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Looking for creative stool ideas? These stools were created by independent top designers around the world. Note that not all of these products are available for purchase, and some are just prototypes, so use these for inspiration for new ideas. See our post on unique modern stools to view products you can buy online today!
1. Ribbon Stool
Warsaw-based designer Jan Lutyk has created the Ribbon Stool. The simple yet elegant seating unit is made from plywood ribbons, bent in three directions. The organic form is a result of the behavior of the material, “the layers of veneer follow the natural shape of the wood grain.” The stool design has won the 2013 RED DOT Design Concept Award.
From the designer, “The object looks like it was made from a single ribbon of plywood, but for the purposes of production, it was divided into pieces. The two pressed modules form one leg, and the three identical legs make up the seat. The profiles seek to attain a convex shape, as opposed to typical plywood products made up of flat elements; this means we can use less material to obtain a similar stiffness. Ecological and economical at the same time. This lightweight, minimalistic construction gives enough support and provides a comfortable seat.”
2. Nest Chair and Stool
Slovakian design studio ALLT has created the Nest Chair and Stool. Both chair and stool are composed of a hard base frame made of three ‘oriented-strand-board’ cutouts and a soft pillow. According to the designer, “The base is built just by fitting parts together using nothing but hands. The black lining is a finish gained by laser-cutting the shape and it is welcome as a purposed detail for a visual treat but also to ensure clean cuts that don’t let the edges tire with time.”
3. Thermosensitive Swamp Stool
American design studio NunoErin has created thermosensitive “Swamp Stool”, inspired by organic curves of lily pads which change colors when the user interacts with it. In the designer’s words, “A simple touch activates the stool’s color-changing properties and leaves a dramatic print of the hand or body in a delightful new color. The thermosensitive prints last for several seconds and then softly fade away as the original color returns. This piece is designed for indoor use only. The Swamp Stool is available in a variety of vibrant thermosensitive colors such as Blue to white, teal green to yellow-green, and purple to pink.”
4. Elka Bar Stool
Elka bar stool by Oscar Pipson was inspired by the geometries and joins of deer antlers. The stool is made of European Beech and reinforced with stainless-steel pins. The designer has used new technologies in CNC machining to create seamless joints and expose stunning topographies within the grain.
5. Asterisk Puzzle Stool for Children
Canadian design student Christina Sicoli has created the Asterisk, a puzzle stool for children. The stool is made from 17 interlocking birch plywood pieces and it is assembled without any tools. According to the designer, “The Asterisk puzzle stool is an interactive learning experience for children. From creation to utilization, the child is involved.
The stool is assembled without any tools, simply the joinery of 17 interlocking pieces.
Each different shape corresponds using color to a notch on the stool base. Parents are encouraged to teach their children about color as well as construction.
Asterisk challenges children’s motor skills, nesting the different geometric shapes together. The surprising and contemporary form can stand alone in any environment, or be taken apart and stored away.
The stool is constructed entirely out of baltic birch plywood. It is finished in latex stain and an oil rub, bringing out the plywood’s grain, as well as making it resistant to staining.”
6. Hug Stool
Italian studio Emo Design has created the Hug Stool for Elite Kriterio Srl. The stool is handcrafted from teak or white teak and comes with a string handle in different colors. The colored rope handle creates a contrast with the massive wooden stool and also helps to carry it from one place to another.
7. Fun stools with an interesting geometric shape
Tembo is an unusual stool with structural stratification of different materials such as wood, metal, and cork, creatively intertwined in an aesthetically attractive contemporary piece of furniture. With its symbolic name that means “elephant” in Swahili and its shape that resembles African drums, this stool is considered as a “modern totem” in the world of design.
The collection “Tembo” contains high and low stools, available in two versions. “Jekyll” is a chair with a metal base with layers of rich natural wood with different geometric shapes, black lacquered MDF boards, and a comfortable seat made of natural cork. “Hyde” has the same design but it has rhythmically repeated orange elements.
“Tembo” stools have slightly smaller dimensions than the standard diameter and because of the compact dimensions and intelligent selection of lightweight materials, they are practical for use in any home or office.
8. Alodia Stool
New York-based design firm Todd Bracher Studio has designed a simple stackable stool collection Alodia for Italian furniture brand Cappellini. The stool is available in two heights and is engineered to support any sitter. In the designer’s words, “Stackable stool created in a metal tube and steel sheet, seat laser cut, feet in black plastic. Available in two heights, it is offered in matt paint in white, anthracite, mustard, blue and green colors.”
