Esse Counter Stool

Esse Counter Stool by Article — bar & counter stools, Overall: 17" W x 13" D x 28" H. Compare it with similar pieces across brands, and see the rooms it appears in.

Esse Counter Stool - Smoked Oak by Article
  • Brand: Article
  • Category: Bar & counter stools
  • Price: $249
  • Dimensions: Overall: 17" W x 13" D x 28" H
  • Materials: wood
  • Colours: natural
  • Rooms: Dining room
See it at Article

Room×Lab Review · Review updated August 28, 2026

Comfort and sturdiness lead, but seat cracking is the Esse’s key owner-reported risk

All 137 distinct written owner reviews in Article’s Esse Counter Stool pool were studied, spanning January 2019 through August 2026. The pool includes reviews attributed to the current Smoked Oak item and sibling or legacy Esse variants, so owner findings are family-level and are not necessarily unique to the Smoked Oak finish.

Room×Lab rating: 7.6 out of 10 (limited confidence). Strong owner satisfaction, recurring comfort praise, and generally sturdy construction support the score. The main caveat is a recurring minority pattern of cracked seats, compounded by some uneven-leg and counter-height complaints and limited finish-specific evidence.

  • Curved-seat comfort: 38 favorable mentions; no lower-rating concerns classified — Comfort was the strongest recurring theme in the owner-review evidence, though the unpadded wooden seat still felt hard to at least one owner.
  • Sturdy for most, uneven for some: 28 favorable mentions; 1 lower-rating concern — Most stability comments described a solid stool, but isolated orders included multiple stools with wobble or uneven legs.
  • Durability is the central caveat: 8 favorable mentions; 4 lower-rating concerns — Some frequently used stools remained near-new, while several owners reported cracks or split seats developing over time, including across replacements.

Before buying

Choose it for a slim, sculpted wood seat, but measure your counter first—the listed 28-inch height runs tall for some owners—and inspect arrival condition, levelness, foot protection, and any early seat cracks.

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