Smile Stool

Crafted at Benchmark’s UK workshops from solid American cherry, the soft geometry of the seat and gently curved profile of the underside invites touch. The playful ‘Smile’ doubles as the stool’s carrying handle, while the natural grain of the timber adds to the character and expressive design of the face. Its four legs are hand turned, with two passing through the seat to form the stool’s eyes, using traditional expressed-through tenon joints. Developed by Jaime for Connected; an exhibition challenging creatives to design furniture that suits their new ways of working from and living at home, while exploring the ways creatives and makers have adapted their processes to work together during lockdown, this is the first time the Smile Stool has been available for purchase. “We must all remember to Smile – it makes us happier, healthier and more hopeful”, says Jaime of the design. The simplicity of its form demands perfect execution of construction and craft. This provides the Smile Stool a sense of longevity that will allow every piece to gather memories and meaning through successive generations.

Having completed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of the piece, it has a carbon footprint of (-1.97 kg CO2 equivalent) – making it better than carbon neutral. This means the carbon stored in the American cherry exceeds all carbon emissions during the processing of the timber and production of the stool, making it demonstrably sustainable. The Smile Stool comes with Red List Free and Declare labelling. Offering complete transparency, Declare is an internationally recognised ingredients list for products that shows where it comes from, what it is made of and where it goes at the end of its life. Red List Free means that the piece is free of any harmful chemicals. The Smile Stool will be available to purchase from 9th February via Benchmark’s website and showroom, and select partners and design stores internationally. The Smile Stool is offered in solid American cherry, with a clear oil finish.