Ten stool designs that explore materiality, artistic expression and functionality

Furniture designers have embarked on a revolutionary journey, pushing the limits of conventional design by discovering new realms in form and materiality. They have embraced unorthodox materials, from salvaged materials to 3D-printed resins, moving beyond the limitations of conventional materials. Designers have given inanimate items life by experimenting with different techniques, giving each piece a distinct personality.

From comical and interactive stools that integrate sound to meticulously hand-wrapped stools made from recycled materials, STIR has curated a list of 10 stool designs that explore materiality, form and artistic expressions.

1. Hemmo Honkonen’s Audible Stool

The Audible Collection, created by Finnish designer Hemmo Honkonen, comprises various furniture pieces that produce sound when mechanical pressure is applied, one of which is an Audible Stool. To create sounds and melodies, one can sit on the Audible Stools and strut their waist. The stool design combines sound, movement and interaction with no electronics involved.

2. Stools by AZ Factory

A creative collaboration involving four individuals, each contributing their own expertise and vision, gave the product designers at the fashion brand AZ Factory the idea for their most recent objects. One of them is a stool design that comes together as a youthful mosaic of various materials. Although it has a basic cubic design, it has a small variation in that one of its corners has been cut off, giving it a playful diagonal edge. Its plain ply form is effectively contrasted with the edge's mosaic tiles, which are coated in a variety of colours and sizes.

3. C.Koya Stools by Kartell

With a minimal and straightforward stool form that highlights the elegance of the extra-thin woodwork, the two new C.Koya stools from the company Kartell expand the range of aesthetic and functional possibilities to their fullest. They are adaptable and multifunctional because they come in a variety of heights. They also come in a variety of light and dark wood kinds, higher or lower, with or without a backrest.

4. Chingusa Stool by Shoichi Yokoyama of Honoka Studio

Sen-suji, which translates to 'a thousand lines' in Japanese, is a traditional pattern in Japan that is distinguished by a number of detailed horizontal stripes. This pattern serves as the inspiration for Shoichi Yokoyama's Chigusa stool design. The stool combines numerous 3D-printed parts and is inspired by the motif of the traditional Japanese Sen-suji pattern. The resilient sitting experience is made possible by the elastic and robust tatami-mixed resin printed in a vertical pattern.

5. Savage Stool by Jay Sae Jung Oh

Seattle-based designer Jay Sae Jung Oh originally from South Korea turns ordinary objects into elaborate, one-of-a-kind creations. The furniture designer investigates the fusion of sculptural art and design with the 'Salvage' series. The collection's stool design is meticulously hand-wrapped in jute or raw leather. It is consolidated and converted into a sculpture, delivering a powerful message about the richness and obsolescence of culture.

6. Pensieri Panteschi Stool by Elena Salmistraro

Designer Elena Salmistraro's 'Pensieri Panteschi' collection is a narrative, a cross-section, and an image. It is a representation of a young woman sketching while viewing the island in search of novel structures, shapes, textures, and colours. Salmistraro dedicates this collection of stools and other items constructed entirely of stone and marble to the Mediterranean island, Pantelleria. She has turned the island's natural features into abstract compositions that serve as reminders of its morphological terrain and features.

7. The ‘Fever Dreams’ Stool by Laurids Gallée

The stool design, which is a part of Austrian designer Laurids Gallée's 'Fever Dreams' collection, is made of solid Douglas wood and embellished with images reminiscent of Renaissance murals, where vibrant motifs etched in each section of the furniture connect with the next segment to build an illustrated narrative. The flower patterns, cosmic elements, and animal representations that are depicted on the surface of the furniture design are plainly seen upon closer scrutiny.

8. Cuddle Stool by Atelier Pendhapa

If the furniture was alive, it would probably like to cuddle from time to time. This served as the basis for the Cuddle Stool by the studio Atelier Pendhapa. The stool is made of two hand-carved pieces of solid teak wood that fit together as a pair to make this unique transition from a stool for one to a bench for two. It is available in two finishes, a natural brown teak finish and a black textured finish.

9. ‘Furl’ table by Charlie Firth

Charlie Firth, a furniture designer, product designer, and the owner of the design firm FirthByDesign, introduces the 'Furl' table, a piece of flexible and engaging furniture that encourages human involvement. The table design is delivered in a small cylindrical drum, which unfolds when the user organises and rearranges it into many meandering configurations before placing the top made of glass. Users are physically and visually drawn to this structure, which can even function as a stool. The 'Furl' table is made in a small workshop in South West Wales, using precision machining and CAD (Computer Aided Design) to achieve its unique design. Hand preparation, painting, and finishing go into each fin.

10. Tai Stool by Sunriu Studio

The 'Recycle Project for Defunct Transformer Boxes' of the Taiwan Power Company served as the basis for the design of the Tai stool by SUNRIU Studio. The stool can be finished without a mould using only laser cutting and bending. Traditional Taiwanese temples' exterior lines can be seen in the stool. The roof ridge is the actual source of the grin curve on the seat surface. The standing design reflects Taiwan Power Company's promotion of the development of ecologically sustainable practices towards a circular economy.

Text by Ria Jha