Herman Miller Capelli Stool

Product Story

Pondering her new project - build a better stool - designer Carol Catalano noticed her own entwined fingers and had her answer. The Capelli stool is two identical plywood pieces, each with undulating "fingers" at the top that interlock without tools or fasteners. It's an ingeniously stable and graceful structure that's pleasant to sit on and simply beautiful to look at.

Inventive Design

Two molded plywood pieces fit together to form the Capelli stool. The surfaces between the "fingers" at the top of each piece meet and become stops that hold each half of the stool firmly in place. Composed of alternating dark- and light-stained hardwood inner plies and light ash veneer. And here's the surprise: You can unfold the stool into its two halves, which can be stacked together for easy storage.

CAPELLI STOOLS

• Sturdy but elegant occasional seating for break-out areas, lounges, offices.

• Interlocking molded plywood, folds flat for storage.

• Comfortable, beautiful, ingenious as a Japanese puzzle box.

• Warranty: 1-year

Design Story Carol Catalano is known for innovations in high-end audio speakers, consumer electronics, seating, and cutlery. "Most of my work is fairly technical in nature," she says, "so I thought it would be fun to take on a project just for fun." Catalano's "fun" became the Capelli stool. Once she had found her inspiration in her own hands, she developed several ideas for the stool by studying the ergonomics of comfortable sitting. Using cardboard and foam models, she and her staff at Catalano Design took the Capelli stool from concept to museum-quality prototype in less than two months.

• height: 17 in.

• width: 15.5 in.

• depth: 13.125 in