Paul Kiarie made Christian’s stool into a calm, practical side table with a warm natural wood touch and a secure fit for everyday living. What's your wish? →
View material & custom-made details
The Custom Wood-EA 125 Stool-to-Side Table Conversion turned an existing designer stool into a practical wooden side table top with a secure, made-to-measure fit. Paul Kiarie made the finished piece in mahogany, making this a useful example for anyone considering a custom wood topper for a stool, chair base, or occasional table setup.
- Request: The goal was to create a removable natural wood top that could sit on an EA 125 stool and turn it into a usable side table without adding separate legs.
- Final result: The completed top was made from mahogany hardwood and sized to match the stool surface, with an underside strip on the longer side to help keep the board from slipping in use.
- Design details: Two boards were joined with dowels to create the full-width panel, then carefully sanded smooth so the surface looked clean and the wood grain remained visible under the oil finish.
- Fit and use: The top was made around an approximate surface size of 53.5 x 54.6 cm, creating a stable flat area for everyday use as a compact side table beside seating.
- Process: Progress photos showed the mahogany boards, glue, dowel joinery, sanding, clamping, oil finishing, and the completed tabletop, and the customer later praised the sturdy build, beautiful wood, and impeccable craftsmanship.
Every unique piece tells a story. What’s yours?
This design was custom-made exclusively for Christian. Let it inspire you: customize this design to fit your vision or start with a completely new idea. You chat directly with our artisans, and we handle the secure process.
A request by Christian from Münster, Germany
Hello,
I would like to turn my EA 125 stool (see picture) into a side table.
It should be a treated natural wood top with a ledge on 2 opposite sides so that the top does not slip.
The dimensions: width/height/depth 53.5 x 35.4 x 54.6 cm
The Journey of Creating Custom Wood-EA 125 Stool-to-Side Table Conversion
Negotiation & Planning
Custom Wood-EA 125 Stool-to-Side Table Conversion - design ideas and artisan proposals
Hello Christian, I hope you are well. My name is Paul and I would like to realize your idea.
What kind of wood would you like used? The locally available options are Cypress, Pine and Mahogany.
Would this be a self standing top that surrounds the stool itself with panels on two sides that act as legs or a top that sits on the stool?
What finish would you like on the top? The options available range from clear varnish to wax to protect the wood
Hello Paul,
thank you for wanting to realize the project.
In Germany, I would have chosen oak, i.e. a hardwood (not pine), where hardwood = hard wood (high weight per m³). Iroko or Denya are mentioned in the dictionary, for example. But please decide for yourself.
The wood should be oiled for protection.
The top does not need legs.
It is then placed on the stool; to prevent it from slipping, a strip of the same thickness as the top should be placed under the board on the slightly longer side.
The dimensions: width/height/depth 53.5 x 35.4 x 54.6 cm refer to the surface of the stool (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian I hope you are well, I would like to clarify, are the dimensions you've provided for the stool itself? Or are they dimensions for the wooden top?
Hello Paul,
okay, you asked the right question, these are the technical data for the chair on which the plate is placed.
Top without slat corresponding to 53.5 x 54.6 cm.
The narrow side remains, the dimensions of the long side must be adjusted accordingly, e.g. with a 2 cm wide slat:
2cm 54.6cm 2cm = 58.6cm
plus 1cm tolerance approx. 59.6cm long
With a width of 53.5cm
Is this helpful? (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, I hope you are well. Yes this is very helpful and I have attached a sketch of my understanding of the idea hoping that I've captured it as you wanted.
Best regards
Christian Grundhoff Hello Paul,
I apologize for the late response. I was only in the new apartment where the stool is today.
And your drawing and dimensions are very good.
The only thing is that the side lengths are reversed. Everything else is correct.
Please correct that so that we can get started soon.
I admire people who can draw so well in perspective. (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, I hope you are well and thank you...I have attached another sketch and I hope it's the right way and if not could you kindly share a simple sketch showing me the dimensions?
Hello Paul,
great work and the dimensions fit so well.
So it can soon go to the implementation
Which wood and what will it cost?
Best regards
Christian (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, what corrections would you like to make?
Hi Paul, thanks for the quick response.
Somehow the chair and plate are incorrectly dimensioned.
I have now recorded this and sent it along.
I hope it is readable and you understand what I mean
Best regards (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, yes I now understand the measurements thank you, I have attached photos of the mahogany wood. It is a good quality hardwood.
