I am giving it a 4 star rating only for one reason: this stool is higher than 26". In fact, it's about 29". See my picture below, showing my previous red stool (26"), this denim stool (29"), and the counter. Still debating if we are going to keep it. The only other thing to keep in mind is while assembling it (which is pretty straightforward -- took me 10 minutes for each stool), keep the legs pretty loose in the beginning since you need to fit the square metallic footrest between the legs and need them to move around to accommodate the footrest. Once it's attached to the legs, then you can go back and tighten all the legs.

Overall, a gorgeous looking counter stool.