9. Bloated Stool
Belgium-based designer Damien Gernay has created the Bloated Stool. The comfortable-looking seat of the stool is inspired by the image of a prominent belly. The seat is made of leather and the legs are solid ash. From the designer, “The idea originates from the image of a prominent belly, constrained by the belt, but still comfortable at it fills a round shape around it. This stool is a dialogue between a rigid structure and a flexible skin. The bloated collection is made out of sheets of leather, filled with expanded foam No complicated molds, and no seams are used in the production, the leather inflates in a natural way, making each piece unique.”
10. Spin Stool
Swedish designer Staffan Holm has created the Spin Stool for Swedish furniture brand Swedese. It is a lightweight, stackable stool that stacks in a spiral for as high as you dare. The laminated veneer legs are bent in two directions. The Spin Stool was displayed at the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair 2012.
11. Cool with Wool Stool
Norway-based designer Aud Julie Befring has created the “Cool with Wool”, a stool inspired by the lambs on the spring fields. The stool is made in birch and felted wool.
12. Sidekick Cork Stool
Designer Timothy John has created the Sidekick stool for Thanks. The lightweight stool is made of cork and powder-coated steel. The design of the stool is inspired by the silhouette of a glass science beaker. Following is a description from Thanks, “The Sidekick is visually light, unimposing and is easily incorporated into any space. It is inspired by the silhouette of a glass science beaker, resembling a 3D line drawing of its form. As the contents of an old school beaker were contained with a cork stopper, so too the stool top is made of cork. Cork is a natural product that intrigues the senses. It is warm, smooth, velvety to touch, and earthy to smell. It is also is impermeable, buoyant, non-allergenic, and fire-resistant.”
13. Quello Table and Stool
Designer Phil Procter has created this minimalist table, Quello in collaboration with British company Ercol furniture. The design has a contemporary and minimalist aesthetic. The Quello table can be paired with the stool to use as a writing/work desk or used alone as an occasional table in hallways. The top of the table slides in both ways, revealing the underneath storage space without disturbing objects on the surface. Both table and stool are handcrafted in solid American Oak.
14. Matilda Foldable Kitchen Stool
Matilda is a foldable kitchen stool cum ladder created by Finnish designer Stefan Lindfors. In the designer’s words, “The kitchen is the soul of our home, and Matilda is the heart of our kitchen. Sit on her, climb up her ladder and reach up and above from her, eat or socialize. Even as folded to be stored away she doesn’t grow in height, but slides right under your table and don’t need a second hiding space. So as a foldable kitchen stool she’s unique. And so is her dress, the painting created by her designer: Creatures and herbs from the ocean and above crawl out Matilda’s boiling kettle. And the fire keeps on burning.” Photo Credit and Copyright – Stefan Lindfors.
15. Steel Stool
Steel Stool is a multipurpose furniture unit designed by Avignon-based firm Noon Studio. It is a simple furniture piece made of metal sheets supported by the minimally designed oak woody-frame. As the name indicates, the furniture unit is primarily designed to be used as a stool. But the wooden y-frame also serves as a storage space where you can store books, magazines, etc. When stacked-up, the collection of these stools becomes a storage shelf or room partition/divider. Each stool has a hole in the wooden frame for lifting it up or carrying.
16. SOS Multifunctional Stool
American designer Josh Owen has created the SOS multifunctional stool in collaboration with the Italian furniture brand Casamania. Each stool has two elements attached to the seat which can be used as cup-holders, handles, or hooks. The top surface has a rim which makes it possible to use it as a tray. When turned upside down, the stool functions as a vase or container. The SOS Stool is made of polyethylene and comes in a variety of different colors. The stool is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
In the designer’s words, “The SOS stool blurs typological boundaries that define the acts of sitting, holding, and carrying by offering connections between these conditions and the environments within which they commonly exist.”
17. Knit Stools
Young Irish designer Claire-Anne O’Brien has created the Knit Stool collection. The stools feature a variety of different knitted cushions inspired by “the beauty and structural complexity of an aquatic life.” here is a description from the designer, “Inspired by elements of the knitted stitch itself such as rings and loops, the structures are revealed and celebrated through exaggerated scale in bold and textured forms. Lambswool and Sheeps wool, in a mix of hand and machine knit stitches, are constructed into playful statement pieces.”
18. The “Book” Lounge Chair And Stool Combination
The “Book” is a contemporary lounge chair and stool combination designed by Jean-Francois d’Or for Jongform. The chair has storage for books and magazines at the intersection of the seat and backrest. The useless space has been converted into an innovative storage solution. Also, you can have your favorite books at your fingertips. Ideal for a small reading room and living room, the lounge chair comes in a variety of colors to suit your home decor. Check out the pictures.