Crafting Process
How to make a Custom Wood-EA 125 Stool-to-Side Table Conversion – work in progress
Hello Christian, I hope you are well. I have attached photos of the mahogany wood that will be used as well as the professional glue to put it together. I will be using dowels to put two boards together to make a wide panel that fits the correct dimensions.
Hello Paul,
I'm glad you're doing the project.
Ponal is made by Henkel, less than 120km from here, so it's well-known and good.
The method of joining the boards with wooden dowels is flawless.
Before waxing, how do you sand the wood?
So here we go (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, that's very interesting…I've been using it for the longest time as it's very good quality. I intend to use a Bosch Orbital sander to sand the wood smooth.
Hello Paul,
I don't know much about tools, but I think I know that the extender sander can be used to avoid high heat on the wood. That makes sense.
After sanding, assemble first and then wax or vice versa?
Do you want to wax or oil the wood?
What does the wood tolerate better? (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian I hope you are well...the sander works well without heating up the wood. After assembly the wood will be sanded to ensure a smooth transition then I will apply the oil. Oil works better because it penetrates the wood and brings out the beauty of the grain.
Hello Paul,
I hope you are doing well too.
I think your treatment is really good.
I also think oil is better than wax, but I didn't know that it would work with mahogany wood.
So your suggestions are completely in line with my wishes.
Best regards (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, I'm glad you agree...it actually works with most types of wood and will guarantee a nice finish .
Super!
Then EG as discussed LS.
I am curious. (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, may I ask what EG and LS mean?
The abbreviations are used by the translator.
Then start as discussed
Let' Go!
I was wondering myself!
Sorry for the confusion. (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian I hope you are well... that's okay now I understand
All right.
Is it starting today?
All the best!
Christian (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, I hope you are well. Here are the boards cut to size and the tools I'll be using to sand and clamp them together.
Very nice, I like that very much! (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, I hope you are doing well. Here are the boards sanded lightly and dowel holes drilled. Next I will glue and clamp the boards together using dowels so that they can dry for a day or so.
Hello Paul,
I am glad that it continues.
And thanks for the explanations.
I'm looking forward to it because it looks beautiful, great wood.
Can you already predict when you will finish?
Best regards
Christian (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, I hope you are well... I'm almost finished but I wanted to inform you of the oil I'd be using as finish. I have attached photos of the board. I will give it one last sanding and it will be done by tomorrow.
Hello Paul,
thanks for the pictures, it looks great.
I don't know the oil, you are the expert and I trust you there.
It turned out really nice.
Thank you very much!
Best regards
Christian (Automatic translation)
Hello Christian, i hope you are well... I have attached photos of the final product and I hope you like it.
Hello Paul,
you did a really great job and I really like it.
Many thanks and best regards
Christian (Automatic translation)
Hey Christian,
this is Vicky, the local operations manager, I received your wooden top board from Paul and it looks fantastic! The craftsmanship is excellent, and it feels incredibly sturdy. It's clear that Paul used high-quality wood for this piece, and it shows in the final product. I have shared some photos of the board showing different sides and dimensions. Please take a look and let us know what you think and if there are any adjustments that you would like, do not hesitate to let us know.
Thank you for trusting us with your order—I hope this piece serves you well for a long time.
Warmest regards,
Vicky Achieng.
Hello Vicky,
the plate looks really fantastic, I'm already looking forward to it.
Maybe you could advertise this project, which I think is really successful, because the stool is a designer piece that has been sold several times, Eames Alu Chair EA 124 (Automatic translation)
The Finished Unique Piece – Individually Handmade
Reference: ON014459E-68427
Cost structure of this project
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Cost of material |
20.07
|
| Cost of labour |
17.1
|
| Cost of packaging |
1.86
|
| Local Transport to photoshoot and parcel drop-off |
9.29
|
| Subtotal – payout to artisan |
48.32
|
| Customer acquisition costs (advertising etc.) |
4.83
|
| Handling fee Urban Change Lab |
4.83
|
| Total (excluding shipping & taxes) |
57.98
|
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- Personal: We support you at every step
- Fair: Direct local value creation in Kenya
Note on shipping & taxes
The cost breakdown above shows how the value of this individual project is composed.
Shipping costs and any applicable taxes (e.g. VAT) depend on the delivery country and the specific setup and are therefore not shown as fixed amounts here.
All additional costs are communicated transparently before placing a binding order.
If you have any questions, you will find our contact details further down this page.
