In Japan, there's a piece of furniture unfamiliar to Westerners: The bathing stool. In Japanese public baths, the baths themselves are large communal tubs or pools for soaking, not washing. To keep the communal water clean, bathers wash themselves beforehand, shower-style—but seated on low stools, rather than standing. This practice was borne from space constraints in the typical Japanese home; showering while seated on a stool creates a smaller "splash zone," thus keeping the nearby bathing water clean.

Japanese bathing stools are typically utilitarian rather than designey. But this WK Bath Stool by Wataru Kumano, a Japanese furniture designer trained in Finland, has a bit of flair:

"The front and back of the seat are inclined at an 8-degree angle, allowing water to naturally flow down the center. This inclination also has the benefit of making it easier to maintain a stable posture when sitting."

"The bath stool has a total of six parts. It has a simple structure that can be easily assembled by one person by combining the parts and fastening them in four places with screws."

The WK Bath Stool is in production by Japanese furniture brand Karimoku, and comes in two sizes. The size S is 290mm (11.4") tall and runs ¥25,300 (USD $160). The size L is 360mm (14.2") tall and goes for ¥27,500 (USD $174).