A Cool Garden Stool

I've always liked those ceramic cushion garden stools (or garden seats, if you prefer), but I never thought too much about them until a few months ago when I came across a photo of one in Tatler magazine. What especially caught my eye was the stool's gray color, something that is unique for this type of garden stool. As it turns out, the stool featured in Tatler is part of the Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam collection. You can see their white version, above. The stool, which retails for £950, is Italian made and can be ordered in a variety of colors as well as your choice of a shiny or matte finish. Pretty nifty, huh?

I had a devil of a time trying to find photos of interiors where this kind of garden seat was used and only managed to come up with a few photos. It seems that Madeleine Castaing was a fan of these garden stools as they appear in a few different photos of her work. By the way, the garden stool, which does double duty as a sturdy side table, works well both outdoors and inside the home as well. In fact, Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen like to use them in their clients' bathrooms where I can imagine they get put to good use by holding towels, candles, or other bathroom necessities.

For more information on the stool above, please visit the Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam website or email sales@nicholashaslam.com.




An exuberant late 1960s interior with a pair of what appears to be plaid ceramic cushion garden stools.



Madeleine Castaing used a blue and white version at the foot of the guest bed at her home, Lèves.



An Alexandre Serebriakoff rendering of Castaing's stand at the 1948 Salon des Antiquaires. You can see the cushion garden stool at the right.


1960s interior photo from HOUSE & GARDEN'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO INTERIOR DECORATION - SEVENTH EDITION; the Castaing images from The World of Madeleine Castaing.