Seldom do we think twice about the design of a stool in our home, office or contract environment. The truth is, however, a stool can be utilized as a multi-purpose piece of furniture – it is a chair, a side table and a step ladder in one tiny piece of equipment that, with three or four legs, is also easy to transport where needed. In this week’s Top Ten list, we take a look at the small stool designs of wood that stand up to 34″ tall.

Top Ten: Low and Leggy Wooden Stools.

Well-Designed Wooden Stools Can Serve as a Chair, Table or Step Ladder

1. Coventry
DESIGNER: Studio Dunn
PRICE: $350
Dimensions: 18″H x 13″W x 13″W x 12″dia.

Created out of sustainably-harvested American hardwoods of the Walnut, Cherry or Ash variety, the Coventry stool by Studio Dunn uses tapered legs and traditional joinery in its construction. Use it as a side table or as extra seating in any room for a versatile, durable addition to the home or office.

2. Ipsilon
DESIGNER: Rodrigo Torres
MANUFACTURER: Poliform
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 18″H and 26″H

Three thick legs with a thin profile angle downward from the angular Ipsilon stool seat by Rodrigo Torres. Made with an original look that comes as a coffee table or a stool, the taller Ics stool and the smaller Ipsilon stool are each made with a structure and seat of Oak (or spessart Oak) in a lacquered black, white, graphite, hemp and other lacquered finishes.

3. Woody
DESIGNER: Lievore Altherr Molina
MANUFACTURER: Andreu World
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 15.4″W x 18.1″H x 16.5″W

Made using solid Oak, the straight edges and four strong legs of the Woody stool by Lievore Altherr Molina for Andreu World looks Nordic by nature, with a slim slit opening in the center of the seat. Matching the Woody chair, armchair and two versions of stools (with or without backrests and in two different heights), an entire room can find uniformity with Woody.

4. Tom & Jerry
DESIGNER: Konstantin Grcic
MANUFACTURER: Magis
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 13.4″dia x 27.6″-33.9″H x 20″W or 13.4″dia. x 19.7″-26″H x 18.9″W

“The redesign of a classic furniture typology – the workshop stool.” Konstantin Grcic designed the three-legged stools that go by the iconic duo of Tom & Jerry in two different heights and with different colors of moulded polypropylene – black, white, orange, and light blue – accenting its solid Beech wood construction.

5. Uma
MANUFACTURER: Pfeifer Studio
PRICE: $279
Dimensions: 14″dia. x 10″H

Using black cowhide to create a comfortable center, the graceful low Uma stool comes constructed out of Pale Black Margosa wood. Set low to the ground, Pfeifer Studio designed this stool using traditional Chinese design inspiration.

6. Tractor
DESIGNER: BassamFellows Inc.
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 17″W x 13-1/2″D x 19-1/4″H x 17″SH

Also made in a counter or bar stool, the natural, dark wood of the Tractor stool by BassamFellows Inc. has an organic feel that can be made for residential or contract use. Made with solid carved Ash, Walnut or Teak wood, it comes with an oil finish to lock in the hand-finished seats.

7. Laleggera 310
DESIGNER: Riccardo Blumer
MANUFACTURER: Alias
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 13.7″W x 14.2″D x 17.3″H

The Laleggera 310 stool comes with a solid wooden structure that is veneered in natural Maple, Ash, stained in Ebony, Cherry, Wenge or in whitened Oak. The modern style comes with an internal void injected with structural polyurethane foam for comfort and longevity.

8. Naoshima
DESIGNER: Emiliana Design Studio
MANUFACTURER: Ziru
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 13.4″W x 13.4″D x 18.1″H; 15″W x 15″D x 24″H; 16.3″W x 16.3″D x 30″H

“We wanted to design a stool were all the parts were related with each other, a stool that could be understood as a continuous object, and not like four legs added to a seat,” describes Ana Mir and Emili Padrós of the emiliana design studio. Using folded plywood for the seat, the gorgeous trio of sizes offered them “the possibility of achieving a very light seat but at the same time very strong.”

9. Star
DESIGNER: Nakarin Kamseela
MANUFACTURER: Deesawat Industries
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: n/a

The pleasing 60-degree angles that decorate the seat of the Star stool by Nakarin Kamseela of Deesawat Industries point to the origin of its design inspiration: the “Thai Triangle Pillow”. By fiddling with hexagonal and triangular motifs, the stool can be joined together with other stools to create large surface seats or room decoration.

10. Endy
DESIGNER: Studio Ve
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 12.6″dia. x 15.75″H

Saving the ends of the timber which are otherwise discarded, Studio Ve designed the Endy stools to show off the “origins of the wood” in a three-legged seat made from either Oak, Eucalyptus, Ash, Maple, Mahogany or Cherry wood.

Hope you enjoyed our roundup of the Top Ten Low and Leggy Wooden Stools!

Top Ten articles publish every Tuesday. Email 3rings@designerpages.com if there’s a category you’d like to see.