We probably don’t always think about how chairs and stools look as long as they’re comfortable. After all, you don’t exactly see their visual design when you’re already sitting on them. You won’t always be sitting on a particular chair all of the time, however, and those moments when these pieces of furniture are empty can have an impact on your space’s overall ambiance. They can make or break the particular theme you’re going for or enhance the atmosphere inside a room. They can even be conversation starters, depending on how distinctive it looks. This stool, for example, might not look like the most comfortable or stable thing to sit on, but it’s hard to deny how it injects a bit of character into an area with its color combinations and raw vibe.
Designer: found/Founded
Compared to chairs, stools don’t seem to be inherently designed for long periods of use. They don’t have backrests or arms to make you feel comfortable, but they do make up for it by making it easy to sit down on one and then get up again quickly. It’s as if this kind of seat was made for more transient and very temporary situations where you just need a few minutes to rest or chat but never to lounge or work.
The KNOT Stool seems to take that image to the extreme. It is flat all around with nary a curved surface or corner that would have made it look more inviting. You can even directly see the layers of wood that make up its parts, giving it an almost brutalist aesthetic if not for the painted surfaces. Two slanted legs make up the entire support, but their thin profiles don’t really inspire much confidence.
It’s probably still a usable stool, but it seems to be designed more for viewing rather than sitting. The three wooden pieces can be painted in the same or different colors, for example. The decorative webbing strap that wraps around the top of the stool’s legs can also come in complementing or contrasting colors, not to mention being made of different materials.
The result is a stool that looks more fun than ergonomic and more decorative than utilitarian. Of course, it might still be possible to sit on it for a bit, or it can be used to hold other objects if you’re not that confident about its stability. Regardless of the purpose it will ultimately serve, the KNOT Stool is clearly not a typical stool, especially in the way it adds a bit of whimsical fun to your interior.