Angus Ross Haiku Stools of Steam Bent Wood are as Pretty as They are Poetic

angus ross haiku stools

Furniture craftsman and designer Angus Ross introduced the first edition of his Haiku Stools this past month at London Craft Week. The natural, hard-wearing, bent wood stools are each engraved with a different haiku on an interior leg. Available separately or as a set of three, the tripod stools look great indoors or out.

Angus Ross Haiku Stools

Reduced to essential elements, repeated three times and then seamlessly combined, the stackable stool is crafted of Scotland’s native ash. Currently threatened by Ash Dieback Disease, Angus uses already felled trees to create his furniture, supporting the work of local foresters, tree surgeons, and specialist saw-millers.

haiku stools
Haiku Stools Stacking Set photographed by James T Millar beside The Glen Lyon Ash (thought to be the oldest ash tree in Scotland).

The Scottish ash used is from old trees and tends to be darker than commercially grown ash. In addition, the steam-bending process enhances the richness of the color.

Angus Ross building the stool in his workshop

The idea of using three bent legs to create a stool came to Angus during summer 2021 when he made the first prototype. Bending wood into a simple functional shape reduces waste and uses the strength of woods in the most effective way possible (with the fibres under compression).

bent wood furniture woodworking

The three angled mortice and tenon joints are also very efficient and strong. As the stool developed Angus thought ‘this is a bit like a haiku with three simple, concise lines’ – and he asked local poet, forester and friend Jon Plunkett to write some haikus to be engraved into the stools.

The three haikus on their respective stools are shown below.

I
Absorbed in this grain
Sunlight and wingbeats and wind
The wild beauty stilled
haiku stool with haiku1

II
Reminder to live
Like deep breaths after spring rain
Goodness lives and grows

III
Moonlight and sunlight
Infused now with finished wood
A place to be still
haiku stool bent wood

Each simple, stacking, steam-bent tripod stool is crafted of ash sourced in Perthshire and measures 48 x 48 x 48 cm. Each is engraved with a different haiku and are sold either separately or as a set of three.

angus ross bentwood haiku stools IIHIH

The Haiku Stools are available to buy in their shop and at The Future of Craft exhibition presented by Design Nation during London Craft Week 2022.

all images courtesy of Angus Ross