Folding stools: features, types and choices

Folding stools are in many ways a useful invention, they will help out on a hike and come in handy in a cramped kitchen. Products weigh little, do not take up space, are convenient and always at hand.

The history of stools is more than five thousand years old. Folding models were invented later, but they are also quite ancient. A folding seat made of ebony decorated with ivory was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

The ancient Romans carried folding stools with them on military campaigns, and also used them during numerous meetings. Over the millennia, the design not only has not outlived its usefulness, but also gained popularity. Today you can find an unprecedented number of varieties of mobile chairs.

This is due to the significant positive qualities of this type of furniture.

• Not every piece of furniture can be carried with you and sit down whenever you want, only very light models allow you to do this.
• In addition to ease of hiking, compactness is valued - an irreplaceable thing that can be folded and put in a bag or bag.
• The folding chair is easy to use, captivates with its assembly speed, just got up and took it, it will fold right there and then.
• Such furniture does not take up free space at all, because it can be hidden in the closet, closet or on the balcony.
• This small item is multifunctional, it can be used both under the bedside table (put glasses, TV remote control), and under the mini-table (put a cup of coffee).

Let's consider a number of other options for using mobile stools.

• In a cramped kitchen, it can become completely invisible, since when folded it hides in a pencil case or behind a closet, and when it comes time for dinner, it instantly takes place at the table.
• In a studio apartment with a bar counter, tall, slender, "disappearing" products will come in handy.
• When the number of guests exceeds the capacity of the seating in the house, there is nowhere a "rescue team" of stools.
• The folding furniture for the summer cottage is convenient, you can relax on it in the house and pick raspberries in the garden.
• You can't do without a folding stool on a hike, picnic, fishing or hunting trip.
• This furniture is good for a balcony, terrace, veranda and garden, you just need to choose moisture resistant options.

Going to buy a folding stool, you need to have an idea of ​​the tasks that he will have to cope with. If you have to walk all day with a tour of historical places, you should purchase the lightest travel model that can fit in the package and not tire with excess weight... For rational use in everyday life, a stepladder stool is suitable. There are folding chairs with twist-off legs, as well as a large number of models for all occasions.

Refers to the most common type of design. It folds and unfolds with one movement of the hand. This type of transformation is used for many models with different purposes.

Designed to help visually impaired and blind people who the cane helps to "feel" the space, and the chair gives you the opportunity to rest during a tiring walk.

Lightweight, compact plastic products that can be folded with swivel joints. Models with the provided handle can be easily carried with you, even without a bag.

Amazing design - seemingly compact square pouf (5 in 1), but able to disassemble into five stools with comfortable soft seats. The model is made of metal and leatherette, has water-repellent properties, easy to clean.

Such a product is practical in the household, it is used as a stool, but if you need to get things from the top shelf, it instantly turns into a ladder.

For the bathroom, you can purchase a model with height adjustment located on each leg. Plastic and aluminum, from which the product is made, are good at repelling water. You can sit on a stool while bathing a child or taking a bath, use it as a table to put hygiene products on it.

The new model is designed to help gardeners. One side of the product allows, sitting on a stool, to carry out gardening work. The other (if turned over) makes it possible to lean on your knees and continue working in a different position.

For the manufacture of folding stools, different types of materials are used: wood, plastic, metal, leather, fabric. Many products have a combined composition, for example, metal legs, and a plastic seat.

Stools made of high-quality plastic can withstand up to 130 kg of weight, although they themselves are very light. In most cases, these include models with articulated joints and braids. Plastic products work well in the kitchen. They repel water and dirt, are easy to clean, and are easy to collect and hide.

Stools can be solid wood, slatted or solid surface. Often wood is combined with metal, upholstered with leather or fabric. The weight of such products exceeds plastic, but they look more expensive, noble and suitable for home interiors. Wood is an environmentally friendly and tactile material.

In terms of strength and reliability, metal surpasses plastic and wood, but it is cold and uncomfortable to sit on it. That's why legs are made of metal, and seats are made of plastic or wood. Hollow steel chrome-plated or aluminum tubes are used for the production of the product, they weigh a little, such a chair can be worn at least all day.

To make the seat softer and more comfortable, different types of materials are used: leather, leatherette, eco-leather. The first option is unreasonably expensive, the last one is thin and unstable to mechanical stress. In all respects, leatherette or waterproof, durable types of synthetic fabrics are better.

The shape of the products is easy to choose according to your taste; they are round, square, rectangular, triangular and of unusual geometry. The legs are also not limited by the standard, there can be three, four or more of them.

As for the sizes, they are also diverse, the stool can be very small, with a seat located close to the floor surface, or high, large, used at the bar counter. But more often a folding chair has a universal size, its seat is located at a comfortable height from the floor. You can clearly consider the variety of sizes and shapes with examples:

• round folding products made in the spirit of origami;
• square highchair with cruciform supports and soft top;
• rectangular wood product;
• triangular wooden stools;
• original models of unusual geometric shapes.

The creators of folding chairs do not limit their colors. The stool is available in white, black and color, and there are also combined tones and varieties of natural wood shades. The color variety of plastic models stands out especially. They pay attention to the color of the product if they embed it in a certain interior, for example, a kitchen, a country house, a veranda. The abundance of color palette can be found in examples:

• two-tone product in the yin-yang theme;
• the wood covered with stain has acquired a beautiful dark brown hue;
• two shades of green were used to create the model;
• plastic chair "tricolor";
• color variety of plastic stools.

Chinese and Japanese manufacturers are popular in the domestic market. In the chain of stores of the Dutch company "Ikea" you can find budget reliable and easy-to-use models of folding stools. The products of Russian firms are selling well:

• the furniture factory "Muravei" produces metal-based products with a seat upholstered in artificial leather;
• the Russian company "Verkholaz" has developed and produced a folding stool-ladder made of pine, natural color, lacquered;
• the Kolyvan furniture factory presented a model with a metal frame and a seat covered with leatherette;
• the Moscow upholstered furniture factory has released a folding high bar stool with an upholstered seat.

As already noted, a folding stool solves different tasks, when buying, this factor must be taken into account.

• The travel version has a small size, minimum weight and an instant folding mechanism.
• A shape-shifter is chosen for the garden. It is convenient to work on it, changing posture, and rest between work.
• A country stool should have a comfortable height, waterproof qualities, and a comfortable seat. The same requirements apply to kitchen models.
• For fishing, you will need a low folding chair with a soft seat, since you will have to sit for a long time.
• Bar stools are distinguished by their high elongated shape.

Despite the fact that folding stools have a camping orientation, many types fit perfectly into the interior, and some are even specially designed for the kitchen, bathroom or hallway. You can verify this by considering interesting models that will decorate the interiors of the listed rooms:

• elegant folding set "Extra" milky color is ideal for small-sized kitchens;

• a beautiful wooden product "Ganges" with a sagging surface, assembled from component elements, looks delightful and is an anatomically comfortable option for prolonged sitting;

• elite stools for the kitchen with the provided holder;

• folding kit for modern kitchen;

• extravagant bar stools for the kitchen in the style of minimalism;

• original design model of a folding product;

• a kind of folding stool from furniture designer Asaf Yogev;

• creative products from designer Kyuhung Cho that fold into one tall building and do not take up unnecessary space;

• a spectacular model created on the example of Babylonian products.

For information on how to make a folding stool, see below.