RIBASociety of Light and Lighting (CIBSE)

Standards & compliance

What a hotel bar has to meet.

BS 7176 — upholstery fire performanceBS EN 16139 — contract seating strengthApproved Document M — accessibilityBS 5266 — emergency lighting

All industry resources and standards →

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