Height is not the only factor...leg length is as well. Someone 6'4 could have shorter legs than someone 5'10" (speaking from experience here!) For me, at 5'10", I would absolutely not be comfortable w/a 9.5" overhang for either bar or counter height, especially if I were eating all meals there!
My 6'5" DH originally told me our 15" counter-height overhang "was fine". But, when I pressed him, he finally admitted it was a bit too shallow . His reason for not saying so originally? There was nothing that could be done about it, so why mention it?
I think we all sometimes tell ourselves that something is "OK" if there's nothing we can do about it. But, in the case of a kitchen remodel in progress, there often is something that can be done about it (assuming you're not trying to shoehorn seating into a space that's too small to handle it.) So, why "settle" for something that isn't the best.
The NKBA recommends those minimum overhangs for a reason, not just to be difficult. People take up a certain amount of space regardless of the overhang. All you're doing by skimping on overhang is make it more uncomfortable for someone to sit at the counter, especially for an extended period of time.
Why am I so emphatic about this? Because I think people should be given the best information out there, not what others have "made do with" for whatever reason. Go sit at counters to "try them out"...but do it for more than a minute or two and be sure you account for the height & leg length of everyone who will be using it, not just you. You should be able to sit straight in front of the counter w/your legs straight out from you (no putting them on an angle or spreading them to reach the counter). The overhang is too shallow if:
You have to lean forward to reach the counter
You have to sit sideways, even just a little.
You have to "straddle" the cabinet (or wall) at all. I.e., if you have to spread your legs to allow yourself to move closer to the counter edge and cannot sit at the counter w/your legs together and straight in front of you
If a shallow overhang works OK for you b/c you have short legs, you don't sit at and don't want others to sit at the counter for very long, or if you have no other choice b/c your kitchen size and/or layout cannot handle recommended seating measurements (be honest w/yourself), that's one thing...but I feel very strongly that we have a responsibility to tell people what the "best practices" are and what studies, etc. have shown works best in most situations.
I had people, here and elsewhere, telling me over and over again that 12" would be fine for a counter-height overhang...I'm very glad I didn't listen to them! And remember, the NKBA recommendations are a minimum, if you have tall or long-legged people in your family, consider making it even deeper (I now wish we had made ours 18" even though it's counter height. It's OK for my DD & me, but not for my DH & DS.) [BTW, my KD was...
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No to these barstools.
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