Anyone living in a small space knows the value of every last square inch. But compact living doesn't always have to mean compromise. Coffee tables can conceal storage, sofas unfold into beds, and dining tables moonlight as desks. One challenge I still haven't quite solved, however, is having enough seating for guests without permanently cluttering my living room — but IKEA's new KOMPISHÄNG stools might be the answer.
As cities sprawl and house prices continue to climb, compact and shared living has become the reality for many twenty-somethings, particularly in cities like London. IKEA has taken note, launching a new 12-piece collection designed to make small-space living feel both stylish and sociable. Paired with some of the most versatile existing IKEA products, the range celebrates portability while helping frequent movers create a home that's ready to host at a moment's notice. It's fitting, then, that KOMPISHÄNG literally translates as "hanging out with friends".
The standout, for me, is this clever pair of stools. Sold as a set of two, they stack neatly together to halve their footprint when not in use. But the real design flourish lies in the rectangular legs, where discreet cut-outs allow one stool to perch securely atop the other, transforming the pair into a compact shelving display unit. Now that’s clever.
We have all seen stackable stools before — but not like this. IKEA’s set of two solid birch KOMPISHÄNG stools have the brand’s classic exposed timber legs with a painted forest green fiberboard top. Standing 46cm high with a compact 32cm diameter seat, they're the kind of stools you'll happily pull out when friends drop by, yet won't resent storing once everyone has gone home. Stacked together, they occupy the same floor space as a single stool, easily tucked into a corner. But it's their hidden transformation that makes them special. Clever notches cut into the rectangular legs allow one stool to slot securely on top of the other, transforming the pair into a neat two-tier shelving unit. Just add a trailing plant, a stack of books or a favourite vase.
This is exactly the kind of ingenious multifunctionality the Swedish giant has built its reputation on, proving that, in compact homes, every piece of furniture can, and should, earn its place.
The 12-piece KOMPISHÄNG collection was designed specifically with small-space living in mind. Other highlights include a lacquered pine desk with matching green legs that clicks together in just two steps, and a foldaway side table designed to be slung over your arm for easy transport. Throughout, the emphasis is on furniture that's pared-back in appearance but packed with purpose, making it particularly appealing for studio apartments and compact living rooms.
There's a reason the range feels so well judged. Rather than designing for small homes from afar, IKEA's team actually visited the homes of 20- to 28-year-olds living in central London (a demographic I know all too well) and embedded two recent industrial design graduates into the project team. The KOMPISHÄNG stools were designed by 28-year-old Swedish intern Lukas Albrektsson, and that clever ability to transform from stackable seating into a display shelf is the kind of thoughtful detail that elevates them from another pair of stools into something genuinely multifunctional.
Shop Stylish Alternatives
With the KOMPISHÄNG range, IKEA leans into something it has long excelled at: making small-space furniture work harder. Take the DOMSTEN stool from the 2025 Nytillverkad collection, which brings a bold pop of color to a clean-lined stack of stools. The timeless design actually dates back to 1973, when it was first created by celebrated designer Karin Mobring.
Speaking of iconic designs, Alvar Aalto's Stool 60 has been in continuous production since 1933 — proving that clever, space-saving furniture never goes out of style. Crafted entirely from native birch using Aalto's pioneering bentwood construction, the three-legged stool is available in 17 finishes, from natural birch to color-drenched editions and versions with painted seats. Better still, the timber develops a rich patina with age, making each piece more characterful over time.
If comfort tops your wishlist, Habitat's new Sami Stool offers a softer take on the stacking style. Crafted from solid painted wood with a padded upholstered seat, it retains the space-saving practicality while feeling a little more living room-ready. It's available in cream, mustard and green, but it's this rich burnt red that catches my eye. The warm, earthy hue has a distinctly mid-century feel, and because each colorway complements the next, you could easily mix and match a few to create a more decorative stack that's just as useful when guests arrive.
Inspired by 20th-century school furniture, this nostalgic stacking stool won't be to everyone's taste. Its bold fire-engine-red finish injects an instant hit of mid-century character, while a strip of exposed beech plywood across the seat softens the look with a welcome dose of natural warmth. Made in Italy and fitted with protective pads for safe stacking, if the classroom associations feel a little too strong, it's also available in a pared-back black finish.
Small spaces needn't be short on personality. Graham & Green's playful Mabel Stools are as sculptural as they are practical, with organic legs that fan out like flower petals or the peel of a dropped banana, depending on your imagination. Standing 46cm high with a generous 44cm diameter seat, the tactile upholstered tops nestle neatly into one another. Available in burnt orange, pink, ochre, and jade green, they make just as much of a statement stacked together as they do dotted individually around a room.
Natural timber doesn't need a coat of paint to make a statement. Audo Copenhagen's Passage Stool celebrates the inherent beauty of wood, with softly rounded forms allowing the rich grain and tonal variation of oak or walnut to take center stage. Four gently oval legs support a circular seat that feels equally at home beside a dining table or as a side table next to a sofa. Stack the two finishes together, and the contrast becomes even more striking, transforming spare seating into an artful display.
Small spaces don’t have to be limiting — in fact, as these small space trends prove, they are brimming with potential. It’s just about finding multifunctional hero products like IKEA’s KOMPISHÄNG stools that work hard and look good while doing it.
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