Rare 'Noah' Stool by Nigel Coates for SCP, 1988

A rare ‘Noah’ stool designed by British architect and designer Nigel Coates in 1988 for SCP (Sheridan Coakley Products), United Kingdom. The stool captures Coates’ distinctive approach to postmodern design, combining an expressive, almost drawn quality with a deliberately raw material language. A slender tubular-steel structure forms the base, with one leg breaking away from the conventional geometry in a pronounced sinuous curve. Above, a sculpted ash seat and curved backrestintroduce warmth and an organic counterpoint to the industrial steel frame. The construction is particularly characterful: the timber retains its strongly visible grain and hand-shaped contours, while exposed fixings and the clear-lacquered steel emphasize the honesty of the materials. Seen from different angles, the stool shifts between a restrained architectural structure and a much more playful, anthropomorphic silhouette. Designed during a pivotal period in British postmodern design, the Noah is an early example of the experimental furniture produced by SCP, founded by Sheridan Coakley, which became an important platform for a new generation of British designers. A highly sculptural piece that works equally well as functional seating or as a standalone design object. Measurements: H 85 x W 53 x D 45 x SH 77 cm