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Stools are a versatile player in decor

By Kim Cook

Associated Press

A stool is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture you can get. It slides neatly under or up to a counter, takes up little real estate and can provide a handy perch in any room.

New York interior designer Kati Curtis finds herself employing stools a lot in her projects.

“I love using Lucite bar stools for spaces where the front of the bar is also a design feature,” she says.

She also suggests swivel stools in an open plan, where the action’s taking place in both the kitchen and family room.

Then there’s Powell & Bonnell’s Alto stool. “When I need a bar stool that’s going to make a solid design statement, this is the go-to,” says Curtis. “It’s a showstopper that stands on its own.”

The Alto has a trim, sculptural steel frame that you can get in a variety of finishes, including polished or satin nickel, brass and pewter. The low-profile yet comfy seat, or saddle, looks great in caramel-hued leather, but can be custom upholstered. (www.dennismillerassociates.com )

At Wisteria, each seat is unique on Javanese bar stools crafted of teak salvaged from old homes. Another bar stool in the collection is clad in saddle leather that would develop a nice patina over time. Both of these have a hip, loft-like vibe, and would work well in a men’s dressing room or an industrial style kitchen. (www.wisteria.com )

Another option for a kitchen or home bar is Arteriors’ Caymus stool, available in two heights, with a mango wood seat and an iron base with foot rest. (www.arteriorshome.com )

Anna Karlin’s brass-plated, cold-rolled steel Chess stools evoke the game pieces, with muscular geometric profiles. (www.annakarlin.com )

Also for a bar, Curtis likes Bar Stool 109 by The New Traditionalists, a furniture studio in Torrington, Connecticut. Available with or without arms, the stool made of kiln-dried hardwood holds a seat that looks as good in denim with a racy, red-laced back as it does in buttery blue leather. (www.thenewtraditionalists.com )

You can splurge a little on stools since you usually only need a couple. Check out Los Angeles studio Thomas Hayes’ limited-edition, midcentury-style Cojo bar stool, which has a vintage, bent, Rosewood back and a seat sourced in Brazil. (www.1stdibs.com )

Or consider a pair of Charles Hollis Jones’ midcentury stools. Jones is known for pioneering the use of acrylics in furniture design. The curvy stools are made of chrome and Lucite. (www.chairish.com )

Horchow has several elegant barstools. Bernhardt’s Paloma is like a leggy yet comfy club chair, in rich brown velvet. Mongolian lambswool makes a shaggy-chic seat for the brass-plated, Art Deco-style Imperial stool. (www.horchow.com )

Need a fun little seat for a children’s craft space? Kinder Modern has Polish designer Oskar Zieta’s Plopp Jr stool, which looks like a blown-up balloon chair but is in fact made of steel. It comes in taxicab yellow and fire-engine red, among other colors.

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