Sgabillo is the direct successor to the world famous Ulmer stool, which Max Bill designed in 1954 for the new design college in Ulm, Germany. Because they where on a tight budget, they created the seating for the students themselves. The stool had the advantage that it was easy to transport with great stability and also served students as a carrier for their documents. In the following years they walked through the college with their seats.
The design was geared only towards functionality. The round bar (originally made of beech, Zanotta’s version is birch) gives Sgabillo additional stability and also serves as a handle.
This way, it is suitable as a versatile chair, side table or shelf but also as a transport tray, serving tray or tabletop. The Ulmer and Sgabillo stools are a good example for the creativity of people when there are few resources. Today, the stool is an absolute design classic.