The Work Explained
Thinking Stool .2 continues Studio Wenjüe Lu's exploration of temporal stillness and deliberate reflection. First designed by Lulu in her junior year of university, the stool is revived with refined motifs—hollowed "sink holes," tufted buttons, and collapsed impressions—that embody the act of physically and metaphorically sinking into thought.
About Wenjüe Lu
Wenjüe Lu is helmed by Lulu (Wenjue Lu) and Michael (Chufeng Fang). They founded the Brooklyn-based design studio in 2020, after graduating from Parsons and NYU respectively. The duo has since promoted a Taoist approach to clothing: the wearer and garment share a symbiotic bond, where each offers emotive color to the other. By fusing traditional craftsmanship with contemporary art, Wenjüe Lu offers pieces that feel and look intimate.
The Process
The studio began by revisiting their past selves—the context in which the original stool was conceived—to ground the project in continuity. From there, the work underwent a meticulous process of drafting, sourcing, patterning, cutting, sanding, drilling, upholstering, assembling, and testing before its final realization.
"Temporal stillness is not always the best premise for the act of thinking; yet under a hyper-accelerated urban tempo, to sit down and think becomes either luxury or performance: so, the piece is dedicated to the sinking into the act of thinking."