Core77

The cork cylinder in Manuel Welsky's SCRW Stool may look lightweight, even toy-like, but it's actually a rock solid hunk with a clever built-in system that allows the user to raise or lower the seat height themselves. I'm a sucker for anything made out of cork so I bee-lined it over to Manuel's stools when I spotted them at DMY. The bright and shiny blue frame is the perfect balance to the raw, untreated cork. Made from steel pipe, it's sturdy enough to hold even a heavy adult.

I love the adjustable aspect of the stool, especially how the spiral screw mechanism is highlighted and made the central component of the design, but when Manuel says this stool is built strong he's not kidding. I tried to raise and lower the height of the cork seat, but my puny arms couldn't budge it a bit. Even though the frame is smooth, perhaps the grooves in the cork should be treated to make it glide more easily? Either that or I really need to hit the gym.

You can test your strength and buy a SCRW Stool directly from Manuel's site. While you're there check out his other projects, like the Klemmbrett desk; The brightly painted metal legs and a raw plywood table top are right in line with SCRW's contrasting color palette.