I have a great fondness for these little stools. This one from Williams Sonoma Home is a great one, and when I bought mine several years ago, I bought them thinking they were somewhat expensive, but I couldn't find a good looking one cheaper. My, how that has changed now.
I have used these indoors (my son sits on it everyday to watch TV, even though there's a chair right next to him on both sides - go figure!)
(above two images: cashon & co)
And I have them outdoors. They are easy to move and therefore great for extra seating, that does not require a lot of room. They still sell this William Sonoma Home blue & white dragon stool on-line....
Where they also show it for indoor use....
(above two images: Williams Sonoma Home)
... And outdoor use. When you choose to use it as a side table, it does help to rest a book on top before you place a drink down, as shown on the picture above. Their version sells for $250. But guess what?
I found one, very similar and in my opinion maybe even better looking, here at Overstock.com for only $89.99... and the shipping is only $2.95. Plus no tax! You can't beat that! But the good deals don't stop here.... Let's say the blue & white chinese motif is too much for you and you like plain and simple.
I've used plain white chinese stools inside and outside....
Williams Sonoma Home also sells their version of the White Chinese Porcelain Garden stool for $250, not including shipping.
Overstock.com has a version of the Double-Coin design stool for $134.99 here.
(image: Williams Sonoma Home)
If warm colours are what you need, Williams Sonoma Home has a square version garden stool with an intense orange colour coral-blossom pattern. It sells for $295.00
If square is too modern, I found the more traditional round shaped stool in orange at Silk Road Collection. It is decorated with goldfish and has the cut-out detail along with the raised ceramic dots detailing. It sells here for $265.00
But here I go again, with another Overstock.com bargain except this time it is for the very exact same stool and it sells here for $102.99. I see the commercials for Overstock.com (annoying as they may be) and I just think they have electronics, jewelry and bedding. It wasn't until I went on there looking for a kitchen stool for a client that I saw all they had to offer. (On a side-note, we found her kitchen counter stools there, in the exact aluminum finish she was looking for at $95 for a PAIR! I was looking at Design Within Reach first, and they had an almost identical style stool for about $400 each.) Overstock.com is like any clearing house though, you have to check back often to see the always changing deals. But in my opinion, these three garden stools (and my client's kitchen counter stools!) have made it worth my time to check back all the time.
