When a tree is cut down for whatever reason, the remaining stump remains to be dealt with. If the tree was in a homeowner’s yard and doesn’t pose a safety risk, many choose to simply leave the stump alone. Others go through the trouble of digging it and its roots out of the ground. But artist and designer Hongtao Zhou decided to do something rather different: he made two stumps into a cheeky outdoor lounger.

Don’t “axe” why – just enjoy the sweet design. The big stump provides a place for your bottom while the smaller stump lets you kick your feet up and relax. The attached wooden axe at the back supports the back and arm of the sitter.

The sculpture/seat, aptly named Two Stumps + An Axe, was created with scraps from the Vermont Studio Center’s sculpture shop, an appropriate reuse (we think) of wood that may otherwise have simply gone to waste.

According to Zhou, about 30 million trees are cut down each day, leaving a staggering number of stumps all around the world. If just a small fraction of them could be used for something as useful and endearing as this lawn chair set…well, it wouldn’t solve the problems caused by the logging industry but it might cut down on consumption of ugly plastic lawn furniture.

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About Hongtao Zhou

“Hongtao Zhou is an interdisciplinary scholar and artist, he researches, practices and teaches in the areas of Design, Architecture, Exhibition Design, Furniture Design & Fabrication and Contemporary Sculpture & Installation”.

“Hongtao holds a PhD from Purdue University, a MFA from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a MS from Northeast Forest University of China.He is a professor at Tongji College of Design and Innovation (D&I) , visiting professor at University of Hawaii-Manoa (UHM) and an artist of re.riddle. Hongtao had been serving as the Director of the UHM Haigo and Irene Shen Architecture Gallery, Coordinator of Global Track and Executive Education programs, Campus Art Advisory Committee Member and Hawaii Woodguild Show Jury. “

The post Two Stumps and an Axe Make a Witty Outdoor Lounger first appeared on Dornob.