Walnut Stool, 413

This is one of a system of walnut stools originally designed for the Time & Life Building at Rockefeller Center in New York in 1960 and later produced by Herman Miller. Each stool consists of a short pedestal topped by a shallow bowl, with different combinations of curves and angles supplying additional visual interest. With a furniture system, certain parts are standardized, which results in lower cost of manufacturing, and a cost savings that can be passed along to the consumer. The top and bottom of each stool is the same; what’s different from stool to stool is the middle section, each with a different shape. Ray herself resisted efforts to ascribe the design of these stools to her, because that implied that Ray had nothing to do with the other furniture designs. Ray said the most challenging part of designing these stools was making a top that was deep enough to make for a comfortable seat, but not so deep that you couldn’t balance a cup of coffee on it.