Clover High Stool | Winner Designs
Clover High Stool by Shuangyong Jin

Clover High Stool

Silver A' Design Award Winner 2022

Shuangyong Jin's Clover High Stool emerges from a rich tradition of organic furniture design that draws upon nature's geometries to create functional objects of enduring beauty. The tripartite seat configuration, evoking the trefoil pattern found throughout botanical and architectural history, demonstrates the designer's sophisticated understanding of how natural forms can be translated into ergonomic seating solutions. The selection of ash wood, with its pronounced grain character and warm blonde tonality, speaks to a commitment to material authenticity that allows the inherent qualities of the timber to contribute meaningfully to the aesthetic experience. Technical accomplishment manifests in the seamless transition between seat and legs, where careful shaping eliminates visible joinery while creating the impression of organic growth from a single source. The incorporation of a brass footrest introduces material contrast that enriches the sensory palette while serving practical function, its circular form echoing the rounded geometries of the seat above. This work participates in broader conversations within contemporary furniture design regarding the integration of craft traditions with innovative formal exploration, suggesting affinities with mid-century organic modernism while asserting its own distinctive visual vocabulary. The choice to photograph the stool within an aged courtyard environment invites consideration of how objects designed for intimate human interaction carry forward cultural traditions of making while speaking to present-day aesthetic sensibilities. Viewers might contemplate how the organic curves and natural materials create a sense of warmth and invitation that transcends mere utility, offering instead an object that rewards both tactile engagement and visual contemplation.

The structure of the stool is inspired by the classic Romanesque arch and the top surface is in the shape of a four-leaf clover. Each "leaf" is made by pieces of wood strips in mosaic pattern. The curvy stool legs are carved by CNC machine in the first step and then fine tuned by hand polishing. Connected by a bespoke mortise and tenon joint in the center, it ensures the stability of the structure, in addition, breaks the traditional orthodox image of Chinese woodwork. This piece of creature integrates modernity and heritage in terms of both design and crafts.