Versatile Seating and More

• What: Stacking Stools
• When: Birth to college
• Why: Durable, affordable, multi-purpose
• Where: Amazon

Got a small space with lots of people and want to make the most of your furniture? Has adding a child to your family meant you have to do more with less square footage? If you want affordable furniture that not only serves multiple purposes but goes the distance in every age and stage, get some stacking stools.

Bentwood Stacking Stools Set of 4 on Amazon

Stacking stools can be purchased even on a student’s budget. The classic design can last decades, if not longer. When not in use, these stools stack on top of each other to take up minimal floor space. When you need extra seating, remove one or more from the stack. Want a side table for all your nursing or pumping paraphernalia? Use one of these next to your favorite spot.

I got four stacking stools almost twenty years ago. I still use them every single day. I’ve had them so long I can’t remember where I got them, or even how much I paid for them. They tuck easily underneath our folding console table. I used them to host dinner parties as a recent college grad. Once I got married, they served as our main dining room seating until we could afford an actual dining set with real chairs. 

These stools come in different finishes, so you can choose the one you like best. The neutral wooden colors will go with almost any decor, and coordinate even as you change (read – upgrade) your surrounding furniture. The wooden surface makes it simple to wipe clean, and it resists stains and spills. While ours show some wear on the top surface from years of stacking, I still have zero complaints.

After kids, we’ve used them as side tables, desk seating, small child-sized tables for playing games, and to host holiday dinners (back pre-pandemic when that still happened here). The kids have used them to build forts and as step stools. They remain easily accessible and light enough for the kids to move anywhere they need or want them.

If you want to have plenty of seating and surfaces without taking up a lot of storage space, stacking stools are the only way to go.