About A Stool AAS 39 bar stool by Hee Welling

The AAS 39 is the About A bar stool with a fully upholstered shell, mounted on the steel sled base of the AAS 38. It is the most dressed-up version of the stool series, available in 65 and 75 cm seat heights.

The base is a sled: a bent steel tube that rests on the floor with two skids rather than four legs, and whose low crossbar serves as a footrest. The design is more industrial than the wooden models: HAY refers to it as "a more industrial expression."

A fully upholstered shell

Unlike the models with a bare shell, the seat and backrest are covered over their entire surface here: HAY refers to this as full upholstery. Foam is placed on the shell and then covered with the chosen fabric: the feel is softer and noise is better dampened in high-traffic rooms. In return, upholstery must be cleaned by dabbing rather than spraying.

Three coverings are offered here, and they explain the price difference between the variants. Remix is a Kvadrat wool blend (92% wool, 8% nylon), heathered, and the most affordable. Sierra is a protected leather: a leather with a pigmented finish, uniform and easy to live with. Sense is an aniline leather: dyed through without a covering layer, it reveals the grain and develops a patina with use. It is the most expensive finish in the series.