One is a classic, but stack three for a surprise! Artek × Paul Smith hides the Signature Stripe inside Stool 60

Some pieces of furniture don’t need to shout to quietly remain in your home for years. Designed in 1933 by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, Artek Stool 60 features three signature L-shaped bentwood legs and a round seat. Its appearance has barely changed in over 90 years, yet it can serve as a stool, side table, or even a display stand, making it a classic design lovers recognize at a glance.

This seemingly minimalist wooden stool has a new surprise in store when it meets Paul Smith, who knows color best. Following their first collaboration in 2024, the pair officially introduces Artek Reimagined by Paul Smith, Edition Three. This time, Stool 60 remains largely unchanged, with Paul Smith’s signature colors tucked into places you may not notice at first glance.

You have to flip it over to see Paul Smith’s most captivating hidden details

 

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At first glance, Edition Three retains Stool 60’s warm, natural birch seat. Flip it over, however, and a vivid Malachite Green is hidden on the underside. Its three legs are dyed Lemon Yellow, Burgundy, and Melrose Pink, all drawn from Paul Smith’s classic Signature Stripe palette. This subtle use of hidden color feels very Paul Smith, much like the way he likes to tuck the most interesting details into a suit’s lining. Quiet and minimalist at first, it reveals a touch of playfulness only from a certain angle or with a certain movement.

The reason you’ll want to collect them all: the three editions are complete only when stacked together

 

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What really appeals to collectors is that this collaboration is not made up of three independent Stool 60s. From Edition One and Edition Two to the latest Edition Three, each edition features legs stained in different colors. When the three Stool 60s are stacked upward, as the original design intended, the colors scattered across their legs come together in a colorful rhythm that echoes Paul Smith’s Signature Stripe. Artek has also restocked all three versions at once, turning “I want one” into the dangerous thought: “Should I collect all three?”

A wooden stool for everyday use; stacked together, it becomes a sculpture for the home

Stool 60’s greatest charm has always been that it places almost no limits on how it can be used: you can sit on it, use it as a small table, or stack it away whenever you like. Paul Smith gives stacking, an act originally meant purely for function, another reason to be seen. On its own, it’s a wooden stool with a Nordic feel; flipped over, it reveals an unexpected color hidden underneath. Stack all three editions together, and it suddenly feels like a colorful Paul Smith installation has appeared in your home. Perhaps that is what makes a truly great collaboration: it doesn’t rush to change a classic, but quietly tucks away another reason to love it again where you thought you already knew it well.

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