Having grown up in Miami, I was not aware that conifers had a name other than “Christmas Trees,” which is what everyone in South Florida called the Blue Spruce and Fraser Firs that showed up in November to fill up urban parking lots across the city. Alas, conifer is the correct terminology for these lovely evergreens. Besides being fodder for holiday traditions, conifers inspire designers and artists the world over with their conical shape, deep color, sweet scent, and fragrant needles. London-based design studio Joint Perspectives is no exception. Their Coniferous Collection of multi-purpose furniture takes its inspiration from conifer pine trees.

Coniferous Collection. Manufactured by Joint Perspectives.

Multipurpose Furniture Pieces for Sitting, Stacking, and Snacking

Introduced in March 2012, the Coniferous Collection should “invite people to gather.” The pieces come in pairs and in three different sizes. The units can be used for sitting or as footstools or tables: “You can flip them, stack them, combine them or leave them alone.” All the stools are stackable with their same sized pair, and the small and large stools can also be mixed. With the comfortable cushion, the pieces provide a nice place on which to rest (like a good tree stump). Remove the cushion to reveal a metallic surface that works as a small hidden table.

Constructed of lathe-turned solid oak, the Coniferous Collection is deceptively simple. Behind the simplicity, there is a lot of thought. For example, the top and bottom of every stool has a metal powder-coated surface that converts the stool into a table once the cushion is set aside. Better still is the built-in system that protects the furniture and your floors: “Each stool also comes with a 2cm thick wooden disc lined on one side with felt, which attaches to the bottom end in contact with the floor. This disc raises the stool 5mm from the ground, preventing the wooden edges from getting scratched or damaged. These wooden discs have a hidden magnet inside, so attaching them to the metallic surface of the stool is very easy, even when facing downwards.”

Via Contemporist.

About the Manufacturer: Joint Perspectives is a London-based design studio founded by María Meller and Mirja Sick, in early 2010. The company combines the founders’ different interests, techniques, and talents in a studio that works on a broad range of projects, including product design, interiors, photography, and graphic design. Both Meller and Sick studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.