Chinese Wood Stool: Barrel Form

Two dark knots in the grain sit side by side, like a figure eight drawn by the tree.

This stool in barrel form comes from China and is contemporary, in elm wood. Barrel or drum seats are a familiar form in Chinese furniture and garden design, and elm's pronounced figure is generally prized for pieces like this. The stool is wide and round, swelling at the middle and flat at top and base. Its sides are faceted subtly, and the warm brown finish brings up concentric rings, wavy lines and a fine check here and there. It is 17.5 inches long, 17.5 deep and 16 high.

Stout, sturdy and slightly hypnotic.