Designed by Marcel Wanders for Milanese design house Kartell, the Stone stool (model 8800) is an hourglass-shaped seat and side table injection-moulded from a single piece of transparent polycarbonate. Engineered with 88 irregular geometric facets across its surface, it refracts incoming daylight like a cut diamond while supporting full adult weight indoors or outdoors.
When Giulio Castelli – a chemical engineer who studied under Nobel laureate Giulio Natta – founded Kartell in Milan in 1949, his goal was to treat industrial polymers with the same architectural respect as marble and glass.
In a small European living room, adding an extra wooden armchair or heavy side table eats up visual floor space and blocks light from the window. Because the Kartell Stone stool is completely transparent, your eye sees the parquet floor right through it.
It is a signature geometric accent in both our European style living room decor list and our guide to Neo Deco home interior design in Europe.
Why the 88 facets are irregular rather than symmetrical
From across the room, the Kartell Stone looks like a simple, symmetrical hourglass cylinder. Look closely at the polycarbonate wall, however, and you will notice that the 88 triangular and trapezoidal facets are intentionally offset at different angles.
If the walls were smooth, sunlight would pass straight through without leaving a mark. By moulding 88 angled prisms into the polycarbonate, low morning or late-afternoon sun hits the stool and throws a wide, kaleidoscopic pattern of amber, smoke, or crystal-clear light rays across the floorboards.
Three ways to use the Kartell Stone in a compact flat
| Room placement | Functional role | Why polycarbonate works better than wood or stone |
| Beside a reading armchair | 45 cm high coffee & book side table | Flat 30 cm top rim holds a heavy mug and book without water-ring stains |
| Around the dining table | Stackable extra guest stool | Weighs only 2.5 kg; easy to carry out when extra friends arrive for dinner |
| Bathroom or balcony | Weatherproof towel or plant plinth | 100% waterproof and UV-stabilised; never rusts, swells, or rots in humidity |
- Origin: Italy (manufactured in Noviglio, Milan by Kartell, founded in 1949)
- Dimensions: 45.0 cm (Height) × 30.0 cm (Diameter) – Weight: 2.5 kg
This Kartell Stone stool in transparent amber is also available on Amazon.
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