Lately we have seen a growing trend with designer stools as a way to include a small, yet functional piece to your decor. Here are some of our favorite stools that we’ve seen recently:

Balloona Stool

Balloona Stool

The Balloona stool was designed by Natalie Kruch who has taken a solid wood stool and tied over 500 balloons all over it in her own design. Designer Natalie Kruch has a penchant for making the ordinary beautiful and intriguing.  See the Balloona Stool at Umbra.com . $350 – Currently Sold Out

Movement Stool

Movement Stool

Movement Stool

Movement Stool

The Movement Stool (aka #9) has been designed by Brazilian Designer, Rodrigo Silveira.   Rodrigo’s designs concentrate on using pieces of wood that would otherwise be thrown away, thereby recycling wood that would normally be trashed. The Movement Stool is made from sucupira wood, which is a heavy, strong, durable wood from the Brazillian rainforest.  Visit Rodrigo Silveira’s website http://www.madebyrodrigo.com/ $600

LC8 Le Corbusier

LC8 Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier Signature

Le Corbusier Signature

Le Corbusier designed this stool with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriande which is now available at CassinaUSA.com. These swivel stools have steel frames that are produced in a number of finishes including polished chrome, matte black, gloss black, gloss gray, gloss light blue, gloss green, gloss bordeaux and gloss ochre. The stool is also made with either fabric or leather. A version with five legs is available for contract use. This piece is produced under a license from the Foundation Le Corbusier and includes a stamped signature and serial number. Visit CassinaUSA.com $1,100

Wiggle Stool

Wiggle Stool

Wiggle Stool

Wiggle Stool

The Wiggle Stool is a Frank Gehry piece from Vitra. In this furniture series, Easy Edges, Frank Gehry created a new and exciting dimension to cardboard. These pieces look rather simple, but they are constructed with a structural stability with a high architectural quality to the designs. The Wiggle Stool is vaguely reminiscent of traditional African stools and — like such predecessors — makes an attractive accent in many interiors. Visit http://Vitra.com $525

Nitton Stool

Nitton Stool

Nitton Stool

Nitton Stool

The Nitton was designed by Swedish designer Karl-Oskar, and although this design looks very simple, there is a bit of complexity behind the design. “Nitton” is actually Swedish for the number 19, which in this case refers to the 19 degree angle that this bentwood stool features. In addition, if you put 19 of them together, side-by-side, you will create a circle. The stools are also stackable for easy storage. See more on the Karl-Oskar website: http://www.karloskar.net $399

Twist Stool

Twist Stool

Made almost entirely with leather, this “Twist Stool” by Simon Hasan is an interesting piece as it shows how leather can be made hard and gain structural integrity and strength by heating the leather to alter the tannin and collagen structure in the skin. This process causes a radical transformation that causes this natural material to be endowed with structural integrity and strength that is more commonly found in plastics or timber. The self-supporting Twist stool only contains a plywood ring frame in the seat, which is necessary to form the leather over before boiling. Contact Simon Hasan through his website for pricing: http://www.simonhasan.com

Monarchy Rocking Stool

Monarchy Rocking Stool

Monarchy Rocking Stool

Monarchy Rocking Stool

The Monarchy Rocking Stool was designed by Greek Designer, Yiannis Ghikas, who was awarded a 2009 Red Dot Award for this design. The stool has been designed to rock forwards and from side-to-side, swiveling without turning over, allowing “the user to escape the dullness of the ultimate stability.” Contact for price inquiries: http://www.yiannisghikas.com/