One damp evening after yoga, I spotted a minimalist steel stool frame poking out of a skip. The footrest had broken off, and the top was a sad mess of magazine clippings laminated with sellotape. I balanced it on my bike rack and took it home—safety third!

Beneath the collage was a solid oak top, but I set it aside for a future clock idea. I stripped the paint off the frame with a wire wheel—no harsh chemicals—and rewelded the footrest.

Instead of an obvious radial design, I used reclaimed oak parquet for the new seat—a patchwork of square edges inside a perfect circle. I even made footrest covers to protect the paint. Now it’s a sturdy, stylish high-stool fit for a king.