As a furniture typology, stools were created as work furniture, they were used in factories and workshops since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Easy to move, sturdy, adjustable in height, and with low aesthetic demands, the stool was the perfect seating solution for manual labor.
The transition from workshop to home interior isn’t unique to stools but includes many other categories, such as metal tube furniture for offices, garage lamps (the tool-like aesthetic is a favorite of Konstantin Grcic, as seen in his famous Mayday lamp), and sawhorse tables.
In this guide to important stools in design history, we have selected pieces that had a strong impact on design history, influencing its aesthetic and functional evolution. We chose stools that have stood the test of time and are still in production, over a century since this versatile and functional object entered industrial mass production.
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Stool 60 by Alvar Aalto is the quintessential design stool, the archetype of a mass-produced stool crafted with artistry, intelligence, and a strong aesthetic sense. Designed in 1933, its production at the Finnish factory Artek has never ceased, and its cultural impact is vast. In 2023, Aalto’s stool celebrated its 90th anniversary, and to commemorate this milestone, Artek released three special editions. The most intriguing of these is the Stool 60 Villi, a collaboration with FormaFantasma studio. This edition preserves the wood’s natural grain, knots, and insect-caused imperfections to introduce a narrative tied to climate change (which caused the imperfections and is altering Finnish birch forests) and sustainability in design.
Tolix furniture originated in the 1930s when Frenchman Xavier Pauchard decided to stop using zinc for roofing (the family business) and instead began making chairs and stools designed to be comfortable and durable. His venture was so successful and enduring that, a century later, his tabourets are still widespread and widely imitated. Stackable, lightweight, and weather-resistant, these design stools have an iconic, unmistakable look, with a single decoration – the Tolix mark on the seat to confirm their authenticity. The stool, along with the famous Chaise A, is part of the most prestigious design collections, including that of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
During his long career, the legendary French designer Jean Prouvé created several stools that adhere to his distinctive research and aesthetic. Rather than writing an entire article on him, we’ve chosen to focus on one iconic design: the Tabouret 307 from 1951, reissued by Vitra in 2011. This stool combines slender yet sturdy steel legs with a unique seat inspired by a tractor saddle. The result is an intriguing aesthetic contrast that is hard to resist. This stool is also part of the world’s most prestigious museum collections.
This design stool is a project that Le Corbusier created for the Cabanon, his legendary retreat on the French Riviera—a minimalist haven where movable objects are reduced to essentials. Legend has it that the inspiration for the famous Tabouret came from a whiskey crate found on the beach, later reinterpreted with the addition of handholds for easy handling. Furthermore, this Le Corbusier stool is designed to be versatile and multifunctional, easily serving as a side table or footrest, enhancing the functionality and aesthetic purity central to Le Corbusier’s philosophy. Despite its age, Le Corbusier’s Tabouret remains highly relevant: as seen in the photo above, it was used by Bottega Veneta for their Fall/Winter 2024 show.
The Tabouret Méribel stool was designed by the renowned French designer Charlotte Perriand in 1953 and was first presented alongside the Tabouret Berger at the 1955 Synthèse des Arts exhibition in Tokyo. This timeless classic emphasizes robust shapes and thicknesses, highlighting the expressiveness of wood in all its finishes. This famous design stool evokes the mountains, architecture, and alpine furniture that Perriand cherished.
This small plastic stool is another design by Sori Yanagi that has made history. Originally designed as a work stool for his studio, the plastic stool went into production and remains a Vitra classic to this day. It is also part of the permanent collection at MoMA, the Vitra Design Museum, and many other prestigious design institutions. Among famous design stools, it is the one that best exemplifies simplicity, robustness, and longevity—qualities that make it suitable for the garden or for children’s use.
Sella is a stool by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni that has made a significant impact on both Italian and international design. Manufactured by Zanotta, one of the producers most closely associated with the Castiglioni brothers, Sella is part of the collections of the world’s most prestigious museums and has been studied by generations of young designers. The stool is a true bicycle seat mounted on a steel tube supported by a heavy semi-spherical cast iron base, capable of ‘dynamic balance. Born from the irony and freedom of the legendary Castiglioni brothers, it was designed as a telephone seat for casual and quick moments. Stability is provided not only by the steel tube and its cast iron base but also by the legs of the person using it.
The Mezzadro stool is another iconic design by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. Designed in 1957 and produced by Zanotta, the Mezzadro stool is known for its unique and playful use of materials. The seat is actually a tractor seat, mounted on a bent steel stem and supported by a crossbar that resembles the structure of a bicycle. This unconventional combination of elements reflects the Castiglioni brothers’ philosophy of reinterpreting everyday objects with creativity and humor.
In 1960, Time Inc. commissioned Ray & Charles Eames to design the interiors of three lobbies at the Rockefeller Center in New York. As part of this project, the legendary American design duo created the soft Lobby Chairs as well as this series of solid walnut stools. These turned stools, which were also intended to be used as side tables, are distinguished by their characteristic spindle profiles. Named Stool A, B, and C, they are produced by Vitra and, like many other Eames furniture pieces, are elegant, refined, and highly sought after by collectors. They are part of the Vitra Design Museum’s collection and many other institutions worldwide.
The Allunaggio seat, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1965, is a hallmark of the intelligent and ironic design that defines the Italian brothers. Created for the garden, Allunaggio features steel legs that minimize shadows on the grass and an aluminum alloy seat painted in lawn green, evoking lunar landscapes. It merges functionality and art, reflecting the Castiglioni brothers’ curiosity and ingenuity. Allunaggio embodies 20th-century design’s exploration and innovation, transcending everyday use to become a timeless symbol of creativity.
Tam Tam by Henry Massonet is a plastic design stool that has become an archetype in its field—a simple and ingenious design that has been copied, recreated, and reimagined in hundreds of versions by dozens of different designers, and still enjoys great popularity today (consider the Tam Tam series by POLS POTTEN). The story of this stool is fascinating. In the 1960s, Henry Massonet, who produced fishing equipment, decided to expand his business by capitalizing on the excitement surrounding plastic materials. Democratic, colorful, and with attractive shapes, the Tam Tam stool was an immediate success and quickly became a symbol of decor in the 1960s and 1970s.
Ettore Sottsass is a pivotal figure in 1980s Italian and international design. In Milan, he founded Memphis, a collective of designers who sought to break away from rationalism and burst forth with postmodern forms and colors. In recent years, the exaggerated tones of Memphis have experienced a resurgence, with a revival of patterns, shapes, and colors that celebrate the rebellious spirit of the Milanese collective. Among these is a collection by Kartell, Kartell goes Sottsass – A Tribute to Memphis, born from a 2015 collaboration between Kartell and Sottsass. This collection reintroduced the duo of plastic stools, Colonna and Pilastro, along with the Calice vase from the same family.
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