Dezeen Magazine

Richard Hutten designs stackable clover-shaped stools

Dutch designer Richard Hutten based the leaf-like form of these wooden stools on the shape of the "lucky" four-leaf clover.

Launched by Japanese brand Taiyou&C, the stools comes in two editions – Clover 3 and Clover 4.

Clover stools for TAIYOU&C Japan - written

Both versions feature a seat divided up into petal-like shapes, and legs that bend into the gaps between the leaves. Clover 3 has three legs, while Clover 4 has four.

They come in either walnut or oak, and as there is also a lower version designed for children.

Clover stools for TAIYOU&C Japan - written

According to Taiyou&C – which was set up in November 2016 by Mikiya Kobayashi – the stool uses a minimum amount of wood, which also keeps it lightweight. Each piece is made by craftsmen in Japan.

Clover stools for TAIYOU&C Japan - written

Hutten sees the design as a blend of Finnish designer Alvar Aalto's Stool 60, created for Artek in 1933, and Japanese designer Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool, designed for Vitra in 1954.

The bent legs of the furniture resemble Aalto's design, while the rounded edges pay homage to the curved "wings" of Yanagi's stool.

Clover stools for TAIYOU&C Japan - written

"I wanted to make a stool where East meets West without compromise, combining the best of both worlds," said the designer.

An Eindhoven graduate, Hutten is based in Amsterdam. He has previously designed several chairs, including an armchair made from hundreds of layers of stacked fabric, and sofas that resemble smartphone icons.