I discovered the Stool_One bar stool (made by Magis and Designed by Konstantin Grcic), a while ago when looking for a modern bar stool to use in the background of an internal CGI, and have wanted to own one in real life ever since. So when I finally had a kitchen worthy of putting them in, they were my first choice of stool.
It was only when I had the real thing in my hands, and then looked to do a couple of quick renders of my existing 3D model to compare, that I really noticed the model was not up to scratch for use as the main focus of a CGI. Hence me spending a little spare time around other projects, re-modelling the stool from scratch (for fun!).
Below is a wire frame and render of my effort, along side my photo of the real thing.
The stools are available in two sizes, with a seat height of 77cm or 67cm, the latter (shown above) being suitable to fit under a standard height kitchen work top bar. This was another reason that we went for the Stool_One: Many other designer stools are made for an actual bar, and too tall to fit under a kitchen bar, so unless you go for a gas adjustable height design, or something more generic, then your options are limited.
While I love the look of the stool (particularly from the angle above), I admit to having been a little worried about the actual comfort of the seat in regular, every day use. Particularly for the rest of the family, who may not have been as willing to compromise their comfort, just because of the way they look.
But I’m pleased to say, that despite some initial reservations, they really are comfortable, and have proved stable even with younger children hauling themselves up onto the seat… there are plenty of hand holds!
The footrests have a raised grip in bare aluminium (above), which can feel a little uncomfortable on un-socked feet in the morning. So far the powder coated finish is holding up well, which you would hope; as these stools are suitable for outdoor and commercial applications too, where I’m guessing the stack-ability would really come in handy .
Lastly, the plastic feet (without being too slippery) do slide across the floor nicely, allowing my children to get on the seat, and then pull themselves further under the counter, without tipping the whole thing over.
