A Recognisable Piet Hein Eek Design

True to Piet Hein Eek’s characteristic approach, the Stackable Stool is both simple and modest in form, yet meticulously detailed in its construction.
A contrasting copper ring and robust stainless steel bolts keep the stool together — without a single drop of glue. The result is a durable, repairable, and easily assembled object that celebrates material purity and circular thinking.

The dark sheet material used for the stool originates from the flowering fibre crop Silphium Perforliatum — also known as Silphy. Unlike conventional biocomposites, these Silphy panels contain no added binders; the material ‘glues itself’ with its own natural lignins, the organic compounds that give plants their strength.

Silphy is one of several regenerative materials developed by Studio Simone van Es and her research team. Their work explores how this resilient crop can transform soil health, local biodiversity, and the building industry alike.

Why Silphy Matters

Silphium Perforliatum is not just a crop — it is a living system that restores balance to the soil.
Its deep root structure improves soil structure and carbon storage, while its flowers provide nectar for bees, butterflies, and pollinators throughout the summer. On the fields where Silphy grows, meadow birds nest and insects find shelter — a stark contrast to the monocultures dominating today’s agricultural landscapes.

By converting this plant into design material, Studio Simone van Es brings nature’s intelligence into human spaces — demonstrating that design can grow directly from the soil.

“The design of Piet is a contribution for all,” says Simone. “From farmer to designer, from manufacturer to customer. But far and foremost, it is an ode to nature.”

May Silphy grow and bloom richly, may ecosystems recover, and may this stool remind us that the future of design begins beneath our feet — in the living soil.

The Stackable Stool from Silphy carries more than a story of innovation; it carries a call to action.
To cultivate beauty that sustains, to research what restores, and to design with the earth in mind.

Together we grow the future. Research is the way.