How to Make a Chinese Garden Seat

Making a Wooden Stool

• 1

  Choose a flexible wood to work with. The traditional wood is calamander, a wood native to South East Asia that has distinctive black and brown stripes.

• 2

  Create the basic form. Aim for a barrel-shaped seat about 20 inches high, with a hollow interior. The stool can be hand-carved, or formed by bending thin strips of the wood and affixing them to discs at the top and bottom.

• 3

  Paint any additional designs on the stool. Most traditional Chinese stools are painted with poems or elaborate drawings that tell a story.

• 4

  Finish the piece with a durable varnish. Opt for an all-weather finish if the stool will be use outdoors.

Making a Porcelain or Ceramic Stool

• 5

  Create the basic form by sculpting or casting the clay. As with the wooden stool, the piece should be around 20 inches high and barrel-shaped. Add any textural decoration and let the piece dry completely.

• 6

  Sand the piece down to remove any bumps, then wipe it down with a damp sponge. Paint any additional designs on the stool. Glaze the piece with a colored or transparent glaze.

• 7

  Fire the piece in a kiln for structural integrity.