Among Ikea‘s constantly updating home furnishings offerings, are a handful of constants that represent perfect, enduring, truly practical design at a really good price, and that don’t scream Ikea. My favorite is the Frosta stool, a $12.99 birch veneer version of Alvar Aalto’s classic mid-century stool. I have four in my office and they are so useful, I’ve contemplated getting a few for my apartment. Stacked and stored in a corner, they take up almost no space, to be used as:
-seating, when a crowd descends
-tables (two or three pinch hit as a coffee table; place alongside a sofa or bed and you’ve got an end table)
-stands (for anything, books, plants, tv, small appliances… I cut the legs down with a hand saw on one to make a low stand for my printer.)
via Emma’s blog
You can customize them at will, painting or staining them.
via Life is Carbon
This stripey upholstered version was spotted at Marimekko Concept Store in New York City.
via Door Sixteen
The two last pictures are not the IKEA stool but the original Alvar Aalto Stool 60, which Frosta is based on…You can get it to look pretty much the same, though…And for a fraction of the price of the original!
Thank you so much for clarifying that. I should have mentioned it in the post.
Anna at Door Sixteen also hacked a Frosta to make it even Aalto-ier… it might be the best Ikea h. I’ve ever seen.
http://www.doorsixteen.com/2009/06/19/faux-aalto-frosta-upgrade/