Chinese peasant stools

I’m making a few stools. Something about them is calling me – maybe getting old and wanting one every time I play with my daughter on the floor or put my shoes on.

Greg Merritt just posted some very cool designs on a Chinese-style gate bench he’s building, and so I thought I’d share some of the pics of stools I’d gathered for my own design inspiration. April Shen was kind enough to let me share these pictures from her site, http://www.shensgallery.com. Check it out, she has a lot of cool stuff.

I’m drawn to this squat, thick stool with a one-third lap joint. Don’t know why, it’s quirky. Especially since this, as well as the pics that follow, are peasant style stools. You expect the fancy joints on the Ming furniture, but not the farmer’s stool. For a short stool the lap joint might be overkill, but it adds something to the design and symmetry of the piece.

The dimensions for this stool are 11 1/2″w by 9″ tall.

This one has better proportions, to me, anyway.

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Close up of the joint.

Another example.

Now clearly I am not an expert in Chinese, or any type of, furniture. If you know something about these let me know.