Kids’ stools
Kids’ stools are both a viable alternative and good complement to children’s chairs. They are light, small, and because they do not have a backrest, they do not prescribe a seating direction. Natural, ‘soft’ materials, rounded edges, and playful colour schemes and appliqués predominate in kids’ stools’ design.
An example of multifunctionality, playfulness and friendly design is Henrik Jahn’s and Tine Simon’s upholstered ‘Pause’ for Softline, which comes in different colours, and can be easily used as seating, or as a building-block of an imaginative play-landscape. ‘CH411’, designed in 1944 by Hans J. Wegner and manufactured by Carl Hansen & Søn, is a Scandinavian classic: understated, functional and friendly. Originally intended as a kid’s table to accompany the ‘CH410’ chair, it can also be used as a small stool for older children.
Another Country’s ‘Kids Step Up One’ and ‘Kids Stool One’ continue working with wood, marrying archetypical, robust forms with bold colours. Alvar Aalto’s ‘Children’s Stool NE60’ for Artek is the famous modernist plywood stool and is also available in children’s size. Celebrated designer Verner Panton creates the practical ‘Part Set White | Table and Chairs’ for Verpan, a series of small, stackable kids’ stools which can be inserted into each other when not in use. hock! by performa, is a collection of rectangular, brightly-coloured wooden boxes which are easy to carry and depending on their position, can be used as a low kids’ stools or side tables.
This practical approach is demonstrated by ‘Toronto’ kids’ stool, designed by IN-TENTA for Planning Sisplamo, a collection of stacked cork and foam disks, which is equally suited for learning, as well as for play. Moreover, its useful lifespan can be extended by stacking more disks on top as the child using it grows. Thomas Maitz’s ‘MAXintheBOX’ for perludi, a modular, three-dimensional puzzle, can function as kids’ chairs, kids’ table, kids’ stool or a nightstand.
