"Gabon Stool" is the first series of furniture by Aranda/Lasch in collaboration with Gabon Boutique, a cooperative of artisans in Gabon Africa. The goal of the project is to create unique pieces that are locally sourced and crafted, and reveal what is possible through the convergence of contemporary design and vernacular arts. Stools are an imporatant part of Western African culture and traditionally symbolic of a chieftain's leadership where each stool is understood to be the seat of the owner's soul. The stools are made from the Movingui tree (Distemonanthus benthamianus) that has a beautiful red bark and yellow wood apprciated locally and used in furniture making throughout central Africa. The Movingui tree is extremely important in Gabonese tradition and medicines. In regards to local Gabonese culture, the Movingui is notably used as a protector tree, and regarded as spiritually linked with twins. The Gabon stool is designed to combine in pairs.