Woodworking clamps inform playful height-adjustable IKEA stool

As part of IKEA's PS collection, which releases today, Swedish designer Mikael Axelsson has designed a stool with a base of birchwood "teeth" and an analogue lock that allows users to adjust the height.

The IKEA PS 2026 Stool is one of 30 pieces in the recently launched IKEA PS collection, including a bright green inflatable chair also designed by Axelsson that was launched during this year's Milan design week.

Axelsson says the stool's design was informed by an "old school" Swedish woodworking clamp called a Tvingman, as well as his young family's preference for nonprecious furniture.

It is made of birch, with a bright blue lacquered latch that stretches around the middle.

"I wanted to make a height-adjustable stool that felt very low-tech and analogue, so my inspiration was the old school woodworking clamp," Aexlsson told Dezeen. "My partner and I decided a few years ago to only furnish our home with things we are okay with getting broken."

"We didn't want anything you admire from a distance that you can't touch. Everything needs to be lived with fully, and the stool is a reflection of that idea."

To adjust the stool's height, users push the wedge-shaped lever upwards, which loosens the latch. They then manually slot the saw-tooth base into a higher or lower setting.

Axelsson said he exaggerated the mechanism's design to evoke an intuitive response and tested it with his own children.

"I wanted the lever to be so graphic and exaggerated so that it basically screams 'pull me' without you having to figure anything out," he said. "I also wanted the teeth to look exaggerated and expressive to give it character, which led to the shape."

"The intuitive response was the most important thing to get right, so I took it home and tested it on my kids. They reached out pretty quickly. Important test passed."

Even if people don't end up regularly adjusting the stool and simply pick a setting that works for them, Axelsson still thinks it remains an interesting-looking object.

The stool forms part of IKEA's 10th PS collection, which hopes to deliver cutting-edge Scandinavian design at affordable prices.

To mark today's launch, Dezeen has rounded up the most covetable products from this year's collection, including two different colourful lamps by Dutch designer Lex Pott.

The photography is courtesy of IKEA.

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