Stools are probably the most overlooked type of furniture there is. You will almost always find them, forgotten and barely used, in some corner of our homes. When truth be told, they’re much more functional and ergonomic than they are given credit for! They’re compact, and a great space-saving furniture option for our modern homes. They are also super portable! And designers are really unleashing their creativity when it comes to stools. And one such innovative, quirky, yet ergonomic stool design I recently came across is the ‘Pepe’ stool.
Designer: Raffaella Mangiarotti for Opinion Ciatti
Designed by Raffaella Mangiarotti, the Pepe Stool is deeply inspired by a ‘horse-riding saddle’! Raffaella drew inferences from the saddle, especially its aesthetics and ergonomics to create the sturdy-looking Pepe Stool. He designed the stool for the Italian brand Opinion Ciatti. The Pepe stool is a rather playful and amusing twist on saddle stools. Saddle stools are popular for promoting good posture, and for helping users strengthen their core since they feature no back support, and enable you to tilt your pelvis forward.
“Pepe is boundless expanses and infinite horizons. Pepe is the Argentine Pampas, a scent carried by the wind, an airy sky,” said Opinion Ciatti. Usually, saddle stools draw inspiration from bike seats, and mimic them quite accurately, however for the Pepe stool, Raffaella instead drew inspiration and incorporated references from the Wild West. The Pepe stool features hand-stitched leather upholstery that is tautly stretched over a curved and sturdy sled base. The result is a rustic and strong-looking stool that instantly brings to mind the image of a horse-riding saddle!
Pepe Stool has a bold and attention-grabbing personality, one that allows it to function as a stand-alone furniture piece, however, you can also pair it up with a desk, creating a workspace that is great for your posture! Pepe’s sculptural aesthetic makes it perfectly suited for both homes and workplaces, however, I do feel it would seem a little out of place in a corporate work environment. Pepe is available in options of black and natural leather. The leather is tanned using aniline dyes, allowing it to retain its impressive tactility.
